Blog - Page 2 of 7 - Social & Local

11th August 202011th August 2020

5 things you should know about Holly Greenland, Consultant Head of Strategy

People and pets: I live with my partner, two kids and seven fish (they wanted a dog, but it wasn’t going to happen).
Favourite (communications) campaign: I love it when a brand is brought to life. AirBnB reinvented their logo – the Belo – a couple of years ago with an engaging story and animated content that I just loved, bringing together the stories of the company, their home owners and the people who come to visit.
Quote to live by: In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity (Albert Einstein).
Something we don’t know about you: I often love the condiments more than the meal itself.
Why the Social Life Matters: The “Social Life” means real flexibility to live and work in a way that makes sense for everyone. Not just me and my family, but for the team and our clients too. It’s just better that way!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-greenland-63525232/

#SocialLife #socialbusiness #social&local

7th July 2020

Let’s talk about flex

As a seasoned home worker (10 years plus!), it won’t surprise you to hear that my ears pricked up at a Radio 4 Programme last week week (Positive Thinking) which considered whether or not working from home might catch on in a post-coronavirus world.

While enforced remote working in a pandemic is not flexible working (for many it is more about simple survival, at home, during a crisis, while trying to work!) but it has started some big conversations.

Against the advice of many, I set up SoLo eleven years ago to offer a fully remote and flexible working environment. I’ve seen first-hand the benefits of a remote model and called for smart businesses to join the flexible working revolution many times.

But I was interested to hear on the programme than a study has been done that proves what I know anecdotally to be true: that working from home increases productivity.

Thank you, Nick Bloom, Professor of Economics at Stanford University, California. Nick published a study of a Chinese travel company, Ctrip, that looked at the benefits of its working from home policies. The study found that a random sample of 1,000 employees were 13% more productive working from home than they were in an office – 9% of this was from working more minutes per shift (fewer breaks and sick days) and 4% from more calls per minute (a quieter and more convenient working environment). After the 9 month trial, over half of the home-working employees opted to return to the office – having fallen foul to the 3 great enemies: fridge, bed and TV – while the others continued working from home: this led to the gains from WFH almost doubling to 22%.

If there is one silver lining of the COVID pandemic, I desperately hope that employers reconsider the benefits of working from home – not just to the employee, but also for their business. Through productivity, staff retention and the ability to recruit some of the best talent going (much of which happens not to be able to commit to the 9-5 grind for whatever reason – parenthood, caring responsibilities, anxiety, age…), the benefits of home workers are clear. Indeed, they are assets.

Sure, working from home does not suit all sectors, all jobs, or all people. In our business, for example, while planners and strategist can work from home just fine, things get trickier with collaborative disciplines like creative.

There is also wellbeing to consider. As the mother of two 30-something advertising boys, I noted that for the “family” version, lockdown has delivered benefits (and challenges!), but for the DINKy it has been hard socially. Isolation and loneliness have been a theme for many during this enforced period of working from home, and many will be desperate to get back to an office.

But the conversation has started to be had, and for that – if nothing else – I am grateful to COVID. Let us keep up the dialogue about work being about what you do, not where you do it; about working to live, not living to work; and about putting people and their lives at the heart of what business does.

4th June 20204th June 2020

Boots, buttercups and being human (further reflections of a Mad Man in Furlough)

Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

Yesterday I pootled up to Nottingham’s University Park to take a walk around the beautiful Lake at its centre. I’ve been there numerous times but never fail to be awe struck by its natural and built beauty endowed by philanthropist, Jesse Boot (of Boots chemist), in the early part of the 20^th Century. (Once upon a time businessmen knew that whilst their purpose was to create profit this came with an equally important obligation to create employment and social improvement. You can of course rely on me to stick the boot in!)

Half way around the Lake I met (at a suitable distance) a local family – mum, dad, three young children. They admired my dog and the children played with her for a moment or two whilst their parents and I shared our lives in a nutshell. One of the children, a small girl of around four, headed towards me with a bunch of daisies and buttercups in her hand as a gift. I stepped aside but suggested she popped them on the grass where I could pick up safely and take a closer look and of course, check whether or not I liked butter (we agreed that I did). We smiled at each other, wished well, and went our separate ways with a memory of a shared moment and a simple kindness.

Half a Lake further and Molls (the dog) took a fancy to a middle aged man sitting on a bench with his bike propped beside him. He’d clearly done a few laps and was tucking into a container of cut fruit. He stopped to welcome Molly and to give me a smile. “Well done, Change4Life?” I remarked, which ignited a conversation about middle aged fitness regimes and a few laughs before he told me to keep safe as we walked on.

I travel these paths regularly, and have done for many years now, but right now it’s different. Deprived of simple day to day communication with others outside of our lockdown group, I am finding a particular pleasure in a face-to-face conversation with a fellow human being – just for the sake of it and just to wish each other well.

During London 2012 there was a mood of great excitement. Weird things happened, people started to chat to each other at random. It had never happened before on the London tube, and everyone was talking about a lasting legacy. Yet, how quickly we all stopped, reverted to familiar behaviours; folded back into ourselves once the Games were over. Everyone, but me, that is – I still smile and chatter to people on the tube, though I know that most consider this weird.

Let’s hope beyond Covid-19 we don’t lose ourselves in ourselves again. For my own part, I intend to pursue being weird. I hope others may do the same.

Action: Talk to someone you don’t know today and wish them good health.

20th May 202020th May 2020

Reflections of a Mad Man in Furlough

This morning I decided to trot my dog Molly into the City as my diary is clear.

I had heard on the grapevine that a small Italian Coffee Shop (aptly called Solo Grano) was open for business and was dying for a pukka Cappuccino and as the sun was already blazing at 8.30am wanted to imagine myself in Athens as I should have been had it not been for lockdown.

The City was quiet except for a lonesome street-dweller and a clutch of construction workers pressing on with the development of City Centre flats and student accommodation. The City was clean and bright, its ancient mix of medieval (think Robin Hood) and Victorian splendour standing proud in the morning sunshine.

I’d clocked the little independent Italian coffee shop opening about a year ago, but had never visited. Perhaps habitually I was attuned to grabbing a Costa from the large soul-less café on the corner or worse going for the dispensed version at Sainsbury’s Local. This morning was different – they were closed. Social distancing observed, I bought my coffee for £2.25 (same price as Costa) served by the smiling (and rather good looking) young Roman at Solo Grano – a small wrapped biscuit (nod to our wonderful client the Food Standards Agency) placed beside it and vowed to reward his endeavours by becoming a loyal and returning customer.

Wondering about in Market Square almost alone other than the local mad MOD (now 75) driving his 3 wheeler version of a Vespa through the fountains fully adorned with badges, St. Georges flags and multiple other paraphernalia, I looked about.

The once heaving big corporate retail brands – Debenhams, New Look, Burton/Dorothy Perkins, Primark, Costa, Starbucks, Café Nero – were closed and empty, their large windows plastered with tacky discount posters, their displays a season old, the goods uninviting.

I wondered (and hoped) that beyond COVID and subject to some real common sense on behalf of the Council in terms of business rates, and taking advantage of all these emerging new flats, now might be the big moment for a resurgence of the Independent and family owned business able to flex and be versatile in times of crisis bringing back truly differentiated service with personality and individualism to the citizens of our City. I’m in.

9th March 202019th March 2020

SoLo’s Guide to effective remote working

SoLo’s virtual office in action

Are you working from home for the first time? At Social & Local, we’re seasoned remote workers (nearly 9 years now and counting!) Here are five things we have found make home-working work best.

Create a dedicated workspace: Find somewhere to work that’s free from the interruptions of home life. There’s nothing more distracting than an unmade bed in the corner of your eye or a washing machine bleeping for attention. Even if you don’t have the luxury of a home study, a pop-up desk in a corner of a room can work better than the kitchen table or sofa because it demarks a space that’s solely about work. This helps you to focus on work during worktime and then escape it when you’re done.
Connect (digitally) with colleagues: Make time to connect with colleagues – at SoLo we have a virtual Skype “office” – a daily Skype meeting which we log into for the day to connect with colleagues, foster teamwork and keep loneliness at bay. Regular, scheduled catch-ups over the phone or in the Virtual Office provide opportunities to exchange information informally and regularly, keeping work efficient and focused and ensuring the team is working seamlessly together.
Take regular desk breaks: Create some structure and routine for your day. 8 hours alone at your desk can be a daunting prospect. Research shows that we’re better working in short, intense bursts. That’s why you’ll often find Steph on an 11 o’clock dog walk and Jess making her lunch to the backdrop of the World At 1. Give yourself a structure which includes short regular breaks and schedule a brisk walk if you can. You’ll probably sit more than usual and may need to make time to move. Remote meetings are usually shorter too – another bonus of home-working!
Dress for the day: Though some might relish the chance to stay in PJs all day, we find it helps to get your head into ‘work mode’ by dressing appropriately… Not necessarily in a power suit, but somewhere in between. Being dressed ‘for work’ can help create the distinction between work and home, when there isn’t a commute to do that for you.
Meal plan: Fill your fridge with goodies so that you can make yourself a nutritious lunch. Without the joys of Pret or Itsu on the office doorstep, a few tasty ingredients can quickly be fashioned into a healthy lunch to refuel for the afternoon ahead. Smashed avocado and poached eggs on toast is a team favourite, as well as a selection of weird and wonderful salads.

Remote working can be a little lonely at times. If you are ever looking for a bit of company you’re always welcome to pop into our virtual office (we’ll send a link!) for a cuppa and a chat.

2nd March 20205th March 2020

Millennial Life – boiled down to 5 key things

Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay

Millennials – born between 1980 and 2000 – are both the 20th century’s last generation and its first truly digital one. We spoke to eight millennials from across the UK and boiled down what they told us to 5 key things.

They are time poor – living away from friends and family (but trying to keep up with them) and working for companies that don’t give them flexibility (which generations behind them will demand as they come of age), Millennials are struggling to fit it all in. Companies would do well to recognize this. As a generation, millennials are conscientious and given trust/flexibility, will deliver for their employers.
They are financially stretched – living with mortgages and lifestyles to keep up with, they are more stretched than the generation above (cheaper lifestyles) and below (no desire to own property). This impacts their ability to live out their values. So, while they might talk the climate change or human rights walks, they aren’t all walking the walk.
Though they have a strong sense of the world’s problems, they feel inert to solve them – probably because of points (1) and (2) above – time and money. This leads to feelings of guilt, compounded by worry that the generations above and below them don’t share their ethical and environmental values.
Brands and organisations could benefit from this complex sense of inertia, guilt and social conscience by making it easy for millennials to behave ethically. Removing some of the burden of solving the world’s problems with products and services that can help them do the right thing, could prove financially and socially rewarding.
Whilst marketers are quick to invest in social media, they need to ask themselves whether it is always the right channel for reaching millennials. Many millennials are scathing about social media and marketeers should approach with caution.

27th February 2020

5 things: society’s biggest issues, according to millennials

Image by stokpic from Pixabay

Millennials – born between 1980 and 2000 – are both the 20th century’s last generation and its first truly digital one. We spoke to eight millennials from across the UK to find out how they want to live, what stops them, what they view as the biggest issues facing society, and what they think of the generations before and after them.

Unease around narrowing world views and increasing intolerance for other people’s beliefs is of high concern. One Londoner told us: “Tolerance for differing views is changing and becoming much more extreme. This is linked to people feeling that their opinion can be equal to a FACT.” A participant from Scotland said: “I think we are becoming more isolationist and people are retreating into their own tribes. It’s happening everywhere. There is a lot of division about most issues; a lot of misunderstanding”. C, 32, from Leamington Spa said: “The demonization of groups of people [is a massive problem] with media like the Sun failing to humanise groups of people – trashing immigrants and asylum seekers and Labour voters – we need to get passed this – we are going backwards.”
The gulf between rich and poor was mentioned by a few respondents as one of the biggest issues facing society now, both reflecting and creating this division of opinion and inability to see things from other perspectives.
Climate change (unsurprisingly) rides high as one of the biggest issues the world currently faces (according to millennials), with concern around denial and the amount of education required to turn the issue around.
Social care was also raised, with worry about our unwillingness to look after one another: “There is a considerable unwillingness for volunteering and with a whole generation spending not saving and having fewer children I envisage a pinch point of a big, top heavy population, without the volunteers to help keep going – unless there is significant rebalancing” (M, 32, Manchester).
Inertia, guilt and paralysis are stopping people from being able to act: “I think that the biggest issue is that people don’t know how to make a difference – we have the conscious awareness, but people don’t think they can impact on this and so feel guilty.”