A year at Sense Media Group

Last week (on the 11th to be exact) was my first anniversary of working at Sense Media Group. Only 12 months ago, I was the third employee, the team hadn't run an event, and Sophie, our Marketing Director and co-owner of the business, was about to go off to have her second child.

In that year, we have added two other employees and have just advertised five more vacancies to double our size. We've also run networking meetups, conferences, test track and training events, increased our global coverage and are in the midst of planning activities in 2017 taking place in at least 5 countries, with customers and clients alike from more than 100.

We're planning our first office too. This office, a short distance from London's Gatwick Airport, will act as our permanent home - although we remain committed to ensuring members of our team have the best work-life balance, in providing unlimited holiday and encouragement to home-work for the majority of the time, plus other benefits which will continue our mission to be a respected and valued employer to our tight-knit team.

I blogged in the middle of last year, about the trust shown to me, and excitement and committment I have enjoyed in the role, as well as exactly that work-life balance I mentioned before... for example, yesterday I chose to work an hour or two extra because I wanted to, this morning I started late because I wanted to enjoy a coffee out with my family, and nobody asked me to write this - I just felt I needed to (partly because people keep sending my notes on LinkedIn, after reminders that I've had this anniversary). 

Junctions in time are really quite meaningless unless you have time to consider their implication. Are you happy, pressured, fulfilled, stressed, motivated, fearful, stimulated, wanting to leave, wanting to stay, wanting a promotion, trusted, interested, tired or energised? It only takes a moment to pick out the highlights and lowlights from that list of secure or insecure feelings, and whether or not you are in the right place for who you are and what you want to do.

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to pick almost all of the positives from that list, and none of the negatives. If anyone is at fault for putting pressure on me, that is me... homeworking is a strange creature, but team-working changes too. Rather than resenting my collagues for their relentlessly irritating habits (as I and many of my friends working in demanding environments have experienced), I look forward to team-days because they are relaxed, fun and productive.

We all know that poorly run meetings are poisionous in workplaces, and workplaces themselves, if not carefully managed with positive, creative energy, can also become damaging environments for individuals, but if you are in charge of your own workplace, at home, with your pet and your favourite drink, no commuting worries (or costs) and the table / chair / light just exactly how you like it, I regularly feel slightly sad for those that don't - taking a last drag before traipsing onto the station concourse, sitting in traffic or having to layer on nine items of clothing to withstand the crisp -5'C frost.

So join us... lose the stress, work on interesting projects, expand your mind and application of your skills, motivate yourself, create great work, be what you can be. It might strike you as wishy-washy navel gazing, but these are the output thoughts of a mind at comparitive rest, work starts when I want it to... speaking of which, the cat is snoring, the sun is coming in at just the right angle to warm the back of my head, and the heating is on.

Happy Anniversary, me.