I am a bit of a thinker and I always feel that a change of season brings with it the opportunity to appreciate the little things around us. For the past few years I have to admit that the seasons have all seemed to merge into one, each having no definitive start or end and each bringing a sense of mild panic as what aspects of life we may or may not be able to enjoy in the coming months.
This last weekend, for the first time since 2019, I felt a real visceral sense that we had just merged quietly into normal. There were a few things that made me feel this way, the first being the start of Strictly Come Dancing; the show itself is as much an indicator of Autumn and Winter as leaves falling and temperatures dropping. To see the show with a full audience, group dances, dancers mingling and celebrating each other’s success almost erased the past two years from my mind.
On the flip side I had a spa day on Saturday. The last three visits we have been under some sort of pandemic protocol about number of guests at a time, maximum numbers in facilities etc and this weekend – wow it was busy! Queuing for a steam room seemed alien and almost annoying, as if our experience was diminished by the presence of other members of the public invading our space.
This got me thinking about how these things are playing out in workplaces and customer spaces across the country. I visited a well-known retailer a few weeks ago – collecting an order made online – and the store itself was a lifeless shell. Yes, it was extremely efficient, and I waited mere minutes to get my order, but the soul had been sucked from the building. The three colleagues purely there to handover pre-purchased items and open/close the doors looked bored out of their minds. As a colleague I wonder what this experience feels like. Is this a fair trade off for a calmer working day and better work-life balance?
And what about offices? Where hybrid working is no longer a buzz word and the idea of completing a full 5 days in the office is almost unthinkable? The benefit of the office environment is the vibe created by everyone being together, disappearing off to the coffee machine for a natter or popping by someone’s desk to discuss an idea that probably wouldn’t warrant a video call. I feel sad that the environments I enjoyed when starting my career will not be the same for those that are just starting on their career path. These spaces and the people in them made me the person I am today. The challenge in those environments and yes, the pressure, really solidified my character, and gave me a strength and confidence that, for now at least, seems lacking in our young workforce.
As an employer I am working hard to empower each member of my team from my apprentices to my managers to be the best they can be within their unique environment (we are mostly remote working) but I make sure that when we are together, we make time to connect and have fun as a team, a family.
What do you think about this sense of normal? Have we lost something in the past 2.5 years that will be hard to get back or replace? Or is it just me getting sentimental about times gone by? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
And finally….
When thinking about these changes I’ve experienced I wonder about the impact they have (or should have) had on any experience research. Questions that we were asking three years ago may no longer be important, replaced by hot topics like inclusion, mental health and social impact. We must make sure our research has moved with the times too. Our next blog will focus on this topic; whether what organisations have always done for understanding experience are fit for purpose any longer.
Watch out for that in the next couple of weeks!
Helen
Image courtesy of Ardian Lumi on Unsplash