by Gita Mendis
Like others, at ZPB, this year we’re back in the office three days a week. I for one am glad to see the back of my working-from-home misery. The so-called 3-2 hybrid way is definitely working for me. Not so much for the delivery drivers unable to drop off my packages and my small dog who doesn’t have a lap to sleep on all day (don’t worry she gets a lunchtime walk while I’m not there).
We’re not alone. Four in every ten residents in London have a hybrid work pattern according to the Office for National Statistics. Top companies like Amazon and Meta demand at least three days a week in the office. The civil service is threatening to get workers back into the office full time (good luck with that!)
The last few years has been all about adapting and flexing the way we work - and being back in the office more than working from home has meant more change. We’re shortening the working day to knock off at 5.30 to give us more time to do things outside of work and spend time with friends and family.
Being in the same place means we can do more social things together - team breakfasts, birthday lunches and after-work drinks are now a welcome feature. And face-to-face meetings and training events are less exhausting and more productive.
There’s no denying that working from home has brought flexibility into our working lives. The commutes are less overcrowded thanks to homeworkers and having a couple of days working from home reduces the time and costs of travel. It is no longer acceptable to come to the office with a cold because it’s so easy to work at home. And I’m all for how formal workwear has relaxed – who else wears trainers to work every day?
My top four reasons why I am enjoying being back in the office:
1. I don’t work well in a vacuum. I prefer to have a lot of conversations with colleagues, clients, and people in my network before I figure out what needs to be done. Yes, I’m the annoying one in the office who never stops talking – but it helps my work – really.
2. I’m out and about, my Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday daily step counts hitting the recommended 10,000 steps a day and my often-muddy walk through my local woods to the tube station is my favourite moment in the day.
3. It’s a change of scenery that is nice and warm (for free) and I can look out the window at the Thames from my desk.
4. Hanging out with my fellow healthcare comms geeks is the best. When we’re not nerding on the latest waiting list data drops we’re sharing in that way that humans do when they spend time together. There’s Anne on her (self-confessed bad) knitting; Rachel on everything Madonna-related and the stories about Jen’s dreadful landlord.
So long WFH, it’s been fun but we’re having the best of both worlds for now.