AdNews brings the stories of those working from home (WFH) in the advertising and media industry during the coronavirus crisis.
Matt Fiorenza is sponsorship manager at Network 10.
How do you deal with the silence?
Always ensure there is music on in the background and, as annoying as it may be, instead of sending a quick email have a quick video chat with a colleague to help break up the day. I think it’s also important to call out to the team when you’re having a tough day. We are all in this together.
The good of working from home?
Not wearing jeans/chinos/long pants (just to be clear, I am wearing shorts) and no one judging my music choices…I’m a huge Lil Baby fan!
The bad?
Not having that separation from work and home, as well as the commute to decompress from the work day. I struggled with this a lot in the beginning but I have now found a good rhythm. Also working a metre away from my fridge and pantry is not a good thing! Finally, just having defined work spaces can be tough, especially with my husband coming and going as he works from home as well.
Tips for making WFH work?
Set up, set up, set up! If I didn’t have my keyboard, mouse, extra screen, etc. and was just working off a laptop, I would have really struggled.
Try (as best as possible) to keep that team culture, we have set up Friday Fun Ones where one team member showcases a hidden talent (e.g. magic tricks) or something they have been doing to get through isolation (e.g. work on your MasterChef skills with a cooking class) - just so that it’s not all work, work, work and we keep that banter across the team.
Go for a 10 minute walk at the start and end of your day to get a coffee or go to the supermarket. It gives you the commute time you are missing out on while WFH and helps define your start and end times.
I am looking forward to getting back to the office because…
I can’t wait to be face to face with everyone again! As a sales team and being in media, we are all very much people people so a lot of us are missing that interaction. The sales floor at 10 is always a vibrant place to work so just can’t wait to get back to Lisa Squillace popping out of her office to give us an update, Guy Tesoriero going into a Wikipedia spiral on whatever topic we are discussing at the time or Dan Rigg-Smith celebrating an occasion, for example, ANZAC Day or the Queen’s Birthday, with treats all over our desks.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.