The time has come to start building enthusiasm for the transition to post-Coronavirus life. I, for one, cannot wait to Zoom out of conference calls and zoom in to in-person meetings. We need to recapture all those little pleasures that we took for granted. My personal list of things that I miss from my routine include:
Well, there is a glimmer of hope that this transition will be in full swing by Canada Day. I am sure almost everyone has a personal list of things they miss most in not going to the office. Employers want to get people working in teams and end their time on Teams. For survival, all of the restaurants and small retailers that cater to city business districts need people back at work. Cities need street life. Everyone has a role to play.
Employers want employees back in the office. Corporate cultures are fading. Group creativity and ideas that come from casual conversation are being lost. Many people are increasingly fed up with the never-ending cycles of seven-day sameness, week after week. Still, hand washing stations and sanitizers, masks, and directional signage will not be good enough to encourage the return to the office. Employees need to be drawn back.
I have always thought that pool tables, Ikea-style ball rooms, and playground equipment did not have a place in the office. I still think those types of amenities are frivolous and somehow, demeaning. Much better to spend the money on a great kitchen and a hidden drinks cabinet. Find a group working late at night, share a great bottle of wine with them.
We need to stop blubbering over lockdowns, curfews, and government incompetence. That wasted energy needs to be invested in preparing for a dynamic transition to post-Coronavirus life. After all, I want face time, not to be on FaceTime.
I know! I am going to sound like a grumpy old man. Maybe that is because I am. I have been scratching my head in wonderment at the Taylor Swift phenomena. Is she an Incredible song writer, composer, and performer? I really don’t know! A discussion for another time? But probably not. At my age […]
Don’t build it! At least, Not In My Back Yard ! I acted as an advisor in the sale of a beautifully natural, 14-acre urban waterfront estate. Existing zoning allowed for the development of 30 to 35 single-family homes, which after road dedication would leave very little green space. I did not think that was […]
We were visiting Glasgow (literally that Dear Green Place in Gaelic) to see where my father was born, grew up, and went to University. Fortunately for me, my cousin John from Australia had just visited and had met with historians, Bruce Downie and Norry Wilson. So, we too arranged to meet them in the Govanhill […]
Vienna on top again. This week both Monocle Magazine and The Economist unveiled their quality of life / most liveable city indexes. There are differences in the way each publication sets its index. So it is even more impressive that once again, Vienna tops both lists. I am a bit lazy today so rather than […]
Many Viennese went from hot bedding to superblocks overnight. Could they even imagine an apartment complex 1000 metres long built along two streets with even more massive landscaped courtyards? Could they conceive of 1400 apartment units built to house 5000 people on 56,000 square metres or 38 acres of land. Or a vertical build-out that […]
Vienna had been a poor city even before the First World War. “Normal” housing arrangements meant six to eight people sharing one room and a kitchen. Then, in early 1919, just after the Armistice, the cost of living tripled in two months. Bed lodgers could no longer afford their 8-hours a day in a shared […]