The world has significantly changed over the last few years, and the attitudes of office-based workers has shifted to more flexible ways of working.
Recent research from the University of Southampton has shown that office workers are now rejecting the 9am-5pm grind and are embracing a different way of working – in different spaces and environments which are a stark contrast to the traditional pre-2019 office setting.
But a change in working environments isn’t as simple as moving around a few desks.
Step in, Clockwork Removals.
Going above and beyond the simple relocation of furniture, the company has been working hand-in-hand (socially distanced, of course) with businesses UK-wide to not only support a transition towards supporting flexible home working, but also to design and support creating spaces within the office that aid productivity.
It is this approach that has resulted in the business being awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the Commercial Mover of the Year Competition 2022. This award is testament to the quality of service delivery that the company gives to its clients.
“We’ve seen a two-phased change to how businesses are operating since the start of the pandemic,” said Jamie Mann, Managing Director at Clockwork Removals and Storage. “In early 2020, there was a significant shift towards helping move office equipment and set up home offices across the UK. There were even cases where businesses were asking us to set up offices in shipping containers in their colleagues’ front gardens to create a separate working space away from their homes.
“Now, as we start to return to how things were before, we’ve seen a huge change in how people want to work, as well as an acceptance from companies that there needs to be more flexibility during the working day. People are more health-conscious and focus on the benefits of the environment around them – this includes the office. The pandemic has given businesses an opportunity to reform their office spaces, aid more effective working and ensure they are creating safe spaces that maintains business continuity – especially when we are still going through a pandemic.”
Towards the end of restrictions being lifted, Clockwork Removals and Storage saw an influx of work. To help with saving costs on business rates while everyone was working from home – the firm stored away office furniture and equipment, which later needed moving back into the office.
“Storage usage has been significantly higher over the last two years,” said Jamie. “It really changed a few weeks into lockdown where people realised they weren’t going to be going to back to the office for a while, but working on a kitchen chair was really taking a toll on their posture. As key workers, we had to co-ordinate a lot of deliveries of office chairs.
“At the moment, our major focus has been on how we can work with our customers to reconfigure their offices, set up the right technology infrastructure and implement new, safe ways of working that mitigate against spreading viruses that would be of detriment to health.
“Logistically, we’re proud to have managed through this pandemic and provide some very unusual services to our customers in what have been challenging times. Our crews have gained more and more experience in decommissioning and recommissioning desktop equipment and setting up servers and cabling to provide that extra service beyond the movement of furniture.
“It may have been a challenging time for us all, but the experience means we’re stronger for it as a business – and we’re ready to help any company across the UK to optimise their office space.”
Image credit: Clockwork
