There is a famous quote by American author William Gibson, who said, ‘the future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed’. Never has that statement seemed more true than over the past year. We’ve seen an acceleration in the adoption of technology as consumers and businesses struggle to come to terms with virtual living and working, an effort described in one report by KPMG and Harvey Nash as a ‘huge and unprecedented spike in technology spending’.

In the workplace the initial challenge we have had to solve is one of virtual-to-virtual (V2V) communication, so that we may work together seamlessly while dispersed across the country.

Upside Down Management, the business philosophy centred around a culture of trust and autonomy, already had an increasing number of companies taking inspiration from it before COVID. One of the benefits of lockdown has been the opportunity to hold a large-scale experiment in the power and potential of this philosophy.

The originator of this way of thinking, retailer Sir John Timpson, described Upside Down Management as everyone having ‘the authority to find the best ways to do their jobs’ and in the words of current CEO James Timpson on its impact for the COVID era, ‘what I hope is that all businesses will recognise that the kinder, the more diverse and the less hierarchical they are, the more relevant they will be – and the more likely to succeed’. As the post-COVID business world shifts to a more hybrid workplace, combining face-to-face and virtual working, this philosophy of cultivating trust and autonomy will be central to corporate success.

Generational differences are inevitable in the modern workplace. Currently we can see five different generations all collaborating together to reach the company's common goals. Discover our guide to the five generations, their differences and how Argyll can support you through this journey.

It’s official: 11 months of working online is changing the way our brains function and our ability to work in teams. Neuroscientist David Eagleman tells us that due to our model of the world breaking down, our brains have been in a state of reconfiguration, forging new neural pathways to cope with our changed circumstances. Naturally, this affects how we function as teams. At its best, teamwork bonds us together, fosters innovation and improves efficiency. However, every driver of what makes a successful team, as defined by Tannenbaum and Salas in ‘Teams That Work’ (2020), has been challenged by the pandemic, affecting, for example, how we communicate and collaborate to how we coach one another and how motivated we feel as a result of our working conditions.

As the vaccine roll-out gathers pace, attention is gradually shifting to the horizon and what’s next for our cities. Alongside this week’s sombre milestone on COVID deaths, and news that 8% of Londoners have already left the capital, there is an emerging debate about whether the city will ultimately swing back to being a thriving centre for work or risk becoming a ‘Gotham City’, as Minister for London Paul Scully MP has warned, ‘deserted apart from those with the means to insulate themselves from infection, and those with no choice’. While it is true that London will be required to re-formulate itself into a safe, sustainable and technologically-enabled place to work, it is equally true that, to borrow from Mark Twain, reports of the death of London are greatly exaggerated.

Using meeting rooms in London is a great way to get your business done in the most efficient way possible. We know working solely over emails can be tiresome, and focusing on a screen all day doesn’t always help ideas flow. This is where meeting rooms come in. At Argyll, we know people work their best when their environment reflects what they’re trying to get done. That’s why we make booking meeting rooms in London as easy as possible.

In times of crisis we reach for nostalgia, looking back to periods when the world seemed a better place. In recent months a new wave of workplace nostalgia has crept into our psyche. Even the most humdrum aspects of life in the office have taken on positive qualities as we reminisce from our isolated home workstations. The stressful daily commute now seems like the ideal opportunity for a bit of ‘me time’. Catching the early morning train for a short client meeting on the other side of country now sounds like a delicious day out. We even miss the routine office birthday celebrations as yet another employee cuts a Colin the Caterpillar cake.

As we approach the first anniversary of lockdown, debate continues to rage on the pros and cons of working from home and how it affects our quality of life. While there has been much positive anecdotal evidence concerning the benefits of working from home, including articles this week advocating the joys of WFB (working from bed), the reality is that this social experiment is still in its early days and emerging on the horizon is a dark cloud of issues concerning employee quality of life and mental wellbeing that will threaten us in the forthcoming months.

As we all come to terms with the implications of a third national lockdown, cast your mind back to Spring last year when the novelty of working from home was still at its peak. One of the biggest benefits highlighted at the time was that remote working would herald the end of presenteeism, the practice of being present in the office for more hours than is required, as a means of impressing the boss or as a manifestation of job insecurity.

As agile working becomes more established, the role of the corporate headquarters is changing and the idea of the office as a clubhouse that reflects the corporate brand is gaining traction. Not least is this evidenced in research from CBRE, where every respondent to their global study of September this year believed that an office should be a place where a company reflects its brand and culture and provides space for employees to experience community and social interaction.