The country is working from home. Have you forgotten what your colleagues look like yet? Clueless to what day it is? Well, let us tell you how SearchStar is navigating this new normal.
Being cloud and laptop-based, the technicalities of working from home have been pretty smooth for all of us (big up to IT guy Mark Garland) as we transitioned from the Bath office into 60+ offices/kitchen tables around the South West.
Keeping the SearchStar vibe alive has require a little more thought and creativity, of course. So, it’s now the end of week 2 - what have we been up to?
Microsoft Teams & Zoom Calls (lots of them)
Our company-wide standups and briefly weekly catch ups have gone virtual, and despite 60+ people being on one call, these have all worked well.
We’re also having video catch-ups with our teams at 9am. Not only does this mean we all have to make ourselves look (vaguely) presentable by then, we also get to catch up with everyone and engage in the generic “What did you get up to last night?/What did you have dinner/second dinner/breakfast etc etc?” chats that would normally take place.
Unsurprisingly, the answers are becoming less diverse (and more focused on Netflix recommendations) as we all spend more time inside, but it’s great to keep a sense of normality regardless!
SearchStar’s Newest Recruits
Not known for being mundane, SearchStar’s menagerie is no exception, and working from home has definitely highlighted this. Please meet our newest team members: Pascale the chameleon, Mr Sophie the Tortoise (he was missexed for 20 years), Oscar the dog, and Gucci & Peach the cats.
Socials
Not letting circumstance get in the way, our Social Committee has made sure they keep us mingling despite social distancing. This week we had our first virtual company-wide quiz, run on Kahoot. Quizmaster Bexley put us through our paces with some rounds on pandemics, before moving onto lighter content, and even treating us to a music round.
We’re open to suggestions for our next social. Virtual Bake Off? Netflix Party movie night?
Friday Drinks
SearchStar enjoys a little tipple on a Friday and we’re not letting this WFH malarkey get in the way! We all joined in last Friday, caught up on week one of working from home and enjoyed a (slightly awkward) virtual “cheers”!
We also *attempted* to sing Happy Birthday to Dan in what must have been one of the cringiest moments of 2020 to date. It’s probably best we don’t share that clip.
One Exercise A Day
Working from home hasn’t stopped SearchStar getting outside and relishing the glorious sunshine we’re experiencing. Our SearchStar eSeries on Strava is keeping everyone connected (and competitive)!
We had our first virtual run club this week with plenty of plodders/joggers/runners setting off at roughly the same time on their daily excursions. Now the Olympics have been postponed, don’t be surprised if you see a SearchStar team there next year.
Bake Off
In true agency style, we’ve got a few wannabe master bakers in our midst. Sourdough photographs are being put head to head. Nick, our Marketing Manager, even chose to “fold” his dough on our most recent whole company standup on Teams. Working hard or hardly working, you tell me?
Jokes aside, productivity levels are surprisingly high and we’re maintaining a semblance of SearchStar agency life. That being said, we’re also VERY MUCH looking forward to the revival of Pub Fridays and our Summer Party…
How’ve you been surviving and thriving during this working from home period? Any top tips?
