Looking back, I can see that a seismic shift in the way we go about our business lives happens every few years, often so significant it blows the concept of office life as we know it out of the water.
First, more than a generation ago, it was a change in social parameters when it became no longer acceptable to smoke at your desk or go for a drink on your lunch break. Next it was the speedy advances in technology, which over the last twenty years, has transformed the personality of an office beyond all recognition.
And here we are now, in 2020, in the depths of a global pandemic with around 80 per cent of office workers (who have not being furloughed) now home working, and the office – for now anyway – almost completely obsolete.
Not good news for us commercial property owners who regard an office and shared working spaces as the very fabric of the business world in this country – a haven of shared thinking and productivity towards collective goals.
Does this current seismic change mean the end of office space as we know it? Has this pandemic resulted in such a shift in human behaviour that the future of commercial property is in jeopardy? I don’t think so.
I was incredibly heartened and encouraged to see in the press last week London-based developers, Soller Group, pressing ahead with plans for a 200,000 square foot office block in Glasgow’s Clydeside, dismissing the claims that coronavirus has killed office working forever as grossly exaggerated.
The group has just submitted a planning application for the proposed Carrick Square building which has been widely regarded as the lynch-pin in the revitalisation of the Broomielaw area of the city. It received planning approval in principal for the Grade A development, located between Brown Street and Carrick Street, back in June 2019.
Whilst of course, development across the globe is on a pause, it is great to see true grit and optimism from these big players – that forward-thinking businesses will thrive once more and will continue to look for top class space in one of the UK’s most vibrant cities.
I am sure for many sectors there are many positives about home working or in locations other than the office. Evidence suggests it can inspire creativity, and offer space and time to complete larger tasks. I do believe the shift change will bring a faster evolution into greater workplace flexibility – it’s been something we have been seeing growth in for years.
But it is not as successful in achieving that most basic need which sits inside most of us – the need for social and professional interactions. Working in an office alongside colleagues and friends helps us feel part of something bigger. It helps to forge that feeling of togetherness and sharing that one common purpose.
Modern offices, like the impressive scheme being proposed at Carrick Square, are designed to maximise creativity and productivity from a collective group of people. There is a lot to be said about the positive impact a good office design and location can have.
Modern work spaces now consider how it can maximise natural light, good air quality and access to local amenities – something which working from home can never compete with.
I have made a name for myself in the business world through being an expert in commercial property real estate – and regularly I share my knowledge and experience of the property world with budding entrepreneurs through my ‘Shaf Rasul’ YouTube channel – so I like to think of myself as an industry ambassador. I therefore triumph at businesses bucking the negative trend of doom and gloom just now, and recognising the need for ambitious world-class office space and its role in bringing new investment and occupiers into Scotland.
I remain steadfast as an emissary for collective work spaces and over the coming months there will no doubt be many discussions about how this will adapt to meet the needs of today. However, I look forward in earnest, to the day many return to the office, happy to see their colleagues face to face and share in all the magic of shared work lives once more.
Scotland Streams Ahead
Since lockdown, our daily lives may have changed, but this crisis has proven how resilient we have become.
With the lockdown taking away many of our social activities, businesses across Scotland have adapted to ensure they continue to bring their services our way.
Being online has never been as powerful as it is today. Just ask restaurants who are still producing meals and delivering to customers at the click of a button. Housebuilders who are still selling homes remotely and through online reservations. Musicians continuing to entertain through live streams – we have never been as online as we are now.
Many parts of our lives are now virtual and it is thanks to local companies who are helping to maintain some sort of normality.
Music fans have been lucky to tune in to virtual gigs with many famous faces with the likes of Lewis Capaldi and even Scottish festivals such as Riverside going online.
Scotland’s music industry has also been going above and beyond to provide entertainment whilst also teaming up for good causes.
I enjoyed the Stream 4 Scotland 10-hour long web stream, which raised money for Nordoff Robbins and Vise Up whilst seeing a number of Scottish artists like Amy MacDonald and Twin Atlantic take part.
And just last week the SPFL and Sky Sports launched a virtual season pass allowing football fans to buy a package to see all of their favourite team’s home games.
This move from the broadcaster is innovative and just highlights how adaptable brands are becoming in order to continue to offer a service at this time.
In reality, businesses need to evolve and change, especially during times like these otherwise instead of swimming, they will sink.
It Made Me Laugh
Tik Tok has become an internet sensation and because of it, funny videos have been popping up all over social media. There is one video from last week however which makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it.
A member of the public out on their daily walk down by the Clydeside spotted an ambitious couple in the river on a tiny pedal boat. No one knows where they came from or where they were heading – sunnier shores perhaps now that the weather has changed?
The pair in the pedalo were spotted and uploaded to the web and have now become an internet hit across Scotland.
I know we would all like to be out in the water in a warmer climate, but peddling down the River Clyde? It doesn’t float my boat.
It Made Me Weep
Throughout the pandemic we have known that there will undoubtedly be business closures and jobs lost – it’s a sad fact. However, when big brands and institutions announce closures, it can come as a real shock.
This was exactly the feeling when Rolls Royce, who have a large factory in Inchinnan near Glasgow Airport, confirmed that 700 jobs were to be axed.
With this being such a large employer in Renfrewshire, it’s a big blow – especially as they are looking to withdraw their services completely.
The company hopes to do this through a severance scheme, which certainly doesn’t fill anyone with confidence.
Let’s hope the government can do all they can to support the workers, and potentially get together with Rolls Royce to resolve this – otherwise it’s a tough time for all involved.
