GTF, WFH
Ian, our Inspirational Agency Leader 2019, has access to our medium and wants to tell you all about why he doesn’t think working from home is all it is cracked up to be and can actually be bad for your brain boxes.
There’ve been a lot of think pieces about working from home and what it means for lots of different industries. The ol’ Panny D has made most of us have to adjust and change how we work and how we view work.
Instead of pretending I have all the answers to how to ‘BUILD BACK STRONGER’ after Covid. I’m going to share some things I think are rubbish about knee-jerking into fully working from home for a creative company. Now, without sounding like an Auld Da or that Grandpa Simpson pic yelling at a cloud, here are some things I hate about working remotely…
- There’s no ‘work in-between the work’
Sometimes the best stuff comes when you aren’t actually doing the work you are meant to be doing. I’ve found you often get more from those 5 minute random interactions when you are making a cup of tea or bumped into someone on the stairs who works on a different floor. Mixing with folk and taking your mind off of the task at hand actually makes you better at solving the problem. This is why people find their best ideas come in the shower, on the toilet or when they are out on a walk. But it doesn’t mean we would encourage all our staff to work on the toilet or in the shower all day…
The hidden work you do in-between focussing on the work is important. And how do you replicate that when you are working from home?
2. Boundaries
I think initially many companies were worried about moving remotely due to people having entirely flexible working. Firstly; grow up, grandad companies, it’s the 21st century!
Secondly; the thing that has worried me is that everyone seems to be working MORE since lockdown not less. Or it certainly feels like this.
This is because there’s less boundaries. There’s no commute and no separation now between work or personal life. For instance, I’ve just had a wee baby daughter and I’ve been on Zoom calls where I’m cradling her just out of shot of the camera. Like a wee sly ninja dad.
Due to the nature of lockdown, it’s also hard to have some respite from work. Tasks to recharge your batteries. In an age where we have ‘errand paralysis’ it feels like our to-do list is our lives now.
3. Different types of brains on the same thing
Having one brain on a problem is way less good than having lots of brains on a problem. Simple. But having lots of different types of brains on the same thing is even better. I believe the smart folk would call this ‘diversity of thought’.
I believe the best creative stuff comes from equal parts bravery and naivety.
Brave to push new stuff but naive enough to not know it’s not ‘the way it should be done’.
It’s much harder to get this diversity of thought and for your colleagues to encourage you over zoom. And if you are working on a brief solo it’s very hard to get a fresh point of view from someone who isn’t thinking about that problem. Pulling them in a virtual room or chatting over Slack just isn’t the same as throwing stuff on a wall. Miro ain’t it.
4. Everything seems BIG
One thing that has been hard to cull down during this is MEETINGS. Everything can become a Zoom meeting. We need a meeting to discuss how we do meetings.
It’s hard for discussions that would usually be a quick word to either be an email or a zoom. I think this leads to Zoom fatigue. I’m sick of looking at my own tired face some days.
Using Slack works okay for general discussion but it lacks tone and it’s hard to come across as empathetic. I think this leads to a wee bit of an erosion of good culture a company has built up. If you are keen on being kind to staff, this new way of communicating can seem sterile and unemotional (no jokes at this phrasing please).
Everything seems like a BIG DEAL when really all you want it a quick pow wow about changing a bit of copy…
I miss our beautiful haunted squint HQ. It may be weird, but it’s our weird. I do think in general I need to continue to adapt and get used to this; we’ll always continue to offer flexible working and working from anywhere but you definitely can’t substitute being in the same place as your team. Especially when you actually really like the people you work with.
