In these unprecedented times, a lot
of people have had to make the switch to working from home, particularly in the
property and architecture industry. These two industries are typically centred
on their fast paced, dynamic work environments and therefore some may be
finding it difficult to make the switch from their everyday office to a home
office. This change is ultimately centred on the ability to adapt. In our
modern, fast moving world we often find that we have to be very flexible with
our time; however, this temporary shift will give individuals and the industry
in general the ability to enhance the flexibility of their minds as well.
As previously mentioned, one of the challenges when it comes to working from
home is missing the buzz provided by your typical office environment and your
team. Both the architecture and property industries are centred on people, so
making the change from this social existence to a more solitary one can be
difficult at first. Here, the key is adapting your approach to communication
and ensuring that you take full advantage of the range of technology that we
have at our fingertips. Communication is key in any industry and so by changing
your typical face to face meetings into a video call with your team or clients,
you are still able to maintain a personal connection. The use of video calls are
vital to maintaining professional connections with clients and team members to
facilitate the day to day running of your business, but they are also very
helpful for boosting morale. Some of the best services that we have used so far
include Zoom, Teams and of course Skype. Be sure to experiment and find the
best fit for your team.
Time management is also key to any successful industry, but when the lines
between your workspace and home space become blurred this can be a bit tricky. Structure
is important when it comes to allowing you to access your best levels of
productivity and this can come in a range of different forms for a range of
different people. Planning out your day more thoroughly than you might
typically do in the office can be helpful but as always in any industry
flexibility also plays a huge part and it is important to not be too hard on
yourself if you don’t tick off everything on your to-do list every day. Your
home life is inevitably full of distractions, particularly for parents who have
taken on the additional challenge of home schooling. This will ultimately have
an impact on the productivity you usually expect from yourself but it is
important to remember that everyone is in the same boat. Create a workspace for
yourself, create a plan for your day, even dress for the office if that helps
you to stay more focused but once again always remain flexible and if something
doesn’t work for you don’t be afraid to continuously adapt and evolve your
approach to working from home.
Ultimately, the key is to continue to channel your usual professionalism but in
new ways and to remain positive. We are extremely lucky to have the ability to
be able to do our job from anywhere, whether that be in the office or at home.
The rapid world of property and architecture can change at any time in a number
of different ways so it is important to keep in mind that this is merely a
temporary disruption that will allow us to innovate our approach to working and
will hopefully allow us to come back to the office with a new and perhaps even
improved skill set when it comes to tackling day to day challenges.
Written by Rachael Gray.
Rachael Gray is a Director at Clifton Gray specialist property recruitment company. Follow Rachael on linkedin or email rachael@cliftongray.co.uk to discuss current Liverpool and Manchester property jobs, or to find out how Clifton Gray can secure the best talent for your property business.