How Embracing Work Flexibility Has Proven 'Absolutely Awesome' for London Agency Elvis

Early in the Covid-19 lockdowns, questions of "returning to the office" typically revolved around proposed dates and mask protocols. But as the pandemic has continued through its second year, the nature of work has become a highly complex and potentially volatile topic at companies around the world. For many organizations, it's no longer about a "return to normalcy." It's about defining a new normal—and finding the sometimes elusive balance between productivity and your team's emotional well-being. That's why Adweek is launching a regular interview series we call Open Plan. In each Q&A, we'll ask company leaders how they've changed the way they think about offices, remote work and the many transitions ahead. Want to suggest an executive for this series? Email me at stephen.lepitak@adweek.com. How Agencies Are Shifting Their Return to Office Policies Amid the Delta Variant Adweek: How has the pandemic changed how you view workplaces?Tanya Brookfield, CEO, Elvis: I think for us it has sped up our shift towards more flexible working but also forced more radical thinking around what a working day should look like, and by that I mean everything—how, what, where, why, etc. It’s been a really fascinating process to go through and has resulted in an exciting and positive change within our business. It’s no longer about turning up—it’s about understanding what makes us all tick, and what makes us feel happy, supported and motivated. The office is no longer the place to go to sit on calls; it’s a place to actively meet and collaborate.—Tanya Brookfield, CEO, Elvis How have you changed the office environment since the pandemic started?We moved to a smaller office space during the summer of 2020 and quickly realized how productive the whole agency was working from home and how we would probably never go back to a full-time office requirement. The result has been that we have a workforce that can work from home or the office as much or as little as they choose, and we’ve upgraded our facilities. The office is no longer the place to go to sit on calls; it’s a place to actively meet and collaborate. Are these temporary or permanent changes?Permanent. How has it changed your view on working hours and what will you do to implement that?We were already committed to more flexible working before the pandemic but we moved to unlimited holiday in 2019, which has been overwhelmingly successful for both our teams and our business, despite the fact that I had a fair amount of criticism and disbelief about it on LinkedIn—luddites. And then in 2020, as already planned, we moved to flexible working hours. Again, this has been a hugely welcome benefit and we’ve had very few issues with logistics. Essentially people can choose how they work their daily hours within a given workday. Do you believe in flexible working and if so, how do you define it?For me, it’s about treating people with respect and understanding they have commitments and interests outside of work, as well as realizing that if you help create a scenario where they’re not forced to compromise, they’ll be happier and more productive. What has been the biggest challenge about remote working?Actually, it’s not the remote working that’s caused any challenge for us. It’s more the impact the pandemic has had on people’s mental health and trying to create a remote support system that caters for a lot of different needs. When you physically see people every day, you get a much faster and clearer sense of how they are. Working in isolation removes this and you have to work much harder to understand what’s going on. What benefits has the agency experienced from remote working?It’s accelerated our flexible working program, and that’s absolutely awesome. What have you missed most, if anything, about working from the office?100% it's been the team. We are a very sociable, connected, values-driven bunch and I just miss spending time with everyone. I genuinely get so much pleasure out of my job and that’s totally down to the people I’m lucky enough to work with. They make me laugh, they inspire me, they surprise me and they make me incredibly proud. So, I just miss being with them. Other than that, working from home is amazing. If you could change one thing only about how the industry works—whether about the office, working patterns or anything—what would it be and why?Pitching. Why the fuck do we give away ideas for free and then negotiate on our prices? It’s degrading. How do you plan to do this?Unfortunately, I can’t do it on my own. But what I can do is set boundaries for Elvis based on what we feel is fair and right, and then (the tough bit) stick to them. Open Plan is Adweek's regular Q&A series with executives about how they're adapting to remote work and approaching the possible return of staffers to physical offices. To suggest an executive for this series, email stephen.lepitak@adweek.com. IPG Tells Staff They Must Have Proof of Vaccination to Return