Whether it is a real-life coffee break or a lunchtime stroll through the cities and places we know and love, there are plenty of elements that make up our working days which simply cannot be replicated by technology.
There can be no denying that the current situation is forcibly digitally upskilling the real estate sector, along with workforces in many other industries the world over. But it will be the things we miss, just as much as the tasks we realise we can complete remotely, that define the sort of workplaces we all want to go back to when we emerge on the other side of the coronavirus crisis.
So, what are the things we are struggling to do without? We asked five tech-savvy industry leaders what they are missing the most as lockdown continues.
Andrew Day, co-founder and chief technology officer, Travtus
Weirdly, I miss the commute, which included a ritual of getting a coffee and walking along the river and across Tower Bridge to the office. I also miss the food market behind our office that we were all looking forward to going to over the spring and summer. I miss working with the team and brainstorming physically in a space. It’s harder to talk and banter while working through problems. But other than the physical and intellectual conversations, the ability to deliver the usual has not changed. It’s just harder to be creative.
Angelica Donati, partner, Concrete VC
Obviously, I miss seeing my friends and moving around freely, but I have got used to that quite quickly. Workwise, I really miss sitting at my office desk, with my massive screen and space for me to spread out with all my stuff. Working from my laptop in my parents’ living room (I’m quarantining with my family) just doesn’t cut it. I miss being able to stroll over to my team’s office and go through the things we are working on in person with them. And, to be honest, I miss the coffee most of all. We have an amazing machine at work and I don’t know how I’ll survive without it!
It is more difficult to give a seamless presentation remotely as you can’t read the faces and movements or your co-presenters
Alex Edds, JLL
Alex Edds, director of innovation, JLL
I like being in the office to feel the energy, speak to colleagues and just have person-to-person contact. One thing you can’t account for is those moments in the lift, or on the stairs, or in the queue at the café. These chance encounters are missed hugely at the moment, and technology can’t replace that. The other challenge is that, being part of a pitch or presentation team, it is far more difficult to give a seamless presentation remotely as you can’t read the faces and movements or your co-presenters.
Dror Poleg, author of Rethinking Real Estate and co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Technology and Innovation Council in New York
What I miss most these days is the walk to the office. It’s an essential way to clear my mind and it also provides a clear boundary between ‘home’ and ‘office’ that is currently missing. As for the work itself, I must admit that I quite enjoy things being quieter than usual.
Dan Drogman, chief executive, Smart Spaces
We always hear from visiting clients that our office atmosphere is upbeat and inspiring. It’s a place that our staff and clients want to come to and, although I hate to use the term “banter”, it is one of the things I miss. We are lucky to have such a diverse company with many nationalities, talents and personalities, all coming together on a daily basis to achieve great things. Despite being able to continue our communication remotely, it’s just not the same on Slack for me. Something I have noticed on days when I have a lot of video conferences is how drained I feel. I’ve put this down to how much harder your body has to work to listen to the person presenting without the aid of body language, lack of facial expression when slides are shown and the fact that the audio quality is just nowhere near as clear as in person.
To send feedback, e-mail emily.wright@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmilyW_9 or @estatesgazette
