What might the "new normal" look like for charities?

As vaccination rates rise and the jab is increasingly looking like a successful route out of the pandemic most organisations, including charities, are starting to ask themselves what the “new normal” might look like for the services they deliver and the way they work.

We’ve written before about how the learning from lockdowns shouldn’t be wasted and successful new ways of working should be embedded into how charities deliver their services. Equally, there are significant opportunities for charities to reduce core costs, particularly through reduced property costs.

In May 2021, the core partnership surveyed businesses about their intentions for returning to office working. It’s not surprising that a high proportion expect to adopt a hybrid office/home working approach but what is surprising is how high - 80% intend to adopt hybrid working and only 5% intend a full time return to the office for staff. Interestingly, 4% expect to stick with full time home working (and 11% are undecided).

It also appears that many house builders started responding to this as early as autumn 2020. There appears to have been a marked reduction in the number of 1 bedroom properties being built (with buyers wanting an extra room for a home office) and many developers are incorporating shared workspaces into developments, often as adjuncts to community buildings.

While there are undoubtedly potential disadvantages to home working (isolation, loneliness, interruptions and not being able to “switch off” from work), it appears the advantages are winning the day, including:

• Better work/life balance and flexibility for many (e.g. with reduced commuting releasing time that can be spent with family).

• Increased productivity through more focused working and more efficient meetings (providing interruptions from children or others can be managed).

• Environmental benefits and associated cost savings, including significant savings in property costs by reducing office space.

• Flexibility to respond to fluctuating lockdowns and increased resilience in the face of future business continuity interruptions,

We see no reasons why most charities cannot follow suit and, for those who can’t because their services are necessarily promises based, these seismic shifts in working practices must surely have big implications for commercial property prices into the medium term, raising the prospect of lower rents.

Of course, some investment is needed to ensure employees (and volunteers) can work effectively from home, including broadband upgrades, help to convert home (or garden) space into an office, ensuring the right equipment is provided (chairs, tables, computers, etc.) and paying careful attention to the balance between positive and negative impacts on well-being (all of which will be highly personalised for each employee or volunteer’s circumstances) and providing support where required.

In our view, now is the time for charities to grasp these issues to reduce core costs, improve well-being for staff and volunteers, reduce environmental impacts and increase resilience.

If you would welcome a conversation about any of the reflections in this blog please do contact us at julian@almondtreeconsulting.co.uk.