Our Guide to Working from Home in 2020: Embracing Change and Challenging Yourself
By Amira Bird, Midwich Digital Content Creator
Once you get stuck in a routine, anything outside of that can seem incredibly alien. I haven’t even been with Midwich for a year and it already feels odd to not rush to the train a minute and a half before it departs each morning. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for someone who has been with the company for longer.
Having been part of Midwich, and working at the Diss office, for 18 years, working from home is a major adjustment for Tracey Spillings. As our Education Sales Manager, she’s now managing a team and assisting customers from her home, and approaching this change with an exceptionally positive attitude.
After 18 years of going into the Midwich office, how are you finding working from home?
I am managing home working extremely well - it's adapting to change that is the challenge but I am embracing that and actually enjoying trying new techniques.
What sort of new techniques are you trying?
Using platforms like Microsoft Teams in a much greater capacity - this is such a great tool! I now have different folders I have created to form a library for my team to have easy access to a whole host of material in one place.
I understand you’ve set yourself a challenge every day, what made you decide to do this?
Being at home alone without the buzz of people in the background feels eerily quiet! We are used to coming to our workplace and having contact with others rather than this solitary new place we find ourselves in. Some may feel lonely, so I decided to challenge myself to try something new... Each day I will make contact with someone who I do not usually engage with on a regular basis, this helps develop new relationships and spreads some happiness.
I think that's a brilliant idea! Would you say not having people around you has been your biggest challenge to overcome so far?
Working solo is the biggest challenge when you are used to spending your working life surrounded by others.
Certainly! What advice would you give to some who has just started working from home?
Talk, talk, talk. Use every tool available to you and make the most of the great systems we have to enable this. We are all in this together and can support each other, not only work related but on a personal level too.
Rather than allowing herself to struggle in an isolated work environment, Tracey has jumped in and continues to challenge herself. Not only embracing change but continuing to challenge yourself, keeps your mind fresh and stops the days blurring together.