Yesterday we started what's likely to be a long process of seeking to reclaim some semblance of what we previously thought of as normality. Very much more of a baby step than the confident and excited stride we took when we moved into HARBOUR HQ, and a step with far fewer people and lots of hand sanitiser, but a step nonetheless. 

Having convened an at distance SLT meeting last week (good god it was nice to have face-to-face interaction) we agreed on the set-up and procedures that would allow us to open up again. And whilst we've obviously proved that we can operate at full capacity working from home, and the government advice is still work from home where you can, we feel we have a duty of care to both the mental as much as the physical well being of our HARBOURites, and we know that some of us could be struggling. As humans we're hardwired to be social animals, and, as good as online comms are these days, our experience is that face-to-face is still, on balance, more life-affirming for those of us who are able to safely do so.

So for the next few weeks the office will be open for anyone in our number who wants to step away from the spare room or the kitchen table. Just Monday through Wednesday at the moment, and for those who need or want to remain where they are then that's 100% fine (and I guess probably will be for a long time to come - if not indefinitely). But talking personally - it was lovely to interact again in person with people who weren't serving me in a retail space or were immediate family. And whilst I'm going to work to maintain those elements that have actually brought really clear silver linings to my personal life over the past few months, for me I think it'll be nice to re-instate more of a physical divide again between work and home (a wafer thin divide as it is - but still a divide).

Blog post by Alex