Reflectioning on 2020 and Predictions for 2021

Ray Hutchinson, managing director of UK Construction, refurbishment and fit-out contractor Gilbert-Ash, reflects on 2020, including the challenging conditions of lockdown, and looks ahead to trends and predictions for 2021.

It is fair to say that it has been an extraordinary year. We have weathered recessions and economic downturns before but nothing could have prepared any of us for the year that was 2020 – one that has challenged us personally and professionally on a level I believe not previously witnessed by our generation.

I am an optimist, however, and a firm believer in seeking the positive from setbacks – from my own perspective, as MD of Gilbert-Ash I have been humbled by the resilience, strength and collective spirit shown by our people in what has been an incredibly difficult period.

In February we were busy putting the finishing touches to our new £5m headquarters, with plans afoot for a launch event in late March. Little did we know what was just around the corner.

When the pandemic hit, we, like so many others, were forced into crisis mode. Our new office move was put on ice (thankfully staff are now in our new HQ) , we had to close sites at short notice, and, when it was safe to re-open ensure we did so in a manner that responded very quickly to Government requirements around social distancing and health and safety protocols.

Gilbert-Ash works largely across the cultural, historic, hospitality & leisure, commercial and education sectors, but with many of our projects not due for completion until 2023 we were fortunate not to see any significant delay to our work in the UK or internationally.

Aside from the operational side of the business, and keeping people safe as a matter of priority, we were also acutely aware of an inevitable confusion and anxiety amongst staff. In response, from March we significantly stepped up our internal communications, keeping staff regularly informed with business and practical updates and providing health and welfare support where required. The feedback we have subsequently received from staff as to our confidence and leadership throughout the pandemic has been really positive.

In business there is much talk about teamwork to the point where it can become overused, but I am proud to say that everyone at Gilbert-Ash has truly come together as a team in the last year. We knuckled down, worked in partnership with each other (remotely when required) and indeed right across our supply chain, and this tremendous effort is now paying off – we have for some months now been back at pre-Covid work levels, with a very healthy pipeline of new business.

So, we enter 2021 with a renewed sense of confidence and vigour, but that is not to say it won’t be without its own set of challenges.

We eagerly await the widespread roll-out of a vaccination for Covid-19 but in the meantime cannot rule out the potential for further disruption, although hopefully not on the scale we have seen in 2020. We are also yet to see perhaps the full fall-out from Covid and there is the potential for a lag effect and slowdown in some sectors which may not become apparent until well into next year.

Then of course we have Brexit which has taken a back seat in recent months, but looms large in the boardrooms of every business with its huge economic significance and far reaching ramifications for almost every sector in the UK.   Like many in the construction industry, we have been preparing for whatever eventuality occurs after 31st December 2020.  Whatever the outcomes of the current Brexit negotiations, we are likely to see both challenges and opportunities ahead for our industry in 2021.

In terms of trends for 2021, technology must be one of the key themes. It has been a great facilitator in the last 12 months, allowing us to prioritise employee safety but maintain productivity levels. Whilst no substitute for being there in person, digitally and remotely we have been able to sign off on final inspections of buildings and, complete planning reviews and conduct material samples without delaying the progress of any project. There will be elements of this digital capability that we will take forward into 2021 for use in times beyond Covid.

I also think working from home will continue to be a hotly debated topic in 2021.Through the forced closure of businesses in 2020 there has undoubtedly been a cultural shift and acceleration towards remote working. While I think the novelty for many is wearing off – it is hard to replicate that sense of community spirit and collaboration via zoom and Teams – as we recover from the pandemic, employers may find they face increased pressure to offer a balance of homeworking and working in the office.

On that note, there is talk about an uncertain future for the commercial office space with a growing trend towards homeworking. I personally think we will continue to see office opportunities but perhaps with a change in use of those offices and a re-purposing around collaborative and wellness spaces.

This feeds into a wider conversation around sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Diversity and specifically tackling the gender imbalance in construction is something I feel passionately about. I was honoured to be invited as a guest speaker at the Women in Construction Summit 2020 and am a founding member of Diversity Mark NI.

Two years ago, the Construction Industry Federation found that only one in ten workers on building sites were female. This rose to four in ten workers in offices and one in ten at CEO/Managing Director level.  Females currently make up 21 per cent of the workforce at Gilbert-Ash and I am determined to continue to do my bit in encouraging females into the industry and attracting the best and brightest talent regardless of gender.

Whilst challenges do lie ahead for the construction industry in 2021, there is also much to look forward to with opportunity now for the industry to future proof itself and, in doing so, create a more diverse, productive, and well workforce. Whilst in 2019, we certainly wouldn’t have been able to predict the events of 2020, we have overcome many of the hurdles that arose in the industry and enter 2021 stronger as a result.

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