Blog > What is the new normal?
What is our new normal
16 June 2022

What is the new normal?

The ‘new normal’ seems to be on everyone’s lips still but what does it mean for us here at Wilson Partners? We are quite a different type of accounting firm and fortunate to have a close-knit team who adapted to a different working style with ease.

For the first lockdown, each team member was sent home with an IT HomeKit to ensure they were comfortable and transitioned into full time working at home. The Office Manager was assigned as a key worker which enabled them to assist anyone at home if they needed access or supply anything centrally, such as client documents or posting communications securely.

As with many, hot desking then arrived to allow staff training and client face to face meetings to occur. As Wilson Partners uses cloud-based accounting software, this digital freedom enabled us to continue functioning effectively and efficiently however remote. Our business is growing and recruitment continues so hot desking has enabled us to expand and yet utilise the capacity we have in our Maidenhead HQ.

When Boris gave the nation the go ahead to fully re-open, we acted quickly and kitted all desks with screens and docking stations in a very short time in order to welcome back the team. All of us looked at this opportunity to reconnect and share our experiences of lockdown but also to help each other with tips on wellbeing and address any mental health issues we had encountered, either whilst being at home for a long time or the idea of coming back in the office. We all welcomed the idea of being face-to-face again. We soon re-introduced the team month end drinks, face-to-face training and talk about our next all company social outings!

At first, everyone was excited to come back into the office but soon realised that we had to get used to the noise level! Thanks to our hot desk system and noise cancelling headphones, we are enjoying the office environment in a slightly quieter format!

Wilson Partners has truly embraced hybrid working (we did it before the pandemic, but on a much more adhoc basis). We’ve noticed that the blend of home and office work has a positive appeal to most of our colleagues and productivity has not decreased at all. As one of our colleagues, Roelien said “I recommend Wilson Partners because of the flexibility they offer. I can work from home or the office when it suits me, and I can work around child pickups”. Supporting everyone’s health and wellbeing is a priority for us and something that our Wellbeing Team focuses on.

St Johns Ambulance conducted a survey on 2000 adults who did not work at home before the pandemic to understand the impact that working from home and the introduction hybrid working has had on them. The results were quite interesting with almost half (48%) of UK employed adults who don’t normally work from home saying their employer has introduced flexible working arrangements on a permanent basis since the pandemic and 14% would prefer to not be flexible at all.

Wilson Partners conducted a survey on business in the Thames Valley and found that 60% found remote working more productive. This illustrates that whilst some business owners are craving a return to pre-pandemic normality, the reality is that many workers (and employers) have seen huge benefits in the flexibility of working from home, not to mention the time saved on the commute and a reduction in stress. It certainly looks like remote working is here to stay but how will it evolve from here? The balance is something that needs to continue to be discussed and recognition given to the importance of both working remotely and in the office.

You can download the full version of our latest survey here.

We must remember that not all roles are able to be flexible in terms of their nature and also that even if their job roles permit flexibility, that not everyone feels productive working at home.

We at Wilson Partners are fortunate to have a robust team with a great spirit and support for one another. Hybrid working is definitely our new normal. What is yours?

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