AdNews brings the stories of those working from home (WFH) in the advertising and media industry during the coronavirus crisis.
Simon Lee is executive creative director and partner at The Hallway.
How are you dealing with the silence?
Silence? What silence? I have a wife and two daughters aged 12 and 10, and an awesome team that I spend the bulk of the day connecting with through Google hangouts. Any gaps in between, I fill with my guitar.
What’s the upside?
They say creativity thrives on adversity and I’ve certainly observed this in the way that The Hallway team has rapidly adapted to the current circumstances. Throughout the month that we’ve been in WFH mode, our teams have been fizzing with great ideas. We’ve successfully pivoted a sizeable campaign for a new client - re-ideating everything from scripts to media and production solutions; we’ve pitched and won new business over Zoom; and are working closely with our clients to respond to a world that is constantly changing.
Advertising in the time of coronavirus is as exhilarating as it is challenging! Ironically, WFH has also brought The Hallway community closer together, and this is a heartwarming upside. One of 'The Six Pillars of Us”'(our values) is 'We Take Care of Each Other - we don’t have to be friends, just brothers and sisters', and I’m seeing this in action every day. Our personal and professional lives are now merging more than ever before as we virtually spend time in each other’s homes, and the quality of our conversations reflect this. 'How are you?' is no longer a throwaway comment at the start of a meeting, it’s an expression of genuine concern for a colleague’s well being. And importantly 'not so good' is an answer that we seem to be increasingly comfortable voicing. The roller coaster ride of a global pandemic is making workplace vulnerability ok, and that’s a very good thing. I’ve shed tears with my team in the last few weeks, and it has felt like a privilege to be part of such raw, open, beautifully human shared emotions.
The downside?
One of my greatest pleasures in the world is the genesis of creative ideas: sitting in a room with a bunch of great creative people, talking, laughing and playing with wonderful 'what ifs'. We’re doing it successfully remotely, but I do miss being in the room. Virtual high-fives, fist bumps or hugs are no substitute for the real thing when you nail a great thought.
How are you using the commuting time saved?
I spend ninety minutes in the morning exercising, breathing and meditating. Then every evening I sit down to dinner with my wife and children, which is something I’ve rarely been able to do before. I can categorically say that I’m not missing sitting in traffic on Military Road!
I am looking forward to being back in the office because…
By the time we get back to the office, we (the big global WE) will have learned a bunch of lessons that will help us all build a new normal that’s better and kinder than the old normal.
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.