London

For the first time since moving to a small village more than 2 years ago, I am regularly commuting to London. By coincidence I’m based at a location less than 5 minutes from the office in Farringdon where I worked for 8 years, so I know the area well.

Much has changed and much has stayed the same. A bunch of buildings which were under construction and re-development are now finished, although many seem not to have tenants in them yet. And the Elizabeth Line finally opened!

Leather Lane food market seems to have weathered the storm and bounced back, with a large variety of tastes and smells to whet the appetite. On the other hand, at least 2 local pubs have closed, presumably unable to make ends meet in the new work from home era.

Speaking of which, the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in office vibe is certainly real. This week I had to be in for meetings on Monday and the train and the streets were really quiet.

What is interesting is the way that office meeting culture has changed. The expectation now is that some will be there in person and some will be remote, and that’s just how things are. Everyone has an equal voice, whether physically present or not. And the work seems to be delivered efficiently.

The area that I believe that still needs to find equilibrium is with client relationships. From speaking to contacts in many agencies, it feels that these have become more disconnected. Will this have a long-term effect on the length of client-agency relationships? Only time will tell.