Working from Home Part 1 - Jasmine Roberts

Written by Jasmine Roberts, Digital Marketing Executive at Wessex Support and Supply

Here at Wessex Support and Supply, we are an advocate for home working. We believe that we have a more diverse and successful team because of it.

Home working has always been a controversial issue. Employers having a negative view – that employees would get less done at home. They would be less motivated, less committed, less successful. But due to the Covid 19, we are now in a situation where home working is essential for many businesses as we were all asked to stay at home, unless essential to go out.

Even now though more of life is returning to normal there are still many businesses that have asked their employees to keep working at home.

A small list of recommended reading on remote working and/or distributed workforces:

1.   Remote: Office Not Required

Book by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

2.   Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn't Work Anymore, a Manifesto

Book by Bryan Miles

3.   The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership

Book by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel

4.   Influencing Virtual Teams: 17 Tactics That Get Things Done with Your Remote Employees

Book by Hassan Osman

Who am I?

I am the Digital Marketing Executive for Wessex Support and Supply.

What do I do?

I am responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and managing the overall digital marketing strategy for Wessex Support and Supply. That means that I assist in the formulation of strategies to build a lasting digital connection with our community of clients. Planning and monitoring the ongoing company presence on social media, and launching optimized online advertisements to increase company and brand awareness

Have I always worked from home?

No, I have not. Before joining Wessex, Support and Supply I have had numerous roles and have become a career chameleon.

I have tried to find roles which will fit around my family.

I have cleaned, cared, as well as working in retail and hospitality, but nothing felt like a correct fit. I have a young family at home and I always felt like it was a constant battle between working and caring for my little ones.

Why did I join Wessex Support and Supply?

I was tired, frazzled and rushing from one commitment to another. There were never enough hours in the day.

When I was at work, I felt guilty for working and not being at home with my children. But then when I was at home, I felt guilty that I was not working.

I wanted a position where I could find a better life and home balance, yet still allowed me to work within a professional capacity.

As a working Mother, it is important for me to show my children that you need to work hard to achieve things in life. I feel that I need to lead by example. But on the other hand, I also want to show my children that quality family time is important. And that I am still there to care for their mental, physical, and emotional needs. Even though I’m working, I am still their Mum. I cannot do that if I am always working away or in meetings.

Wessex Support and Supply were kind enough to offer me a role where I can work but still be on hand for my children. They are very accommodating with working hours and are supportive of any issues that may arise etc childcare or a poorly child.

Home working and me

Working from home is not always easy. I have found it difficult to separate my working space from my home space. I work at my dining room table or from any comfortable spot. It’s not glamourous, but I make it work. I’m hoping to be able to invest in a separate office space with an additional monitor soon.

It can be difficult to manage my time and to stay on schedule, I have found this especially as I have a busy life full of school runs and nursery trips. I am the main carer for my children, one of whom has special needs. This means that I must coordinate Doctors and Hospital Appointments as well as Therapy sessions. There is also a lot of paperwork and red tape that I need to navigate as I advocate for my children. It is important that I have an up to date schedule and to do list.

To also keep myself motivated I try to keep my computer desktop tidy by spending a small amount of time each day organizing folders, files, and images. I try to keep browser tabs to a minimum and update the systems that we use as we go so that I can keep in my workflow.

I must remember to take regular breaks. This is a bad habit of mine, I find that I will get into a creative flow and not realise how much time has passed or one of my children will distract me with a request and I will forget to take time for myself. I always find myself grabbing a sugary snack or a cup of tea to see me through. I plan to start a healthier regime now our life is returning to a new normality.

Also, literally, and metaphorically sometimes it can be hard to see where my working day ends, and my leisure time begins. My inspiration for my creative ideas comes from my everyday life so I always carry around a notebook to jot down ideas.

Collaboration is another difficulty; in the office it can be easy to ask colleagues for information or updates. You might be in the same room or just a quick walk down the hall away. I do not have this option when working remotely.

The other drawback in working from home is that it can be socially isolating. In an office you are surrounded by people all the time, at home you need to make a conscious effort to still be social. At Wessex Support and Supply we have a daily meeting so that we can catch up with each other and discuss any issues that we may have. We think this is important as we are not in an office and helps us all stay on track and gives us the opportunity to be social.

Working from home is not the easiest solution, but I really enjoy it and I have found my mental health has improved because of the peace of mind it gives me.

What is coming next?

We will be following up with articles from the rest of the Wessex Team outlining their home working practices and thoughts.

We want to hear from you

Here at Wessex Support and Supply we value feedback.

We pride ourselves son being here for you.

We want to hear your thoughts on the articles we publish, our products, practices or anything else that you can think of.

Get in touch by:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 01404 642004

Visit our website: www.wessexsupportandsupply.com