Anthony Freedman, based in London, has in theory one of the longest commutes in the world as the chairman of Havas in Australia and New Zealand.
Up to the time the pandemic hit he was spending about half his time in Australia and half in the UK.
Freedman knows the Australia market well after spending more than two decades living here. He founded Host in 2000, which went on to become one of the biggest independent agencies in Australia until Havas took a majority stake in 2011.
“I had built a very strong relationship with many of the senior people so being able to fulfill the role remotely was somewhat manageable,” he told AdNews.
Then the pandemic hit. He made a trip to Australia in July this year but found himself in quarantine rather than in face-to-face meetings.
“During the pandemic we've all learned a lot about what's possible remotely.,” he says. “I think that's something that has been applicable universally in all sectors and in all markets.
“And I think the level of what's possible is far greater than what maybe most of us would've achieved.
“But I think that there's also been some level of awareness of what we lose, particularly as creative businesses, not spending time in an office environment on a regular basis.
“From a personal perspective I had some advantage initially in that I was familiar with remote working because I had been quite used to working with a team in Australia for periods where I wasn't there with them.
“What I came to appreciate far more over time was the incredible value that I derived from being there with them in person and doing that on a very regular basis. Because it was rare that I wasn't in Australia for more than a three-week period.”
What he missed was getting a feel how things were going rather than relying on being told what was happening, the difference between being immersed in a market and absorbing the context rather than reading about it.
And then there’s connecting with people informally and catching up without a scheduled meeting, the value of spontaneity and serendipity, or a five minute chat while making a cup of tea versus a 45 minute zoom call.
“There's a combination of time and operational efficiency that comes from remote working that I think we would all experience, but also intangible things that are about connectedness and culture, to use that awful word,” he says.
“But then there is the spontaneity and serendipity that comes from happenstance collision of thinking or conversation.”
And across the world, the pandemic has prompted a re-thinking of what’s important to individuals, resulting in what some have called The Great Resignation, a willingness to shift jobs, roles and places of work.
“The other thing that would be the case is for all of us is a very strong recognition of a shifting mindset around work-life-balance,” says Freedman.
“Learning a lot about resilience, both yours and that of the people around you. Perhaps a changing level of obligation as an employer in the modern world with regards to mental health and flexible working. The list goes on and on and on. But those would be some of the things that come to mind straight away.”
Talent Squeeze
Freedman: “Having the benefit of viewpoint into both the UK and Australia, surprising and unsurprising how much similarity there is in regards to talent.
“A conversation I would hear in Australia would absolutely be the same significant reason that we've got the talent challenges we have at the moment is because we haven't been able to have people arrive in the country from the UK or from Europe or the US.
“We rely on a great number of people to fulfill roles, particularly experienced people that we import.
“Interestingly, I had a conversation with the CEO of one of the agencies in Havas in London. He was saying the same thing, that one of the things that we've had great benefit of is being able to import fully formed, very experienced agency personnel from Australia and New Zealand.
“The irony is we're talking about our inability to import talent from the UK and in the UK they're talking about the issue that comes from not being able to import talent from Australia and New Zealand."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.