Miami Headquarters Flooded While Firm Promotes Emergency RTH One Week After Announcing 100% Return to Office

Morrow Flint’s Miami headquarters has been flooded by a hurricane one week after the firm announced a mandatory 100 per cent return to office policy.

The firm had promoted emergency RTH, or “return to home”, procedures as part of its resilience strategy. The policy was designed to ensure that employees and autonomous systems could return safely to their designated locations following a disruption.

The designated location was the Miami office.

At 6:12 a.m. on Monday, the building’s emergency system instructed staff to return to home. At 6:14, the building management system instructed them to return to office. At 6:16, the office ceased to be a viable destination.

The firm says the policy worked as designed because employees were able to leave the office before the water reached the second floor.

A partner’s announcement described the flooding as “a temporary interruption to our commitment to physical collaboration”.

The firm’s return-to-office policy had been announced the previous week under the slogan Together, In Person, Whatever the Weather.

The weather objected.

Employees were told to work remotely until further notice, but were reminded that remote work remained an exception requiring approval. The approval process was unavailable because the responsible partner’s office was underwater.

A message from Human Resources instructed staff to report to the office if they were able to do so safely. A second message clarified that safety should not be interpreted as a general exemption from attendance.

The Miami office’s emergency drone bank also attempted to return to home. Several drones landed on the roof, where they were later recovered by a boat.

The firm has praised the technology for maintaining 100 per cent compliance with the RTH protocol.

The protocol does not specify what to do when home is flooded too.

Morrow Flint has arranged temporary space at a hotel, although employees have been asked not to treat the hotel as a precedent for flexible working. The firm says the arrangement is a short-term business continuity measure and not an indication that work can be performed effectively outside the office.

The hotel has better Wi-Fi than the office had before the hurricane.

A managing partner said the incident demonstrated the importance of being together in person during difficult times.

He made the statement from a dry office in New York.

The Miami office is expected to reopen once the water recedes, the insurance position is clarified and the firm has determined whether the flood should be classified as an exceptional event or an opportunity to reinforce culture.

Employees have been asked to attend the reopening in person.