2020 may not have turned out to be the year we were all expecting but it has been a year that has made us all take stock of what we have achieved and how we want to live as we adjust to the ‘new normal’. Whilst our team have always had the option of working from our much loved office in the City of London, from inception Ardent has been at the forefront of agile working, allowing all members to work from home as much as possible. We have always valued the health and wellbeing benefits associated with agile working and believe that it is up to the individual to structure how and where they work. Our experience is that our team are happier and equally as productive when working flexibly and show their strong commitment to the growth of the company. We will continue to consider when it is likely that we will be able to return to our central London office but we are in agreement that we will all continue to work from home for the foreseeable future.
We will continue to invest in cutting edge technology to ensure that whilst we are not always in the same office, we are connected and working in a collaborative way. Innovation and collaboration are two of our key values and will remain at the heart of what we do. We are proud that we have been able to adapt quickly to ensure that our candidates and clients received the same level of service and support.
Over the last three months we have remained in regular contact with our team for work and social purposes. We have had regular online team drinks and catch-up video calls and we are hoping to arrange a socially distanced meet-up in the not so distant future. We are pleased that we have been able to support each other through these difficult months. We have also been actively preparing for our new starter, an experienced and respected consultant who is scheduled to join us later this year.
As the lockdown restrictions are relaxed, we will continue to consult with law firms across the City about how they intend to transition their workforce back into the office and to understand more about the lessons that they have learnt over the first part of this year and how their businesses will be affected moving forward.
We have continued to invest in our people and our business throughout this crisis and we remain fully open for business to support the legal profession as we all navigate our way through these changing times.