Business as unusual
As an agency that prides itself on it’s agility and reactivity, adapting to a slightly different way of working should be right up our street and, whilst it can take a little bit of consideration, strategy and often some out-of-the-box thinking (just like any good client brief), we think we’ve got it down.
It’s been a week of working from home and we’ve all found our new rhythm. Let’s face it, whilst times are very challenging and there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, you’ve got to find the little wins and those little rays of beautiful sunshine (which are most definitely lifting moods around the South West right now!). So, we’ve pulled together a list of our new favourite #WFHP …. (that’s short for Work Frome Home Perks – it’ll catch on… promise)
S4 #WFHP
TIME
Let us talk about those extra hours, the ones that were previously taken up by daily commutes and making tomorrow’s lunch. The hours of blow-drying our hair and finding a suitable outfit…. But before we do, I should warn you that this is being written from a household without children or pets so this is not necessarily an agency-wide #WFHP and you should skip to the next one if you can’t relate.
Time is now on our sides, the laundry baskets are getting emptier, the exercise routine is in place (without sacrificing on precious shut eye) and that sweet morning lie-in just keeps getting sweeter.
Lunch hours are making a comeback and finally all of the streaming subscriptions you pay for are worth it.
Ultimately, there is more time for ‘you’ and that can only be a good thing!
COMMUNICATION
Whilst communication might be breaking down somewhat with those sharing the same close quarters, agency communication is on the up.
We’re communicative people (we work in comms, what did you expect?) and we’re a close-knit team so our communication skills have always been pretty good but now that we can’t just yell to each other without having to lift our peaches out of our seats, it’s a more conscious effort. And an effort for the better.
Regular check-ins, increasingly more thorough briefs and the desire to use face-to-video face time as efficiently as possible (if only to limit the amount of time spent listening to the Microsoft Teams dial tone) we’re finding that we’re communicating better than ever. Maybe the long-distance thing can really work?
FASHION
We’re all friends over at SEMA4 but there is certainly still a side unseen to most of us. And now this side seems to be the other side of the table as we rock-up to our conference calls in what can only be described as very questionable bottom-half fashion choices. But what might seem questionable to the untrained eye is in fact some of the key ingredients to a positive, happy and productive workforce – comfort and warmth.
Now, I am absolutely not suggesting that people work in their pyjamas because we need to sit at our desks with purpose and vigour…. but ‘house trousers’ (as Mike likes to call them) and some Christmas themed slippers socks go a long way in keeping us Semaphorians happy! If your colleagues and clients can’t see what’s below the belt line, we say ‘yes’ to the weird and wonderful ensembles…. accompanied by a shirt/blouse or smart-casual jumper on top. Naturally.
Why is it that house trousers and fluffy socks aren’t suitable office attire one wonders? Perhaps something to consider for the future…
SNACKS
Lastly, let’s talk about the snack game. We all know that we’re going to be home for a little while so when those food delivery choices are being made it’s important to throw in a little something extra…to keep us going, right? Especially without the watchful eye of your desk buddies. Now there’s no judgement on that second breakfast or extra two handfuls from the Malteser share bag. If no one saw, it doesn’t count – just don’t eat them all at once and make sure that new-found exercise routine sticks!
So, there’s some of our week 1 #WFHP. We’re looking to find all the positives in what is a very sad and testing time for the world and we think it’s important to talk and share anything and everything positive.
And who knows, the agency world has been very traditional and rigid for a long time. And whilst some are already leading the way for us perhaps, this will be the straw that breaks the ‘traditional agency’ camel’s back?