Angela’s Lockdown Look: from city centre office to dining room table

Name: Angela Hughes

Role: Director

Client highlight during lockdown:

The work we deliver for Virgin Money brings us into contact with their business customers and I’ve been talking to them about the financial challenges brought on by coronavirus. Some have taken a substantial hit on sales and revenue and furloughed entire workforces. Others have been able to pivot their business and identified new opportunities and revenue streams. The crisis has affected different businesses and sectors in various ways. However, what they all have in common is a sense of optimism about the future and a strong desire to get back to business.

What will comms look like post Covid-19?

The crisis has given us all a new perspective on what’s important and I expect that will drive a change in content quality. Every organisation has been forced to think twice about what they’re communicating, applying a coronavirus lens to it. There’s an opportunity for professional communicators to maintain that level of consideration and scrutiny and help clients and organisations to focus on strategic content and activity.

Positive outcomes from lockdown:

Remote working has brought our team together in a way I didn’t anticipate. It’s encouraged us to communicate more. We have an all-agency 9am call every day which means I’m in touch with colleagues that I may not be during a ‘normal’ business week. It has been an important antidote to the disconnectedness of lockdown. We talk about clients, workload, and agency issues, but we also have honest conversations about how we’re feeling under the circumstances. I think it provides welcome relief for the team to know we’re all experiencing the same range of emotions.

On a personal level, I have enjoyed having more time to relax in the garden, thanks to the amazing weather we’ve been enjoying (is that a coincidence or side effect of lockdown??). To my surprise, I’ve become really interested in watching the wildlife in my garden and have invested in a bee hotel and bird feeder!