What's working like for you?
Thursday, 25 June 2020
The coronavirus lockdown has changed the way we work individually, with our own teams and with other teams at the University. Whether we are working from home or are working on the campus, each of us is adapting in our own way to these changed circumstances. Each week, we will share the experience of some of our colleagues.
Becki Pomroy is an Assistant Communications Officer with Student Success and Engagement. The team provides communications across all student channels.
We asked Becki how the lockdown had affected her work:
“I had been working at Henley Business School and worked from home in that role for two days before starting my new role on the first Monday of lockdown. So, for me, this has been a real mix of emotions: while I was starting a new role, the team was also having to adjust to working remotely. I’d only met the team once and been shown where I would sit in the office so didn’t know what to expect. The biggest thing I’ve missed is being able to ask quick questions like ‘Am I doing this right?’. Having to learn a new series of intricate systems from scratch has been difficult without these casual interactions that you’d normally get in an office.
“But the team has been really good at welcoming me with open and honest communication which has made me feel comfortable within the team. I’ve found how quickly I’ve settled in surprising as there were a lot of unknowns and making new relationships over the screen isn’t the same as face to face. Though I’ve been able to set up a series of one-to-one meetings with new colleagues this can feel a bit forced and introduces a formality that isn’t there when you go for a cup of tea or coffee. But overall this has helped me settle into the team and I feel like I’m working with friends not strangers.
“I’d not really worked from home before as such but had worked as a freelance illustrator so I was able to rely on some of the skills I’d from then. The University has been amazing at enabling those who can to work remotely. I’d used Microsoft Teams a bit before but have sped up my learning a lot recently and have been investigating its more technical features. But I am looking forward to being on campus as part of the undergraduate and postgraduate student world. Working in student engagement this will help me understand my role better and how we fit into the bigger picture.”
This is part of a series of articles on what new ways of working have been like for colleagues.