Moments in time: The post virus workplace
We are all adjusting to the restrictions imposed by the Government to tackle the spread of Covid19. Beyond the difficulty of adapting or the immediate economic impact, the sudden measures have reduced activity and travel, achieving in a very short space of time what environmentalists have so far been unable to achieve despite a huge effort. Perhaps this global crisis will recalibrate our approach to many things that we take for granted, and like trying to quit an addictive habit, this unwelcome and deadly event may help us change our ways for the better.
Thinking beyond the immediate situation and considering how the workplace and the industry that serves it will be once normality returns, it is reasonable to assume changes will be felt in the workplace. Momentous events always leave a legacy. Airport security has never been the same since 9/11. However, the current crisis is more than an economic slump or a conflict of ideologies. It is going to cut to the core of modern life, and the behaviours we are used to will inevitably change.
The economic crisis of 2008 exposed the tendency for financial excesses. In response to the economy that emerged, a number of companies in the office furniture industry questioned the cost and commercial value of exhibiting at large trade events. Some decided to stop attending. Interestingly, the many design festivals such as Clerkenwell Design Week that have grown since 2008 are an improved way of showcasing an industry. CDW and events like it, allow manufacturers to exploit their showrooms, which are costly resources to finance all year. With fringe activities around the periphery, district-wide events create civic benefit and (in the case of Clerkenwell) have encouraged the furniture and contract interiors industry to cluster. So was it commercially damaging for those who decided not to exhibit at trade shows? I doubt it.
In this time of imposed isolation, we need to reflect on the actual priorities that will provide new opportunities when we emerge on the other side? To that end, does the past provide any clues?
There have been several recessions over the past 30 years. Each have shaped the workplace and the furniture industry. In the mid 1990’s there was an economic downturn, very modest in comparison to now or 2008. However, I remember at the time a headline in a trade journal. It was a quote from the CBI addressing an industry conference. I may be slightly misquoting here, but it said that “the challenge the (furniture) industry faces in difficult times, is that furniture is the ultimate deferrable purchase!” Sobering thought but true.
Comparing the industry then and now, well known companies disappeared or were acquired by others, leaving a reduced industry. Importantly in the workplace, it changed the amount spent per workstation due to the sudden expansion of IT and the use of PC’s. Although at the time PC’s were readily available, the timing of the slump was perfect as it expanded the use of IT across all aspects of work. As the economy recovered, firms with a now reduced workforces found that using the newer multi-tasking PC’s saved the work of several people, improving efficiency and shrinking the workforce permanently. Some of the budget previously spent on furniture now went towards IT, and desks became much simpler and cheaper. Although ideas like activity based working and hot-desking had been circulating for a while in one form or another, in the wake of 2008 with improved mobile communications, smart phones and cloud computing, the benefits of ‘nomadic’ working accelerated as the tools were readily available. Although beneficial to the worker, some may say the benefits to the employer were far greater, as they could reduce real estate cost and down-time. So was the motive to either improve work-life balance for the worker or a cost saving exercise for the employer?
The recent instruction for those who can to work from home was a practical decision as most people today have the tools and technology available to work from home either on an informal or permanent basis. The main network providers have said that capacity to cope with peak times at weekends for streaming media would be adequate for the increased traffic during the working day. Although reassuring words from service providers, mobile networks have experienced outages and there are bound to be interruptions, simply because of the volume of traffic and the extreme times we are in. This situation has made all forms of teleconferencing essential for work colleagues and families to stay connected. So what applications, services and products will emerge from this situation as the successors, and does this event therefore make the decision about who delivers G5 more pressing and possibly inevitable?
However, what interests me are the cultural aspects of this sudden and imposed experiment in remote working. Since the lock-down started, I have made several calls to deal with different business related issues. The teams in question have been disbursed and direct communications with individuals almost impossible. I expect the teams are finding it challenging to remain engaged with each other, and contact with line managers is no longer a call across a dividing screen in the same office.
So will an imposed break force us to reflect on the things we really value? The environment will benefit for a while due to the suspension of non-essential travel and manufacturing. As mention of what our exit strategy from the lock-down should be, will normal service resume or are we being taught a tough lesson the hard way about our excessive consumption and bad habits? Or being a social species, will we rebound like a tightly coiled spring, and return to our normal pattern of behaviour in reaction to the imposed isolation? In terms of the workplace, will large scale home working test the infrastructure, workers and companies to a degree that results in a rejection of remote working? Will a prolonged period of confinement make us value human contact and interaction more? It will be interesting to see what opportunities there are once we have dealt with Covid 19 and counted the human, cultural and financial cost.