‘We’ve given up our office – and may not go back’
Phrasee, the AI-powered copywriting company, gave up its office in Vauxhall after lockdown, but is working hard to ensure that the company culture stays in place. ‘As a self-confessed extrovert, it’s fair to say I was nervous about lockdown,’ says Vic Peppiatt its founder. ‘I love spending time with the team and our customers, partners and prospects. I’m so proud of the culture we’ve built at Phrasee and am immensely proud of the people we’ve attracted and retained over the last five years.’ The company has a staff of 50, currently working from home.
‘We have given up the office until we are in a position to commute in and work together safely. We obviously won’t rule out having an office again in the future. We wouldn’t want to put the team at risk, especially while we are thriving in our WFH environments.’
Phrasee has increased the frequency of virtual townhall meetings from monthly to bi-weekly, added weekly free personal training sessions over Zoom and blocks out time in employees’ calendars for office chitchat. ‘Maintaining the culture has been a
primary focus,’ Vic says. ‘We have, of course, adjusted along the way and surveyed the team at regular intervals, but I hope we have created the right balance of initiatives. My personal “happy place” in the virtual office world has been Wednesday evenings when we unite Phrasee Phonics, the office choir. It’s an hour of absolute, unadulterated joy.’ She adds that the decision taken to give up the office, was not to save money, but to keep staff safe. ‘I would urge anyone looking to use this pandemic as an excuse to cut costs to give their heads a shake.’