Beginning my first year of full-time work, I like many other uni graduates, had a picture in my head about how my year would go. With a new wardrobe, cute colour-coded diary and keep cup for my morning coffee, I thought I could take on whatever this year decided to throw at me. However, the one thing I couldn’t plan for was a global pandemic and working from home just three months into the year.
My transition to full-time work at Wrights was fairly seamless thanks to interning in 2019, while I finished my degree; so, I was ready to dive in and hit the ground running when we returned in January. Going from part-time to full-time allowed me to be fully immersed in the positive and supportive culture that has been fostered over Wrights’ 32-year history, something that has been crucial to our continued success throughout lockdown.
COVID-19 seemed to slowly creep into more and more of our discussions and before I knew it, it was at the centre of all our decisions with events we had worked so hard to bring to life being put on the shelf for another time. The decision to transition to working from home was a difficult one to swallow. I’d gone from never spending more than one full day at home to spending almost every waking moment confined within its ever shrinking walls.
Fast forward six months and we are all still surviving thanks, I believe in part, to establishing key positive work habits from the get-go:
Structured days: Having a morning and afternoon meeting has created the structure that was lacking without my daily work commute. It has allowed us to detail what is going to be achieved throughout the day, support each other with tasks and check in to make sure we are all hanging in okay.
Daily gratefulness and positivity: With the endless cycle of glum news, we implemented a “good news story or something I’m grateful for” section into our morning meetings. We have all had flat days during isolation, however reflecting on something we are grateful for and sharing positivity at the beginning of the day, creates a more positive mindset for the rest of the day.
Continued collaboration and innovation: Ingenious is at the forefront of our minds with everything we do at Wrights, facilitated through a highly collaborative and creative work environment. While we currently can’t use the collaboration space, we have continued to brainstorm, get creative and fight writer’s block as a team. We have also used the vast technology available to our advantage, enabling us to facilitate workshops virtually with our clients.
Understanding: This sounds simple but something that is crucial to continuing to work effectively. I think it’s safe to say all Victorians are feeling the emotional toll lockdown has taken and some days it hits harder than others. Being someone who thrives when around people it’s easy to notice when someone is having a bad day. Creating a safe space for people to rant and taking work off someone’s plate so they can log off, has been key to our success and ability to serve our clients at a high standard.
The first nine months of my first year as a fully-fledged “PR Professional” has been nothing short of the complete opposite to what I was expecting. I’ve traded my work wardrobe for activewear, my diary for zoom reminders and my takeaway keep cup definitely hasn’t been getting its full use. Despite all this, I have learnt invaluable lessons that will prepare me for my career ahead and the Wrights team has never been stronger as we take on new challenges and exceed expectations.
