The times they are a-changin’!

AS I write this my desk is drenched in sunlight and as I look out on the garden it could be the height of the summer – but there is a difference: the leaves are changing to gold and brown and the flowers are definitely fading.

As Bob Dylan so stirringly sang, “the times they are a-changin’” – and it’s not just the seasons.

As Workplace Chaplain I have the unique privilege of visiting a huge variety of businesses, and things are certainly different, perhaps most noticeably in places that have a large administrative staff. In 2019 many companies were looking to extend their floor space – new buildings and new configurations.

Things are different now: no extension of space is required anymore. On any given day there are obviously fewer staff, depleted onsite by about two thirds. Many can now work more flexibly. Coming into the office once or twice a week or even per month is the new pattern for many. Hybrid working provides many people the flexibility they have long wanted, helping them manage not only their working day but their family life.

It is perhaps one of the rare silver linings to the cloud that Covid has cast over us. Talking to people six months ago many would have been content to work from home permanently – and that may still be true for the extreme introvert. But increasingly meeting occasionally to work collaboratively “in the flesh” seems to be the preferred option. There is a creativity and that sense of inspiration and inventiveness that somehow is lacking on a Zoom call. Nor should we underestimate the social value of working alongside others that increases the resilience of our mental health and wellbeing.

Home is one place to work, the workplace is another, but some seek a third space, a neutral space where they can meet different people, be inspired by different surroundings. Some are even drawn by a better cup of coffee. St Mary’s Church is one of the newest places to offer a third working space, with a unique setting, good wi-fi and coffee! Perfectly placed in the heart of the Lace Market, they will shortly be opening on a Wednesday.

The times they are a-changin’, but Christian scripture tells us this has always been part of the human experience. In Ecclesiastes we read this: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Thank goodness that with care we can now meet and work together, an inspirational new space, might be just the thing for the new season in working life.

■■ The Rev Josephine Tatum is part of Nottingham Workplace Chaplaincy