A work from home day in the life of a full-service agency
“Am I audible?”, “Please unmute before you talk.”, “Okay so everybody on?”, “Your voice is breaking!” are some of the things you are now hearing on a regular basis, whether you’re working or in school. Since we have all been keeping safe at our homes, our routines have not really changed, they have just gone digital where there is no compulsion to take a bath every day, or even wear pants.
Pantless or no, this agency has been working on its toes since the lockdown began, and some of us would say more so now than ever. So what exactly does a day in this chaos of running an agency look like? Let me give you the inside scoop.
Rise & shine, Zoom calls!
After we approach our desks with our stack of snacks, barely brushed hair and our daily presence pings, it’s time for the ritual of team updates. Account managers gather every morning to discuss yesterday’s updates, today’s tasks and do future planning along with a brief session of focusing on issues that need immediate resolutions. Team coordination without proximity is a hassle that they have to deal with on a daily basis, now more prominent and challenging. This is quickly followed by internal team Zoom calls for thorough delegation of tasks, setting up deadlines and managing the workflow efficiently.
Tie on, it’s the client’s call!
Distributed evenly throughout the week, every day, there’s a couple of weekly update calls with the clients. Although extremely important to review and asses the past week’s work and discuss future strategies, putting on a fresh shirt and looking half-decent for these calls have become a struggle for the team. These meetings are crucial, especially now because it is easy for clients to feel uneasy during these times as all businesses are facing the brunt of the situation and feel that their agency is unresponsive or unreachable. Regular and consistent communication is key here!
What’s the (content) shuffle?
With this global pandemic ruling almost all the content put out there, it was imperative to ensure that all brands speak what the audiences want to hear. Strategy and content planning changes on a regular basis are key parts of our daily routines now. Any news update, trend stories, geographical updates, etc., they are part of our internal meetings and briefings. Every brand needs to be able to derive a narrative their audiences can relate to so whether it’s educational, quarantine entertainment or stay at home fun, we stay on top of them through research, observation and execution.
“What do you think?” is now “Sent”
Everyone is trying to ensure we put out the best during this adversity of not being able to be two steps away from one another where we not only shared one playlist throughout the day but also ideas, opinions and suggestions on each other’s work. And it’s not just sharing your opinions, but also a laugh over a joke the funny one in the office always makes to lighten the mood or patiently listening to your neighbour venting out over something. Co-worker relationships are still strong, albeit digital but still, it is easy to feel alone during the work hours now. Work always becomes more effective with well-meaning suggestions by your side. The brighter side though? We have been able to improve our individual skills this way, although missing everyone has become quite a struggle.
Avengers, Assemble!
No matter the day, crazy, chaotic or laid back, we meet at 6 PM, every evening to look at each others’ faces, give each other updates of our days and have some fun together. Everyone in the team hosts sessions each day, educational, game time, workshops, etc. It’s our small way of keeping the sanity during this crazy time and ensuring we do not lose touch and the bond we share with one another. Co-worker relationships are as important as the ones you have in your personal life, sometimes more so than the others. So this keeps that maintained and in some weird way, helps us grow it too.
And that’s pretty much how we are spending each dreading day of this lockdown. We know the importance of staying at home and practising strict social distancing to keep each of us safe but we just cannot wait to reunite, be together and work together to create magic like we always have!