One of the things I love about working in the London market is its palpable sense of community. Long ago other exchanges swapped human interaction for digital dealing. But our market still thrives on the interaction between people. True, our day-to-day business is now enhanced by electronic trading but, walk down Lime Street, wander through Leadenhall Market and you see people meeting, talking, doing deals. Or at least you did.
Overall, we’ve coped remarkably well with the lockdown, but we’re social animals and I’ve missed the human contact. I expect you have too. I can’t wait to get back to EC3 – just as soon as it’s safe to do so. And there’s the rub; how do we judge what’s safe, what’s sensible, what’s possible?
In the short-term – maybe in the long-term – our workplaces will have to change, and we’ll have to rethink how we use our space. We have to plan for safe workplaces, and we have to make sure our people are happy with those plans; we have to address their anxieties. We’ll have to think about physical difficulties, about operational difficulties and, perhaps most of all, about emotional difficulties.
We have to show leadership and we have to communicate with clarity, with consistency and with empathy. As a communication specialist, you’ve got an important role to play. You’ll be able to support your management colleagues, help them to formulate their plans and make sure those plans are understood by all.
And here’s where we can help. We’ve spent the last few months helping people as they adapt to working remotely. Now we want to help as you plan your return to EC3. Here are a few ideas you might want to consider.
- Surveys – Find out what your colleagues think about a return. What are their anxieties? What are their concerns? What practical difficulties will they face? Their responses can be anonymous.
- Welcome back packs – Containing all your colleagues need to know about their once familiar but now altered workplace.
- Social distancing guidelines, signage and safety information – Who will be in and when, where will they sit, how will they move about and how will hygiene be maintained?
- Infographics and motion graphics – Breakdown complex procedures into bite-sized information that’s easy to understand.
- Email, newsletters and LinkedIn or WhatsApp groups – Distribute your plans through a variety of channels to make sure your colleagues have all the information they need.
But perhaps more important than these individual elements, is the establishment of a central hub; a depository for everything your colleagues will need for a safe return to their workplace. We have helped businesses build web-based hubs for the lockdown; we can do the same for the return. Here’s what one of our clients had to say.
“I was extremely impressed with the recent microsite that Haggie designed and built for us during our emergency BCP planning. They managed to turn this around very quickly and to a very high standard – we have received fantastic feedback from both senior management and our staff. It’s not only user friendly and intuitive but also has a slick and professional design. The team has been helping us to keep this updated over the last few weeks, which has involved going above and beyond on occasion to ensure that deadlines are met. Overall, we are very happy with the work produced and with the service provided.”
Hit this link for some free, downloadable signage. But if you need more help with your return to EC3, please get in touch.