2021 has been quite a year, and summer has just started. Most companies are slowly opening back up, and so is the in-person work environment. The number of meetings on zoom is reducing, and things are headed back in the direction of normal. However, we are still in a transition period; people and companies are adjusting to the changes in their community and their lives.
Here are a few ways the new normal looks at UpFrame Creative. We are happily working back in our office and hired two new interns at the beginning of May. Our interns alternate days when they come into the office so that we are not all in our small office together. We are starting to see our favorite familiar faces around the building, and it is a great feeling to converse in person. We are having more in-person meetings, and it’s nice to be able to invite clients to meet with us again instead of via Zoom. However, online meetings are not a thing of the past, but make us more accessible to meet with clients who are not local.
We have found a new appreciation for collaboration via online meetings during the pandemic. The dialog between designers and clients is so important, making sure that we are both on the same page.
Another change we saw after Covid is that people are overall more casual with their interactions. It seems that a new business casual is becoming the norm. For example, “78% of employed Americans say that their offices are getting more casual and 82% of employees believe that feeling comfortable in their clothes allows them to be more productive in the office (Gervis and Hubbard)“.
We do have a dress code; however, it would be categorized as business casual. It is essential to feel confident in what you wear in the office because it can affect your workflow and productivity. Having a business casual environment helps stimulate a more relaxed and creative work environment. As designers and artists, being in an environment that we feel comfortable in helps the creative process generate more ideas. There is change in the air; more businesses are becoming more adaptable and flexible.