Wordsworth ‘Wandered Lonely as a cloud’ but he wasn’t lonely as we know the meaning of the word today – he was just not walking next to anyone.

Historian, Thomas Dixon, reminded me of this on Radio 4’s programme ‘A Short History of Solitude’.

In a recent UK survey 85% of younger employees said that they felt less connected with their teams and 79% reported that they thought they were less informed about what was going on by not being in the office. Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, has argued that, “Learning face to face in the workplace is an unbeatable way to build skills and confidence. We must not deprive the next generation of this opportunity.” 

But when we say we need to go back to the office to keep the youngest of us in the company and inspired – are we second guessing them? Are they ‘walking on their own’ – or do they have company and inspiration that we don’t even know about - and that doesn’t need to come from ye old office?

Edge Marketing Manager, Anna Motture, has a chat with some of them…

Hello all and thank you for your time!

So let’s start with you Megan.  You've worked at Edge from your intern days to now as a permanent member of our design team. Nice work!

What did you like about being in a studio five days a week and what are you not going to miss when we return to a more flexible week?

I really enjoyed being able to see everyone in the office, having catch ups throughout the day. We used to do a Spark of the Week breakfast on Mondays, where we would all sit down to enjoy some food and a catch up on our weekends, sharing any cool new places we had visited. We are still able to do a Teams meeting in replacement, but I do miss being able to sit round a table with everyone. The office is also situated in such a lovely part of London with independent shops and cafes on the door stop, an ideal location.

I am super excited to start doing a more flexible week: it provides the best of both worlds. I will not miss having to get on the Northern Line every morning in rush hour. I have also found that focus work is a lot easier to do at home. So having a few days a week to really concentrate and then to come into the studio to collaborate with the team will work seamlessly. 

Emily, you've just joined us as our new intern. Welcome!

How are feeling about working in the new environment where some days your colleagues are on screen and then the next day they are sat right beside you in the office? Do you feel you've missed out on anything? E.g. compared to the year out Megan has described?

Thank you! I have certainly still felt a warm welcome from everyone, virtually and face to face. Even though it is a strange time to be starting a placement, I found it was slightly less intimidating on my first day having less people in the office as I didn’t have the pressure of learning everybody’s names all at once. It has also given me a chance to get used to the office space in a quieter setting, which I am hoping will help me in the long term.

At the moment, a lot of the social aspect of the job has been sacrificed as a result of the pandemic. I feel as though I am missing out on the buzzing studio atmosphere when it is full of everyone, including all the food meetings and pub lunches everyone has mentioned. Hopefully these will return in the future!

During the current circumstances, the process of starting work has been a very smooth transition so far and I have not noticed any lack of support as a result of the combination of virtual and physical work. I'm still learning and getting used to it but I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the team in person eventually and am excited to be a part of the new Nimble way of flexible working!

Ibrahim, I've never actually met you but we've been working together for a few months now, (I wonder if you are taller than me?! ).
How did you find the sudden move to remote working? What are you looking forward to most about the return to the studio?

It’s highly unlikely that I am, but I’m glad Teams makes me look tall.

The first few weeks were very difficult in terms of work in my view. The nature of work I’m doing at Edge is very different to anything I have done before so not being in the office was definitely a challenge.

Fast forward 6 months, I kind of love it now. I really like the flexibility and added autonomy to create a routine that works for us. Productivity seems to have even improved, I believe. I do want to go back to the office still, especially because we have an amazing studio. Having such a nice space really influences your day. The social aspect of the workspace is another thing I miss, being able to stand up, make a coffee with your friends and colleagues is something I’m looking forward to returning to. Also, I am excited for the odd pub lunch and after work drinks. And I really miss Ziggy!

And Alice, our marketing whizz. You've been integral to many of our creative pitches both pre and during pandemic. What do you miss about the four walls of our office and what inspires you most about a more nimble studio?

I think for me, it’s got to be the people. All my lovely friends at Edge and of course Ziggy our office dog. One of my favourite things about my job is the team, I feel so lucky to work somewhere where I have made genuine life-long friends and that’s what I really miss. Of course being at home I still text and facetime them all, but it’s not the same as sitting face to face in the pub or having a chat while walking along the river. I think in terms of what inspires me, definitely the concept of a more creative and collaborative space, rather than the old school 'this is your desk and you have to stick to it' vibe. I guess that ties in with my previous point of loving being around people and the social aspect of work. The nimble plan for the studio is exciting and I can’t wait to be back.