The Work From Anywhere revolution: Does it really matter where you work from?
My Boss (who is actually quite wise, but we don’t like to tell him that) has always said that work is “What we do, not where we go.”
He was saying that long before Covid, and lockdowns, and before the era of ‘hybrid working’ and the ‘new normal’ was all anybody talked about.
As a leadership team, we spend a lot of time discussing how best to manage hybrid working, weighing up the pros and cons, and figuring out how to maintain our culture with most of the workforce at home or spread out geographically.
We humans are pack animals.
We need social interaction, and extended periods of alone time are not good for us. We are designed to be mobile, not sedentary. Yet there are vast numbers of us working from home, on our own, in the corner of our spare room, in the dining room, or in a glorified garden shed.
Is this linked to the increase in mental health issues and the levels of work-related stress? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’m no expert, and I’m not trying to be, but in my opinion, yes, it most definitely is.
Today, I went to work from Delt’s new Exeter base, currently known as ‘Matt’s office.’ It was my first visit, and I must say I had an enjoyable day. So much so that here I am crafting a blog! Being somewhere new and spending time with people I don’t normally interact with has given me a boost.
It has re-energised me.
Engaging in different conversations and sharing different points of view have given me new ideas. We have all got so used to Teams as a way of connecting that we have forgotten how important these basic human interactions are.
I went for a lunchtime walk around the block with a couple of the Exeter crew, and we discovered a nice café where we agreed Neil could buy us all lunch next time. I found out John is a bit of a petrol head and a gamer. While Helen, happy with her Astra, struggled to zip up her coat due to her growing baby bump. This is unfortunate, as it tipped down with rain on the way back, and we got soaked.
In the office, I got to know Carey, who was a rebel in her mid-thirties. Matt is very much at home in his new environment and can now cycle to the office. However, Neil does not think it’s funny if we all stand at the glass-fronted office and pull faces while he’s on a Teams call.
Oh, and many funny tales reminiscing about the ‘good ole’ days when people went drinking at lunchtime!
It wasn’t all fun and games. I also managed to tackle a good chunk of my to-do list, drafted a new priority summary to guide my focus for the week ahead, and, through discussions with others, formulated a potential cunning plan to create new opportunities for some members of my team.
The quote for the day was, ‘There seems to be a lot more sass in the office today.’ So, in addition to being energised by a new environment, I’ve brought a change of energy to those adjusting to their ‘new normal.’ I think that’s a good thing, but you would have to ask them to be sure!
I wonder what would happen if we all did a bit more moving about? Changing the vibe in each other’s working worlds.
What is the point of all this waffle?
Where we work does matter.
It impacts us in ways that we don’t really realise. I think what I have discovered today is that what I really need is variety. I need to break my routine and shake it up a bit. There are definitely times that working from the corner of the spare room is absolutely the best place for me to be.
But our Plymouth Office (B2) is the place where most of my collaboration with colleagues will happen. Although, I am now questioning why I always book the same desk every time, maybe I need to break away from desk 34…
I think our new Exeter office will be a more regular place for me to work from. I’m also thinking of where else I could go to disrupt my routine, maybe the local coffee shop could be an option for a few hours!
What’s your new normal? Is it truly the best for you, or just a habit? Consider trying to work from somewhere else for a day.
Shake up your routine. Sometimes, a change is as good as a rest. Who knows who you might get to know, or how you may change their vibe!
Karen Morris, Chief Financial Officer
