PR AGENCY DIARIES: WHEN WFH DOESN’T WORK
If you’ve become accustomed to bashing out work emails from the comfort of the couch (stained pyjama bottoms just out of sight of the built-in webcam), you’ll need to bring that hair brush out of its early retirement and bid adieu to a doomsday mantra that office occupation has a terminal outlook.
Big businesses are looking to downsize their footprint in our CBD but there’s a hefty cost to WFH. We’re diving deep into all the reasons why the office is worth both the journey and personal upkeep.
Local businesses depend on you!
Be part of the recovery solution, not the problem. An office worker’s impact on the economy is more than just what they can do at their desk. Travelling to and from HQ calls for a coffee stop plus the prospect of lunch, then a drink at the local to celebrate or commiserate with colleagues before braving the traffic on the journey home. Without this, small businesses simply can’t sustain their operations.
Dollars aren’t necessarily transferred to neighbourhood haunts either. With plungers at home and a fridge full of food, most of us would agree there’s less excuse to pop to the shops. Plus, the pyjamas are a real barrier to exit - socially acceptable outerwear it is not.
We’re social butterflies at heart
Beyond just the economic, it’s the social and wellbeing impact on the community at large from being within a business environment that can’t be replaced.
There’s also a lot to be said for the sociability of a workplace itself, and while being accommodating to schedules for mums, dads, students and more is par for the course, a full office has big energy vibes. More social time together sees employees communicate more effectively and more easily gain the respect of co-workers. From the work wife to the situational spouse, colleagues become part of the family and WFH is the divorce.
Plus, all the fun stuff (think more long lunches, less networking seminars) requires you to get out of the house. Know how to spot the events you won’t want to miss by reading all about what goes into an epic launch.
“Sorry, we missed your whole 5 minute monologue”
We’ve all been there - a stilted Zoom meeting that ends in a wash of pixels and white noise. While video conferencing is a handy tool it should be supplementary, not a staple.
Sporadic connectivity aside, the over speaking and interruptions (as well as a reluctance to talk freely) means virtual meets are not nearly as productive as nutting out the nitty gritty face to face.
The fastest way to come to an agreement - just get everyone in the same room.
It’s trickier to take off the training wheels
As a business grows so does the headcount. How do you train, integrate and build staff rapport and company culture through screen time alone? In short, you can’t.
There’s no replacement for scheduling face time in order to get a sense of a person, how they work and what makes them tick, plus allow them to ask and be shown all those quick tips IRL.
Accounting for a quick question over the shoulder or reiterating something when passing in the hallway avoids miscommunication and only partial information sharing (or over-zealous, painfully long step by step emails) that can ultimately be detrimental to getting things done.
Business breeds business (and promotions!)
It doesn’t always take a board room to seal the deal. Often it’s what isn’t on the meeting agenda that is most abundant, where entirely new concepts, networks and contacts are unearthed.
A chance meeting in your ride up to level 7 or whilst waiting at the local coffee shop can be just as significant to the dotted line.
This goes for your own development too – we think it would be hard to get that promotion through hard graft alone as so many leadership positions (and otherwise) are tied up in the rapport and EQ you bring to the table too. Getting that face time with the wider team is key to showing this, we think.
While some may love the confines of their spare room, we say come out of that self-imposed exile and meet the rest of us for a mid-morning cuppa - we promise it’ll be worth it.
To ease yourself back into the 9 to 5 grind cityside, check out our top fringe spots for an after-work drink or bite to eat.
