These are strange and difficult times, and our thoughts are very much with those who have been affected and continue to be affected by Covid-19.
LDA Design is a wellbeing-first business, and our duty of care to each member of our team remains foremost in our minds and planning. We are looking after each other as best we can, and our team spirit is strong.
We feel set to flex and adapt because of collaboration: the ‘one business culture’ which we have developed over many years, sharing knowledge and information across our studios, continues to hold us in good stead.
Our efforts over recent weeks have gone into ensuring that we can offer a normal service in anything but normal circumstances. This is, of course, the biggest business challenge that most of us have ever faced, but we remain resolute, indefatigable. The trust that our clients place in us is something we do not take lightly, and we will deploy all our energy and creativity to maintain the momentum and quality of each project. We are also thinking hard about new ways of working and the technological solutions which can keep projects moving and stakeholders engaged.
Our actions to date
We have set up a response team who are meeting daily to assess and mitigate risk. To minimise risks for everyone, our meetings with clients and consultants are now all virtual. We are naturally following Government and public health advice closely and ensuring that our employees have the correct guidance on travel, hygiene and social and physical distancing.
Because of the heightened risk in central London, our employees there have been working remotely since Monday 23 March. This has gone to plan, and we have now rolled out this IT infrastructure to enable all of our people, from all of our other seven studios, to work from home. The studio contact numbers remain the same and, of course, we can be reached by all the other usual channels.
Our mantra now is stay connected. Clear, regular and innovative communication and attentive support will see us all through.
Isolation is the opposite of what we do in connecting people and place through landscape. When this has passed, the importance of human connection will have been reinforced and our shared spaces will be valued more than ever. They matter, they bring us together. We are looking forward to a time when we can fully enjoy them once more.
