When the dust settles, what will be the greatest – and longest lasting – impact of the Covid-19 pandemic? There’s a strong argument to suggest that the answer is the way we work.
Before March 2020, construction and architecture were firmly office and site-based. This was true of most industries, with IT being the only major sector where remote working took place on a regular basis. Now, remote working has been a way of life for the past 20 months, and many employers are trying to work out what the workplace will look like going forward.
Critics of remote working contend that productivity dips as staff are not under the watchful gaze of managers and collaboration suffers, while advocates say it offers a much healthier work/life balance and employees prefer it. As usual, the reality is never going to be as clear cut.
Ivan Gasparetto of Techifide has been managing remote teams for IT projects for years, and knows how successful remote working can be. “If it’s not working, companies need to look at themselves first,” he says. “It’s easy to point the finger and blame staff.” Is the communication set-up effective? Is task setting being properly managed? As Ivan says, “If companies don’t trust their staff, why are they hiring them?”
He also challenges the view that remote working leads to a drop in productivity. “It’s easier to hide not doing any work in the office. You can walk around, talk to people and look like you’re busy. There’s nowhere to hide when you’re working remotely – if the work is not done, it’s obvious!”
Remote working and BIM
Alistair Kell, Chief Information Officer at global practice BDP, shares his experience of remote working. “Before the pandemic struck, we’d recognised that the ‘one size fits all’, studio-based approach wasn’t really sustainable.” The company was starting to look at what it could do to support the needs of all its employees and make itself more inclusive, when the pandemic forced its hand in dramatic fashion. “In a week we went from everyone in the UK being studio based to working from home. And, surprisingly, it worked.”
Medium-sized practice RMA Architects went through the same baptism of fire. “We weren’t set up for remote working, other than the occasional lending of a laptop for someone to work at home for a specific reason,” explains Andrew Mortimer, one of the company directors. “It tied in with how we liked to work – we prided ourselves on our collaborative approach.”
It’s good to talk
While remote working allowed RMA Architects to carry on during the first lockdown, they did experience some drawbacks. “From a management point of view, it was hard to keep track of what everyone was doing. And if there was any misinterpretation of a task, it could be a few days before this was discovered.” Andrew felt that the regular, informal catching up in the office could not be replaced by technology, nor could the sharing of ideas, experience and discovery of new processes. “We missed the filtration of ideas and solutions, something that is particularly relevant in BIM. It’s so technical and always changing. Even the most experienced BIM professional is always looking for new ways of doing things, and the best way to share this is in the office.”
Conversely, BDP found that communication improved with remote working. “Regular Microsoft Teams calls with whole teams and across different departments replaced informal chats. This meant that everyone got involved,” says Alistair. The time and expense of meetings across different office locations had previously been huge; with remote working they took place more often with all relevant personnel in attendance.
However, Alistair does concede that face-to-face collaboration still trumps the online version. “Architects and engineers do work collaboratively, they spark ideas off each other. Remote tools don’t offer that as well at the moment.” For BDP, a hybrid model is what they are now trialling. “We launched the pilot in September. Staff can work up to 50% of their time at home without a change to their contract; or more than 50% with a change. We’re encouraging discussion within teams to make sure it’s effective.” So far, it’s working well, with staff reacting positively.
At RMA Architects, staff have preferred a fuller return to the office. “We’ve said that people can work one day a week from home if they want to. Everyone has responded positively to that. Initially, people liked working from home – it was a bit of a novelty. But over time they became frustrated and missed the social side. Now about 50% are in full time, the other 50% at home one day per week – it gives people a bit of flexibility.”
A better balance?
A common assumption around working from home is that it provides people with a better work/life balance. Experience suggests that this is not always the case. As Andrew explains, “As work has gotten busier, people are starting to log on in the evening and over the weekend – which leads to burnout. Working all day then continuing at home in the evening isn’t healthy. It’s harder for us to manage with remote working as people can so easily log on at home. We try to discourage it but we’re not always aware that it’s happening until it’s too late.
“The office gives you structure and a sense of urgency to get work done in a certain timeframe. If you don’t have that, things can drift, and you end up working until 7pm at home when you could have finished by 5.30pm in the office.”
Their recent recruitment experience also suggests that people are happy coming into the office. Some interviewees came from a large architecture practice that has made all its IT and support services remote. “Those we interviewed wanted to be in a collaborative environment, wanted their own desk, and wanted to feel part of the team. Over the summer we recruited new graduates too, who were very keen to be in the office.”
Getting remote working right
In Ivan’s opinion, the key to successfully managing remote working is: “Communication, communication, communication!” Not just about work, but also how staff are feeling and what else is going on in their lives. “If people are bringing their problems to work, they won’t be as effective. Give them some time to sort out the problem, and they will work much better.”
Investing in software is also important. “There are lots of different communication and workflow platforms out there,” says Ivan. “Always get the paid-for versions – they have benefits and features that will quickly outweigh their initial cost.”
Alistair admits that BDP was in the fortunate position to be able to invest in technology that allowed them to embrace remote working. “We updated all our conferencing facilities to accommodate people in the home and in the office. Some businesses just aren’t in a position to make that investment.”
The post-pandemic picture
“I don’t see a return of the 9-to-5 in the office, five days a week,” says Alistair. “From my point of view, the hybrid model is here to stay, although personally I do find a bit unsettling. That may be because the 9-to-5 has been ingrained in me over 25 years!” He does think there will be some adjustment as the world moves on from Covid-19. “Finding the balance between business and individual needs is key. At the moment, people requesting flexible working patterns are not being challenged with Covid-19 still around, and that’s as it should be. But at some point, they might be challenged, and the balance might begin to shift back to employer needs.”
Ivan also sees the future as hybrid. “It’s good for people to meet in person. And if people are hot desking and moving around when they come into the office, they might actually get to know more of their colleagues.”
For Andrew, the office is still the best place for effective communication, collaboration and learning. “With BIM changing all the time, you need those personal interactions and collaboration in the office. Even if someone has amazing BIM knowledge, the value is only a fraction of what it could be if it’s not shared and tested on colleagues. That happens best in the office.”
It may be too early to make any firm predictions about the future of digital construction and remote working. The pandemic provided a brutal shake up that may consign the daily commute to the past – or give us a new-found appreciation for office life. Perhaps larger employers will find remote working easier to implement and feel its benefits more than smaller, more connected studios. Now the genie of remote working is out of the bottle though, will it be possible to put it back?
With thanks to: Ivan Gasparetto, Techifide, www. techifide.com; Alistair Kell, BDP, www.bdp.com; Andrew Mortimer, RMA Architects, rmaarchitects.co.uk