As keyboard connoisseurs, the Pratt Digital team are no strangers to remote working. As the world launches itself into a brief period of chaos, the decision was made to take this style of working full-time, with Pratt Digital operations now occurring from every corner of Sussex.
After a week or so of finding our feet, we wanted to share our experiences in the hopes that it may help some of you get to grips with a new way of working!
Although it does initially seem like we’ve all been thrown into the deep-end of a shark infested pool, this could potentially revolutionise the way we work in the future, as the UK’s workforce adopt a digital-first attitude.
New Routines
“Getting ready in the mornings, making regular cups of tea, and heading out for my state-mandated walk at lunch has been keeping me on track and helping to differentiate ‘work’ from ‘home’.” -Rachel
However tempting it may seem to grab a laptop and head straight back to bed at 8.59am, Think With Google suggest that following a morning routine will trick your brain into ‘work-mode’.
Waking up with enough time to shower, dress (even if it is into another pair of pyjamas!) and make yourself breakfast will help to establish that essential routine that you’d usually have in the workplace.
Creating a designated workspace will also help ease you into a 9-to-5 frame of mind and keeps distractions to a minimum (sorry boxsets, you’ll have to wait!).
Communication
“We have a briefing call every morning to update each other. This 30-minute catch up has strengthened our communication, allowing us to stitch together any gaps as a team.” -Esme
“My ‘new normal’ is that I’m having far more voice and video calls than ever before. I love how this helps to keep us feeling connected with our colleagues and clients.” -Lisa
Thanks to the likes of Skype and Zoom, we’ve never been more connected as a team. It turns out, being driven apart actually encourages people develop connections and work more closely, something which is imperative in such a dynamic workplace.
This also applies to our client catch-ups and virtual meetings, enabling us to form supportive relationships as every business tries to navigate this unprecedented terrain.
“The fact that almost all video calls are interrupted at some point by a rogue toddler from either side of the conversation is actually really comforting as it shows everyone is facing the same challenges. Seeing this human side has helped us form closer client-relationships as we work hard to support each other.” -Lester
Culture Shifts
Working from home means, well, being at home a lot. Much like finding our ‘new normal’ in our work lives, the same applies to our home lives and social lives. There are a lot of things we can be doing from the safety of our own homes to try and retain as much normality as possible.
“A friend of mine recently posted a video encouraging us to see this as a period of self-immersion, rather than self-isolation and that really resonated with me. So in between managing my day to day client work and helping to keep client businesses going, I’ve lined up a load of online courses to get through and I’m looking forward to learning a load of new stuff that I can put into practice.” -Lisa
“I’ve been scheduling Facetime calls with friends, for a virtual ‘beer o’clock’ or just a general catch up where we put the world to rights. Online pub quizzes, livestreamed concerts and Netflix Party (look it up!) are other great examples of social events being adapted for the remote world.” -Rachel
“I am getting to spend much more time with my two boys than I would usually. We’ve been tag-teaming with work and home-schooling so yesterday I was working with my eldest on his phonics. By the time we’d finished, he could identify ‘at’ in various sentences; one of my proudest moments and certainly top in my fledgling home-teacher career!” -Lester
We’d love to hear how you’ve been adapting to your New Normal. Let us know!