New York, NY Mancini Duffy celebrated the re-opening of its NYC office on June 8th, 2020, to all employees who felt comfortable returning. As one of the first design firms in the industry to return to the office, Mancini is starting to collaborate with its team and clients in person as New York embraces Phase 1 of reopening while being vigilant about health and safety.
“I’m excited to be the first in our industry to pave the way by reopening our office. It is important to us, because we always look to be leaders within the field and that translates to returning to our workplace to set the example,” said Christian Giordano, president. “We have implemented a number of new measures centered on health and safety and are excited to be playing an active role in jumpstarting the economy. While our team was successful working from home, there’s absolutely nothing like collaborating and socializing in real time.”
In late April, Mancini conducted an employee survey to gauge why its staff wanted to return to the office and also understand their concerns. Overwhelmingly, the main reasons for wanting to return included the company culture, social interaction, and collaboration with each other. Mancini’s technology capabilities made working from home a seamless transition and a success. However, 92% of employees said they would prefer to be back together in the office, at least two or more days a week. Employees will begin to return to the office when they see fit based on their comfort levels and other factors like transportation and/or family care.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, Mancini has consulted closely with its clients, including New York-based restaurants Boqueria and Malibu Farm at Pier 17, as well as other local, national and global companies to guide them on how to safely return to their offices, restaurants, and places of work. Mancini’s implementing the same solutions for its office that it’s recommended to its clients, including reduced capacity in open workspaces, one-direction circulation around the office, and increased cleaning regimens.
“At the beginning of COVID, we started working on a large-scale hospitality project and I was overseeing a team of 17. Our company has a very advanced technology system which enabled us to keep the project moving forward virtually by conducting 360 Design Sessions with our client,” said Layla Safiani, senior associate. “I’m thrilled to be back in the office with some members of our team, because there are certain nuances to collaborating in person that lend itself to a more immersive creative process.”
Mancini kept its collaborative culture in motion during COVID via biweekly company-wide Zoom calls, promoting staff members and engaging in daily creative team activities. It’s proven that working from home is viable, however no video conference or screen sharing app can replicate Mancini’s culture, tenacity for mentorship or the unexpected encounters that spur creativity and innovation. Mancini’s employees have described the company culture as “one big family” which they are revitalizing in person now that they are transitioning back to the office.
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