Blog

Remote should be the norm

This pandemic has changed a lot of things, most obviously for those who can, working from home, remotely. People have embraced working at home, having meetings on zoom and this new way of working appears to be more productive.

While I can certainly understand a lot of this as someone who has worked from home for at least half of my career, it’s not without its challenges. But let’s not focus on that, let’s look at working remotely during and post-pandemic. The latter being something I’d recommend, and these are the reasons why.

  • Productivity is certainly up, so long as people manage the amount of time they’re working and don’t burn out, that’s a huge benefit.
  • It can give us more time in our day.
  • There’s less risk to your well being as you’re not exposed to as much crime, accidents, pandemics, and the likes.
  • Time saved not driving to work, never mind the frustration.
  • If you’re not driving to work, you could get a cheaper car, if not getting rid of it altogether.
  • Working when you want to work, more when you feel productive rather than having to be productive during office hours.
  • Time with your kids, helping them get ready for school, their homework, and actually watching them grow up.
  • Time with your partner.
  • Time to do things at a more convenient time. We have all tried to fit in going to the bank, grocery shopping, school sports, mowing the lawn, etc all on a Saturday morning as it’s the only time we have.
  • Relaxing in the comfort of your own home.
  • Less time and money spent on work clothes and as much grooming.
  • Cooking a healthier diet instead of junk from the canteen.
  • A pet in reach that wouldn’t annoy your colleagues with allergies.
  • Fewer distractions and bureaucracy.
  • Infrastructure cost reduction for your company.
  • The positive effects on the environment.

The list can go on and on. With a decent internet connection, a computer, and hopefully a dedicated space where you can be disciplined enough to do your work, you could be set up and ready to go. OF course not all work can be done this way and yes there are many good reasons to go into an, especially for those people who feed off the energy of others and read the room. There are pros and cons on either side of this, and ultimately you and your company can decide to do what’s best, but post-pandemic, I think it would be something to consider if it is better for you and positively impacts your employer.

It’s ok to …

It is ok ...

say “I don’t know”
ask for more clarity
stay at home when you feel ill
say your don’t understand
ask what acronyms stand for
forget things
introduce yourself
depend on the team
ask for help
not know everything
have quiet days
have loud days, to talk, joke and laugh
put your headphones on
say “No” when you’re too busy
make mistakes
sing
sigh
not check your email out of hours
not check your email constantly during hours
just Slack it
walk over and ask someone face-to-face
go somewhere else to concentrate
offer feedback on other peoples work
challenge things you are not comfortable with
say yes when anyone does a coffee run
prefer tea
snack
have a messy desk
have a tidy desk
work how you like to work
ask the management to fix it
have off-days
have days off

I love this it’s ok to … list, something I not only need to share in a future workplace, but a list I need to follow myself.

via

Tossing Tables

It’s been my experience that most agencies are structured wrong for optimum creative collaboration. Traditionally there are studios that have client service departments in one room, a boardroom or two and the creative studio, which consists of even more rows of desks. While I would love to tackle the entire agency, in this post, I want to challenge the perception of the creative studio.

First thing I would do, is toss the tables. They take up too much space and unless you do production, I can’t see a major reason to have them cluttering up the limited floor space.

Of course there is a need for desks, so I’d put a variety of different spaces for people to plant their laptop around the office. Things like small tales with chairs around them. Higher cafe/bar style surfaces along the walls. This is a great space saver and additional helps creatives stand and work which is highly recommended. The use of board room tables can also be used. Coffee tables are perfect for lounging.

On the topic of lounging, this is where I’d use the floor space. I’d create clusters of couches, bean bags and go so far as to say have hammocks if need be. We’re in the idea business and we spend large amounts of time thinking, so why not do it comfortably and socially.

With the use of wifi and the mobility of devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones, it’s easy enough to sit where ever, when ever.

Some might panic because they don;t have a space to put their stuff, well it would be easy enough to give the staff lockers or shelves they can call their own.

Another great addition to help use both sides of your brain are having play areas with games, toys and libraries.

The factory like setup does not promote collaboration or encourage creative thinking. It’s too easy to get stuck in your own space, staring at a screen all day. The perfect environment would be cozy, fun, collaborative and stimulate the already challenged creative minds.

↑