Nearly a year on and the world still seems to be up in the air, although after the vaccine rollout earlier this year and the announcement from Bozza last week, we can finally see a glimmer of hope that the end is in sight. We can almost taste the first sip of beer, drank while sitting in the beer garden with the sun beaming down on us and our friends’ reflection shining in our ‘sunnies’…
who are we kidding! The sun FOR SURE will NOT be beaming down, this is England after all!
Nevertheless, like all other office-based workers in the whole entire world, the Pixel team have been embracing working from home over the course of lockdown and will be continuing to do so well into May and June this year. So, what does working from home actually look like? Is it all about swapping the usual mundane commute into the office with dog walks, home schooling, meditation and for the extra lucky ones, a little longer in bed?! Our Digital Marketing Executive Paige finds out with a little Q&A with the team…
What do you do with your extra time on a morning?
Jake [UX Designer] - Hydrate, Meditate, get a beaut cup of Yorkshire brew.
Vicky [Office Manager] - It doesn’t make a difference because I have to get my children up for live lessons, but I would want to spend that time in bed if I could!
Andy [Senior Web Developer] - I wake up, get ready and grab my monitor, laptop, phone stand and a small cardboard box from Blacker Hall Farm shop (which I use as a monitor stand) containing a mouse mat, mouse & headphones from the top of the stairs to downstairs in front of the sofa where I set up shop for an 8am start.
Martin [Commercial Director] - My wife’s a teacher and generally in school from 7am, so my mornings are looking after our little girl and getting her to childcare before I start at 8am.
Rachael [Digital Marketing Manager] - These days I actually get to sit still and drink a coffee before starting work and it’s so relaxing – at least it would be if I didn’t also use this time to catch up on the latest news headlines but still, at least I know what state the country is in!
What do you do on a lunch time?
Jake [UX Designer] - Grab a quick lunch and get stuck into some Japanese revision.
Vicky [Office Manager] - I eat lunch and watch a bit of Grey’s Anatomy with my oldest daughter.
Andy [Senior Web Developer] - Make the kids/myself lunch, watch a YouTube video and back to work unless I need to do anything else (i.e. change a light bulb or take out the rubbish).
Martin [Commercial Director] - Walk the dogs, do a few house jobs like empty dishwasher etc.
Rachael [Digital Marketing Manager] - Recently I have been progressing one or two craft projects I have on the go: one is a cross stitch pattern, and the other is a drawing for my friend – neither of which are going quite to plan just yet. If I am not feeling creative though, then I usually find my lunch hour is the perfect time to squeeze an episode of something in on Netflix.
Do you get dressed fully or is only business on the top?
Jake [UX Designer] - Comfy athleisure wear all the time. It feels weird dressing up to go sit at a desk at home. Wearing similar athleisure outfits everyday does deeply sadden me though, I love my clothes and they’re just sat in the wardrobe… Might have to start using my new trainers i got for Christmas as slippers…
Vicky [Office Manager] - I wear joggers and t-shirt then I get “dressed up” to walk the dog or go to the supermarket.
Andy [Senior Web Developer] - That would be telling *wink* *wink*
Martin [Commercial Director] - I'm a big believer in getting up and ready to start the day. Same on weekends - I'm not a lounger-arounder or PJs type man. So, it’s up showered, beard waxed and proper clothes on for the day. I still wear shirts too for client meetings - I think there's a bit of psychology in it for me personally and it gets me ready to be on my best form.
Rachael [Digital Marketing Manager] - I am proud to say that I have been fully dressed every day since working from home during lockdown, the only difference is I am in slippers instead of shoes but hey, something had to give!
What’s clear is that while working from home has been a big change for the team and while we may not be able to physically get together every day and have the laughs that we used to, it hasn’t stopped us making the most of the current situation. We’re still interacting on Flock and Google Meets, and continuing to build on our work relationships. We are after all a digital agency and that’s what we do best, even if it is done in slippers these days!