with Omega Architects
We’re doing well thank you. Like everyone else, it has been a bumpy road, but we have got through it and have just moved into new offices last month which is a positive milestone for us. Client-wise we are as busy as ever and luckily, we haven’t really slowed down while we worked from home, we just had to find new ways of doing things, which is a fantastic position to be in. I know other sectors haven’t been as fortunate. We have a very strong client base with around 90 percent of our business being repeat, as clients enjoy working with the team and often come back when they have another project they are starting, but alongside that, we have picked up some new clients over the last two years from recommendations on the back of other projects.
We have taken a bit of a different approach compared to other businesses when it comes to remote working, often it’s just not possible for us. As we talked through last time, architecture is very much about people having conversations around plans to really thrash out issues and finer details which is difficult to achieve over a video call. Very early on during lockdown, when everyone was at home, that was where we saw productivity fall as people tried to move projects forward over email and phone calls. A lot of people can work from home as long as they have a laptop and phone, we can’t, we need our big A1 drawing desks, pens, computers and our team around us to make it work. Even though we kept everyone employed throughout, lockdown was when we really struggled as a business. As a result, in June 2020, when restrictions started to lift, we introduced a rota system so we could get back together as a team again safely and safeguard the business. We are hoping to see everyone back in the office again full time soon as cases begin to drop but we have to be mindful about doing that at the right time too. It’s about being sensible and understanding people’s concerns while there is still uncertainty.
The new office is a big open plan environment where everyone can work together as a team which is just what we need. It’s a really striking space which is much more in keeping with who we are as a company – I still find it impressive when I walk in. Hopefully, we can start to have meetings with clients in the office again before long, that’s what really brings it to life. The new office is pretty much at capacity now, and while that is great to see it does raise a challenge if we wanted to grow our headcount in the future. That’s possibly where a hybrid remote working option could work for us, it would allow us to employ more talent but keep the team together as much as possible.
I actually came into the office by myself for the majority of lockdown, so my routine didn’t really change that much, to be honest! I tried to set up the ‘man cave’ in the garden and work from there but it was difficult with all the distractions around the house, especially with the whole family there too. In the end, I had a light bulb moment and thought with no one else there it is safe for me to go in and get some headspace to think about the strategy for the business as well our client work. I needed that routine of getting out of the house, driving or cycling to work, and being able to focus – it meant I could really enjoy my time with my family because there was a more distinct line between work and home.
I’m not sure that companies who adopted blanket furlough or indefinite working from home processes have thought about the long-term effects that it will have on city centres. We’re already starting to see a change in the kinds of projects that are being briefed as a result of new ways of living and working. One of the incentives to boost the economy during lockdown was the relaxation in the laws of permitted development. This is where you can convert shops into houses and flats, acting to stimulate town centres which are all in a bad way at the moment.
That is one of the things that really hit me during lockdown – walking around the empty streets in London and other major cities and seeing shops, offices, and restaurants boarded up. The combination of people not coming into city centres to work and the convenience of online shopping and Deliveroo means that we are going to see a lot more developments in town centres of flats, student housing, and leisure experiences, rather than traditional retail and eateries. City centres are going to look very different when my children are older and heading off to university.
We’ve had our ups and downs like everyone, but they are doing really well thank you. One of the other unspoken issues that I think will come out of the pandemic is the impact that it has had on our children and families in general – if everyone is stuck in a house together for months on end it is never going to be straightforward, but it is about finding ways to adapt and cope. My boys are 8 and 11 now so just as they were starting to get a little more introverted and I was starting to worry, the schools thankfully opened, and they were able to get back to football and sports clubs after school and spend time with their friends again.
My main aim is to make sure that our team is happy, and we are delivering fantastic work for our clients. It is difficult to focus on client work and run the business at the same time, and long term that’s where I think we will look to grow the team. Bringing someone in at a senior level to deliver some of the higher-level projects and free up some of mine and my business partner James’ time to work on the business, rather than getting bogged down in the detail. Working with Dan, our managing partner at Haines Watts is a big help in that department, being able to bounce ideas off someone at a peer level and get the context of what the wider industry is looking like is a real asset.
The Haines Watts team has done a lot for us since they came on board as our accountants. Yes, they look after things like payroll and tax, but above all, I have a rare business and friendship relationship with Dan which means we can have offline chats about things and he is happy to give me advice from his own perspective as a business owner. It’s sometimes comforting to hear that there are other people in the same boat as you or who are experiencing similar issues. I’m seeing Dan for a golf day soon which I’m really looking forward to, it will be the first time I will have been able to go out and play since before this all started.
Haines Watts have also helped a lot with our R&D relief over the last year which has been great. We didn’t realise it was an option until Haines Watts advised us about it, and actually we do a lot of research and development – we just didn’t know that what we have always done naturally as a business, classes as that. They have also helped us to acquire some electric cars for the company, which has tax breaks and aligns with our vision to be a sustainable business.
