Looking forward to going back
Going to the office. If someone had told us six months ago that this most routine and predictable of activities would soon become a novelty, we almost certainly would have laughed in their face.
"Why would I be excited about going to the office? I go there every day!" we’d cry, as we fought our way onto a crowded bus, windows steamed up from all the people sipping their morning coffees in reusable cups.
We might even pick up a discarded Metro newspaper and dust some crumbs off our seat before sitting down, simultaneously prodding at our sleepy eyes to get that pesky contact lens to sit right. Ah, memories.
With the world now comfortably settled into a new, mask-wearing, non-sharing, eyeball-avoiding routine, this once familiar situation is enough to make our stomachs sink. And not just from all the homemade banana bread we’ve been packing away over the summer. Now the time has come to actually brave the real world and go back to the office, it’s natural to feel a little uneasy about navigating the new lay of the land.
Team Sunshine have been working hard to make the shift back to (almost) normality as easy and safe as possible. Read on to find out some of the exciting changes happening at Sunshine HQ:
PUTTING THE ‘FLEX’ INTO FLEXIBLE WORKING
After working from home for a few months, we realised that not only were we getting used to it but *gasp* we actually quite liked it! We knew we’d still need to stay connected to retain our sense of team spirit (and for important activities like office parties), so we did a staff survey to find out exactly what kind of set up Team Sunshine really wanted, then set about putting it into action.
The result? We’re taking flexible working to a whole new level for the rest of 2020 and beyond! We decided on two regular office days a week for meetings, shoots and other collaborative activities, with the choice to work from wherever you like the rest of the time. We reckon that keeps the balance between freedom and routine pretty perfect.
Want to work from the comfort of your bed? Nobody has to know. Always dreamed of that digital nomad lifestyle, typing away while sipping an iced latte at a beachside café? Go chase that dream, friend. No-one is an island, but if you want to work from one, that’s fine with us 😎.
WE’RE SOCIALLY SOCIAL DISTANCING
For most of us, the hardest part about working from home has been not seeing each other on a regular basis. We’re a sociable bunch, plus we love a bit of off-the-cuff collaboration, so not being able to talk things through in person or do a quick show-and-tell of our work without scheduling a video chat took a bit of adjusting to.
Thankfully, we’re a resilient lot, so we found a groove with walking meetings and regular calls that worked just fine for us. Having said that, we’re looking forward to being together in the same (socially distanced) room once again, even if it’s just to share a morning chat over a cuppa, though the video chats and al fresco lunch hours will probably stick around a while longer.
NOT SHARING IS CARING
We’ve got a new BYO-Everything office policy, from mugs to teaspoons, and we’ve replaced the communal biscuit barrel with a lifetime supply of hand sanitiser!
Gone are the days when you’d play tea lady and attempt to carry more than two mugs from the kitchen to the desk, risking humiliation and some nasty burns in the process. For now, it’s every Sunshiner for themselves in the tea department, but at least you know you’ll be getting it just the way you like it.
KEEP THE SUN SHINING
Most importantly of all, whether we’re working from home or working together, we’re proud to still be bringing the same levels of creativity, passion and excellence to everything we do, for our clients and for each other. That’s what Sunshine is all about, after all.
Are you making any major changes to the way you work? Join the conversation on social and let us know about your post-pandemic innovations!