Managing Director, Karen Mosley recently took part in a podcast for Women in Property about adapting to the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic and the opportunity it presents for changing and improving the way we work and live in the future – Find out what Karen had to say and listen to the interview in full below.
There is little doubt that challenges lay ahead as a result of the ongoing pandemic. But optimism is growing over the opportunity for change and a chance to improve the way we work and live moving forward.
At HLM, we have always been advocates of smart working, adopting a flexible approach to working across our business long ago. While we have studios around the UK, we have always operated as one team, drawing on expertise with project teams no matter their location and working virtually as needed.
Recently, we issued a survey to our staff about returning to work. The majority do not want to return just yet. Some may have issues with the ergonomics of their home space, challenges with childcare or how they might travel. HLM will, as we have done, offer support wherever we can. Importantly, we need to continue meeting the evolving needs of the modern workspace – one that is both flexible and efficient.
We have established a task force with representatives from space planning, with HR, H&S and tech all playing a role. The plan is for our studios to become places where our teams come together to collaborate and innovate in person for anything from special projects to inductions. But much of our collaboration will also continue to take place on the screen. As a result, occupancy numbers will be reduced initially or even permanently with more people wanting to work from home. This is where connectively to vision and brand values is even more important, and success will rely on the strength how those are maintained.
Globally, barriers to agile working have now been removed once and for all. The biggest collective fear we should have is that we miss this opportunity to improve. We have been propelled forward by about 10 years and I hope we all take what we have learned over the course of the pandemic to improve what we do and how we do it. Let’s not just bounce back, but bounce forward to a better world and do even greater things for our people and our planet.
Find out what Karen had to say in more detail and listen to the podcast from Women in Property here.
