Financial Markets and Funds partner Neil Robson was featured in an IFLR Practice Insight article about lessons learned while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neil noted the full range of emotions, from frustration to excitement, as workplaces adapted to work-from-home practices. He had high praise for corporate leaders who “have embraced the change and been leading with an acceptance that we have the technology for remote working, with traders and lawyers and back-office or support staff able to work effectively and efficiently from home, wherever home is.”
He acknowledged that there is a greater awareness of challenges this has posed for working parents. “Those who have had to become part-teacher and part-investment professional may have also learnt that homeworking is most efficient when their children are either absent or busy playing! Yet, while the office is perhaps still the easiest place to work, we have seen that it is possible to work efficiently and effectively from home.” He adds that remote working in some ways has “made us more human,” giving one’s colleagues a glimpse into each other’s work and home life.
Neil speculates the greater impact this time will have on future work arrangements and office space. “For some, the perfect new working arrangement will be a balance of homeworking and time in the office. As a result, many firms will question how much office space they actually need and whether downsizing or hot-desking are options.” (“Lessons learnt from lockdown: eight execs share their stories,” June 26, 2020)
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