Companies in Oxfordshire adapt to pressures of coronavirus thanks to expert advice

Now, six months on, a lot of innovations have emerged which are having an impact on Oxfordshire’s economy. Businesses have changed where they work, how they work, who they work with and even created new products and services. Out of necessity, we have seen change at break-neck speed.

Helen Brind, who manages the Growth Hub for OxLEP Business to support SMEs, says a lot of small businesses have needed to make significant changes. “For some businesses, it is tempting to assume that when trade is predictable and profitable, it will always be that way. When change does come along, it usually happens slowly. With the coronavirus, we discovered things can change very quickly. For instance, companies are doing far more online and it’s leading to some fundamental changes.”

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Chris Barnett, a director at digital marketing business 1973, says doing things differently can seem threatening, but it is certainly not impossible.

Until March his team of 12 were working from offices at Monument Business Park near Chalgrove. Now everyone works from home.

Staff at digital marketing business 1973

He said: “From the very start of the pandemic we realised we could not carry on as we had in the past. We committed to change, for the long term.”

After speaking to their landlords, Jennings, a new way of working emerged.

Mr Barnett added: “We did not want to lose the excellent anchor-point of being in the Monument Business Park community. Despite working remotely, for our type of business we still need to get together, but without carrying the overheads of a permanent office.

"Some things simply cannot be done without getting people together. So, we hire a room about once a week so the team can work face-to-face.”

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It is a hybrid approach which has brought success. Productivity has risen, and Mr Barnett said he would need a lot of persuading to go back to their old style of work. “We had a few sceptics at first, but now with video meetings twice a day and our office days, we’re functioning well as a workforce.”

As business park owners, Jennings reacted swiftly to the pandemic. They have created facilities for this new category of hybrid business: “We’re calling them ‘Hot-Office’ businesses,” Chris Williams explained.

“We listened to tenants like 1973 and gauged what is needed in this new world. These businesses need to continue to develop and grow, moving ideas and projects forward. This creativity and innovation comes about when you get a team working together in an office space for a day or two, with Covid awareness very much in mind of course. They don’t want to necessarily hire for a week or more.”

Jennings has configured office spaces with all the equipment and services needed to bring together a ‘pop-up’ office.

“It is a modification to the concept of ‘hot-desking’ spaces which has grown in recent years. Whilst most of our tenants do want to retain their facilities in one place, there are others who need far more flexibility.”

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At 1973, Mr Barnett said other benefits from the coronavirus hiatus have emerged.

“With remote working, we don’t have the worry about recruiting in this high cost housing area because we can recruit from anywhere. We have discovered we can confidently grow using highly skilled people no matter where they live. That is a real improvement for us that’ll help secure our future.”

Helen Brind at OxLEP Business said innovative responses to Covid-19 put Oxfordshire in a good position.

She added: “We’re seeing lots of innovation, which is great. And there is demand for help and support to get up and running again. Often that means reviewing how things are done, acquiring new skills or getting expert advice.”

A series of initiatives from OxLEP included grants for enterprises to deal with the impacts of the pandemic helping them to get specialist professional advice, equipment, or technology to rebuild and support a quick recovery.

It recently launched a Peer Networks programme for SME leaders, capturing their existing business expertise to help them grow and develop their organisations.

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“SMEs are the heart of our enterprise economy and through other schemes to encourage innovation, scale-up businesses and social enterprise, we are seeing some determined activity. As the Growth Hub for the county, we’ve enhanced what we offer in business support."

Ms Brind added: “It is not easy for SMEs right now, but we’re looking to support people manage significant change. No two businesses are the same, but it is clear that it is possible to change and adapt quickly.”

There is more about business help and support at oxlepbusiness.co.uk.