Reflecting on a Brief Return

I as much as anyone, if not more so than others, have been a strong advocate for co-location of teams, especially when challenged by the pressures of delivering against constrained timescales. There are many reasons for this, whether it be the complexity of the task demanding a multitude of interdependencies to be managed across functions and disciplines, or the relative experience or inexperience of the team, the ability or inability for key members to progress without supervision or the clarity or lack of clarity in the requirements of the project's deliverables. These are a few examples amongst many others that drive us as social beings to come together in pursuit of a goal.

That was before...

Having been deprived of that luxury for months now, I have come to recognise the surprising degree to which dispersed teams can collaborate effectively, even with the most basic of tools that the world of IT has seen fit to provide us at work. It is fair to say though that remote working tools effective as they may be, do not make up for team players who relish face-to-face social contact. Nor do they compensate for the effects of closed schools and nurseries and the inevitable burden that places on parents especially those who both work. Equally, its fair to say that most do not benefit from the luxury of a home office, as I do. A room that is tucked away yet easily accessible from the rest of the house. I understand that the experience has been a trial for many and yes, perhaps we should count our blessings that we've been able to continue to work. 

Today, I headed into the office for the first time since leaving at the end of the working day on 17th March. I'd resisted two previous calls for meetings in the office for which I was not directly needed, but this time the chair was insistent that a face-to-face would be the only way to move things forward. The meeting certainly did move things forward. It was a well-mannered meeting, not especially challenging or contentious and the background was well understood. We sat around a large table peering at a projector screen that was likely in its prime 20 years ago (favoured rooms were booked). The icing on the cake was a 2-hour round trip in the car (significantly longer than the meeting). When it was put to me that I should think it was worth getting together, I was politely non-committal in my response. I have too much respect for my colleague to pick a fight over that point, whether the need might arise in the future or not!

In other news, today marks the 80th anniversary of L'Appel du 18 juin, the address to French citizens by Charles de Gaulle on his arrival in London following the fall of France to Germany in WWII. The occasion was to be marked with a flypast by the RAF Red Arrows along the Mall and the meadow at Dedham pictured in the extra, judged by us to be a great spot to catch sight of them along their planned route. Suffice it to say, the plan failed to survive first contact with the enemy in the form of thunderstorms further south in the county. It was nice to grab a lung-full of the fresh though...

93 days since being asked to work from home.
0 days since visiting the office #covid19