HedgerWay Q4 Newsletter 2023

London and major cities around the world are back to their bubbling best; commuter activity and retail footfall is returning, tourists are here and getting a last-minute table at your favourite lunch spot is as hard as it ever was.

In early 2020 we were all thrust into a new way of working, remotely. The clamour for more flexibility had been growing and gaining traction, but this was to the extreme and something very new for most. Working in a hoody, a minimal commute from bed to sofa, and an opportunity to get through the domestic to do list (!?) all certainly had their appeals. This also forced all professional life to move behind the screen and boiling under the surface there have been other detrimental effects that can't be ignored.

Productivity rates have stagnated, rates of depression and anxiety are on the increase. We are more stressed and more isolated. Without vital social interactions that the office and the face-to-face meetings provide; the gossip, jokes, shared lunches, casual drinks and even the office romances, the day becomes a mundane to-do list. Additionally, without the layers of social context, understanding corporate messaging becomes more challenging, contributing to an increasing sense of disconnection. In turn this impacts the employee/employer relationship, eroding the 'stickiness' that creates cultural bonds, which additionally extends to the other key relationships in our networks. VC meetings serve a purpose but do little to enhance long lasting business relationships...Continue Reading