After four years at the Phoenix Works it's time for us to say goodbye and start a new chapter
We are about to embark on a new chapter in our history, and we’d love to share that journey with you!
Since 2020, we’ve been proudly situated at the Phoenix Works on King Street in Longton. Built in 1881 by Thomas Forester the building is a prominent feature in Longton and has served as a fantastic base for our team over the last four years, but it’s time for us to say goodbye and embark on a new journey.
The shift to remote working following the COVID19 pandemic was one of the most significant changes in the modern workplace. When the pandemic hit, many organisations had to quickly adapt to remote work to comply with social distancing measures and lockdowns and we were no different. This transition to a more remote way of working accelerated trends that were already emerging, but it also introduced new challenges and opportunities.
Upon the pandemic reducing in severity, we adopted a hybrid model, which meant that the team attended the office a couple of days a week, whilst still maintaining the remote working ethos we had adopted. It was clear that for the majority of the team, the ability to work remotely better suited their lifestyle and was getting the best out of them.
However, the hybrid model in the form we adopted has it’s drawbacks and it became clear that this way of working wasn’t going to be sustainable for the organisation as we grew. So we had a choice to make; do we stick with an office and return to it full time, or do we take the leap and go with a remote first attitude?
The wellbeing and work-life balance of our team is so important to us, so we put the decision to the them and they voted overwhelmingly to adopt a remote first working model.
After receiving a mandate from the team, we have now given notice on our agreement at the Phoenix Works and from October we will begin to work remotely and will meet up regularly for meetings and team catchups. We will still have the premises available to us if required into early next year and will still use the space for meetings etc. This gives us enough time to iron out any potential issues and transition to our new way of working.
There aren’t really any rule books, or guides, on how to make a transition to going remote first so we’ve been documenting our journey. Over the next few months we’re intending to share some insight into our decision making, some of the challenges we’ve faced and what the next chapter in our history looks like. We believe there is an appetite for a better work culture out there and hopefully our journey may inspire others thinking of taking the leap.
We’re so excited to discover the opportunities a life away from a permanent office can give us, and ultimately we believe this will make our team happier, give our clients a better service and allow us to innovate and grow in adventurous new ways. Watch this space…
