Lessons from COVID-19 – Office workers, don’t give your precious time back to commuting when you can spend it on yourself or with your family

The COVID-19 lock-in in the UK has been and continues to be a hugely challenging and worrying time for almost everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or how much money you have, the virus has impacted your life.  

However despite the obvious downsides and negative impacts, there have been many positives coming out of the situation. We are talking far more to friends and family, yes good regular conversation is a thing again albeit through the medium of Zoom. Outside walks and exercise are once more seen as a blessing and something to look forward to and not a chore. (Admittedly the recent good weather in the UK has helped!). We have taught ourselves new things, taken time to cook, bake, sort out and grow things in the garden and what’s more, actually enjoy doing all of these simple things. For the parents, we have been able to spend much more quality time with our children and we and they have loved it. Actually it has been pretty amazing and what’s more none of these things cost much at all and we have been able to do them due to suddenly gaining one major thing….. Which is TIME.

Back in our “old” lives we would have loved to have done all of these things of course, but we were always far too busy, doing important things in our important jobs, rushing around doing a lot, but not necessarily getting a lot done. The question is as the country begins to open up, do you want to rush straight back into your old routine, or can you take some of those lessons and positives and keep them going?

For office workers, one lesson we have all learned is that for the vast majority of people, thanks to technology and the fact we are grown ups, we have managed to do our jobs every bit as well remotely as we would have done chained to the main office desk every day. What’s more business management have realised it as well. Sure working from home is not a new thing and COVID-19 didn’t invent it, but this has certainly been the largest experiment of its kind in the UK and has maybe forced some businesses or industries that were maybe too “important” or fixed in their ways to allow employees the choice of flexible working, to start thinking differently. 

Of course 100% remote working wouldn’t be a good thing either. Human contact (albeit at a safe social distance for the time being) collaboration with colleagues, in-person engagement with clients is a key and enjoyable part of our everyday working lives.

How to get the best of both worlds in work?

But now we must decide if we can get the best of both worlds. Can we balance going to your main office whenever there is a need or value in doing so (and not just for the sake of it) with working closer to home the rest of the time?

By ‘closer’ that could mean actually working from your home, or if that doesn’t work, how about a local alternative such as a local coworking hub that could act as your satellite office? The benefits of this of course can not only be the more suitable facilities such as high speed wi-fi and dedicated workspace, but the ability to separate work and home life, have a set routine and have the social aspect of working alongside like-minded others. For commuters who at the moment travel into large cities like London everyday, any additional costs of taking up membership at a coworking space would be more than offset by the savings of fuel or rail fares, the environmental and mental damage of long commutes, and probably most importantly, the additional time you will save travelling that you can then spend on your yourself, whether that be your business, your health, learning a new skills, or time with your family.

Your commute to your local coworking office could on a bike vs a train or car, while its proximity to your home could help you do more of those really important things regularly, such as meeting up with friends, or for those with kids, never missing those important school events, or making school drop-offs or pick ups a doable part of your new normal routine.

Give it some thought and don’t rush back into your old routine

MyWorkSpot Maidenhead – 2 day free pass offer

We are a flexible office and coworking hub based in Maidenhead Berkshire offering full-time, part-time and PAYG desk and private office memberships, as well as meeting rooms and event space. As well as local businesses based  full-time,  we have many corporate commuters who commute to London from Maidenhead, but live locally and come to MWS to work or have meetings as part of their weekly routine. We also act as a satellite office for some company teams whose head office is elsewhere, but want a regular base to work and meet close to home. Post COVID-19 we can also help with temporary desk or office solutions for individuals or teams.

If you have more than one team member, or want to find out about solutions for corporate teams – read here how we can help

If you live in or close to Maidenhead, come and check us out. For those NEW to MWS, we are giving away two free day passes to come and try out what we think is a better way of working. 

Next Steps

• Click here to take a virtual tour
• Click here to read our revised Health and Safety policy – (we are actively monitoring and adhering to the latest UK Government guidelines on returning to work, please get in touch with us by info@myworkspotuk.com or 01628 613200 if you would like to discuss
• Click here to find out more about our membership options, book a tour, or download the MWS app and get access to 2 free days immediately.