Foresight 2020 kicked off with the annual AIA Virginia Meeting of the Roundtables. At this event, members strengthen their peer network by coming together to discuss best practices and share challenges. This year, nearly 30 firms participated in the facilitated discourse which focused on the following topics: “Returning to the Office”, “General Sense of the Business Climate” and “Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”.
We would like to thank the following individuals who served as Chair of the respective roundtables during Foresight 2020:
- Paul Battaglia, AIA of Clark Nexsen: Chair of the Large Firm Roundtable
- Andrew McKinley, AIA of VIA Design: Chair of the Mid-Size Firm Roundtable
- Dan Zimmerman, AIA of Alloy Workshop: Chair of the Small Firm Roundtable
Below are some of the key highlights of the discussions:
Large Firm Roundtable
Returning to the Office
- Some younger staff are returning to the office (ex: those who might live downtown in a small one-bedroom apartment and want to come in simply to get a change of environment)
- Some employees are returning to the office because internet connectivity is better
- None of the firms represented have “mandated” employees return to the office
- One leader indicated that it would be about 18-months before making such an announcement
- One leader shared that they thought about 1/3 of its staff will never return to the office which has office lease renewal implications
- One firm indicated that field work is commencing for projects, so some employees will likely return to the office for those duties
- A firm indicated that it has a “certification process” which requires employees to “certify” they are coming into the office. This will facilitate COVID exposure notification if such a need were to arise.
- One firm indicated that employees who have decided to return to the office are doing so on staggered days to assist with social distancing requirements
Obtaining a General Sense of the Business Climate
- Leaders gave positive reviews of the design collaboration platform: Miro
- Slack is being used as it is less informal and quicker than email
- In order to maintain a similar sense of connectivity with peers that was experienced pre-COVID, it is necessary to meet significantly more in the virtual environment.
- One leader indicates that he was meeting with various leadership teams in the company daily which requires changing the agenda structure frequently
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Several firms have established JEDI groups and initiated conversations on topics and/or surveyed employees to identify issues
- One leader shared that the firm just invested in the position of a National Diversity Officer
Mid-Size Firm Roundtable
Returning to the Office
- A firm indicated that it has a “tracking process” which will facilitate COVID exposure notification if such a need were to arise.
- Some firm leaders believe it will be difficult getting employees to come back to work
- There was a consensus that flex-scheduling will become more of the norm post-pandemic
- The ability to effectively provide mentorship in the virtual environment continues to be a priority and is challenging
- One firm indicated that employees are coming back in shifts and are required to where masks when moving around the office
- A firm shared that it is filming and broadcasting construction administrative visits firm-wide as a way to stay connected
- In general, the decision or desire to work from home versus returning to the office has been personal
- Approximately 2/3’s of the firms in attendance were still working remotely
Obtaining a General Sense of the Business Climate
- Leaders gave positive reviews of the design collaboration platform: Miro
- One firm in Northern Virginia has not seen a slow-down in its multi-family work but has noticed a decline in commercial/office projects
- In general, the federal project market reports as steady
- A firm in Northern Virginia shared that its work in the religious, daycare, and restaurant industries have sharply declined
- A firm in Hampton Roads indicated that it has seen an uptick in its urban design portfolio
- One firm in Hampton Roads shared that the science and technology project niche is rapidly growing
- Multiple firms reported an increase in single-family home projects
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- One firm undertook the JUST label process which is a transparency platform for organizations to disclose their operations, including how they treat their employees and where they make financial and community investments.
Small Firm Roundtable
Returning to the Office
- Many are still working remote with some employees returning to the office
- One firm has no plan to go back to the office right now
- Many firm leaders stated that masks are required when in the office
Obtaining a General Sense of the Business Climate
- One firm had to host a client meeting where the entity would not turn on their cameras – it was noted the difficulty communicating within that environment
- Leaders gave positive reviews of the design collaboration platform: Miro
- Slack and various other platforms (ex: Google chat, texting, etc.) are being used for inner-office and team communications as it is less formal and quicker than email
- In general, there is still an appetite for vendor product presentations, but consideration should be given for shorter time blocks (less than an hour)
- Multiple firms reported that the residential project market is going forward and is strong
- A discussion was held on the importance of finding the right client match in the residential sector and forming boundaries within the relationship
- One firm reported its institutional and commercial project backlog declining
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- A participant recommended a book for reading entitled, “Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi
- One participant stated the need for closed captioning for Zoom is needed as it can be difficult to read lips in the virtual environment