Partners Terry Sullivan & Alex Conant Share Why Reopening the Firehouse Office Was the Right Move in the Wall Street Journal
September 17, 2020
Our Company Gets Back to Work
Zoom conferences are no a substitute for in-person meetings.
JP Morgan is bringing its traders back to work. So are we. A couple of weeks ago we decided the effectiveness and success of our public-relations firm couldn’t survive on Zoom alone.
Like many American employers, on March 13 we switched overnight to 100% remote working. At the time no one knew how quickly the coronavirus was spreading or how deadly it was. Testing was all but nonexistent, and so was government guidance for businesses. So we told our employees to stay home and hold meetings via Zoom, even though no official had ordered us to shut our doors.
Amazingly, productivity went up. Our clients, facing the same universal crises, needed more help. Our employees had extra hours to work without commutes or lunch breaks. While we lost some business due to pandemic budget cuts, we were fortunate to receive some government aid and pick up additional business.
Continue reading here.