AdNews last year launched the WFH Diaries during the depths of the fallout from the pandemic, a way of sharing how people managed their days.
This time, with lockdown running again, we're asking for a run down on how everyone likes to start their day working from home. Some dress to impress, others slip on the t-shirt. And everyone has their own way to carve the day into manageable chunks.
Naomi Young, Client Services Director, Now We Collide:
Three weeks before the Sydney lockdown, my family of four moved into a tiny AirBnB. It was to be a transitional home before we moved to a new suburb for my son to start high school next year. We asked ourselves, can we cope with a small apartment for six months? I remember saying aloud, “We’ll be fine. I mean, we’re never home anyway, right?”
Now, as we head into the eighth week of lockdown I step out of bed, take another step to my left and am standing in the kitchen. I’m certainly no Olympic gymnast, but if I shape my body like a star I can actually put a limb in the bathroom, “master bedroom”, my son’s room, the kitchen and reach my tip toes to the lounge room.
What’s my routine been like?
I go for a run every morning and then there’s always a morning coffee involved. In lockdown the coffee chatter is with my kids, not colleagues.
My husband is an essential worker, so he heads off each morning while I kick off my own work whilst homeschooling my two primary-aged kids.
Now We Collide is a full service agency where the creative teams sit alongside the strategists and producer teams. We’re big on collaboration so lockdown relies heavily on maintaining strong communication. Every morning at 9am we have a meeting to divvy out resources and check in with each other. Let’s face it, the best discussions always start with, “You’re on mute.”
Today at 10.30am I deep dive into a 50 minute presentation to a global marketing team to go through our social content strategy for their business. Four slides in I have to explain the background buzz, “Sorry team, that noise is my daughter. She likes to hum.” This is met with kind laughter and empathetic “naww” sounds. Thankfully I’m in a safe space here, but presenting while I tickle her back to keep her quiet and on task with school work is a lot.
Thankfully it’s a Wednesday, and to mark each hump day in lockdown the kids and I order burritos. Small traditions help.
What am l learning from Lockdown 2.0?
People encourage you to ‘start your day right’ and ‘get into a routine’, and yes, those things definitely do help. Most people still manage to smash their KPIs while working from home on the kitchen bench but to me, the stories of ‘I’m living my best lockdown life’ are weary.
Has anyone else in this column spoken of the occasional fits of tears that have no real reason behind them? I’m hunting for stories of advertising execs taking a ‘holiday’ to the car just for some space.
Personally, I don’t mind multitasking. I enjoy being flexible in my thinking and approach to work. But right now, the juggle of working full time and homeschooling, all while trying to stay safe is taxing.
But I’m doing what I can. The experts encourage us to lower our expectations of our output. Sure, but that feels unnatural to me. Sometimes I feel good and smash the day but when I feel lost, I’m trying to be transparent with my team, if only so they feel they can do the same.
Lockdown has shown me the true grit and great work ethic of my team. We’re a small independent agency and the energy of each team member has a big impact on our success and ability to continue growing, even if it is from the kitchen bench. I’m amazed at what we’ve been able to produce during lockdown. The business is busier than ever, and we’re still delivering high-impact creative campaigns to deadlines. I can’t wait to take everyone for a beer (or three) and toast to smashing this working year.
It’s well reported that employees everywhere are asking, ‘What is the team culture?’ We’ve been strengthening this at Now We Collide over the past few years but in lockdown I’m asking all of our people to really think innovatively about how we can drive culture while working remotely. Ideas come from everywhere and I love the ways we’re avoiding death-by-Zoom and still staying connected as a business. Virtual Friday drinks are hilariously run by a different team member each week and I hear lovely inklings about staff checking in on the well-being of each other. It shows the strength of our team. Through all of this we might even know more about each other, in lockdown, than sitting side by side.
What’s next?
With no real roadmap in place for heading back to the office just yet, I’m looking at bad habits in my workday that I keep doing because I think, “It’s only temporary”. Both employees and employers need to make sure people are more than well set up to remain effective at home. But before I solve this, I need some down time, so I take two steps back to my room and shape myself like a star. If I close my eyes, I can pretend I’m in the US at the Four Corners Monument. I’ll be honest, right now I’d settle on travelling to the next LGA to see a friend.
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
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