OPINION
TeesTalk
Covid has meant many people working from home more than they once did . We asked eight Tees business leaders about their home-work patterns and which they preferred .
ERIKA MARSHALL , GROUP MARKETING DIRECTOR , ETC . The move to home working has been one of the very few positives to come out of the pandemic . Pre-Covid , I worked on site for my full working week and liked it that way . Then came the shock of total home working and now I have moved to a hybrid model - a few days from home and a few on site .
As a senior leader of a group of colleges and a fulltime working mum , a blended approach works really well and supports a great home-life balance . I can be on site and in the thick of the college environment or have the option of the quiet space of home - not to mention the benefits of being able to pop a wash-load in between meetings or being in the school playground more often for home-time .
DANIELLE CROCE , DIRECTOR , INTASITE Due to the nature of our tech-based business , we quickly adapted to work from home with little disruption to operations during the lockdown .
Our team is now predominantly office-based with the option for hybrid working for those who prefer to do both . We ’ ve found most of the team still prefer the office environment and have therefore recently increased our space to accommodate further expansion .
For me personally , I enjoy the flexibility of both . It works well for me with being a mum to two small children , but I also love the social side of working alongside my colleagues .
PETER BARRON , OWNER , PETER BARRON MEDIA Ever since I stepped down as editor of The Northern Echo five years ago , I ’ ve worked from an office at home , so nothing changed in that respect when the lockdown was announced . The difference , of course , was that there were a lot more meetings on Zoom or Teams instead of face-toface . Apart from writing , a big part of my business is compering events and after-dinner speaking , and that ground to a halt until organisations worked out how to hold some of the events virtually . I ’ m pleased to say it ’ s all getting back to normal now .
ANDREA WALLER-AMOS , EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT RECRUITMENT , MARKETING AND ADMISSIONS , MIDDLESBROUGH COLLEGE Over the last 18 months I ’ ve done a mix of working from home and working in the college as per government lockdown guidelines . As a college , we ’ ve been open to students for a lot of the pandemic so , consequently , I ’ ve been on site .
In the future , I ’ ll be working in college on site , although I may work the odd day from home when I need some quiet space for report writing . I enjoy being in the college with my team and where I can best support our students .
CAROLE KNOTT , OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT MANAGER , ITS ITS has introduced a flexible , hybrid working model . That approach enables us to support the needs of the business and the employees . The priority for us is that we continue to deliver a high quality service to our customers .
Unless the work must be executed on site or in the office , there is no defining reason why we can ’ t work from home . I don ’ t see that changing in the future . Personally , I don ’ t have a preference , I ’ m focused whether I work in the office or at home , although there are a lot less interruptions .
PETER SNAITH , PARTNER , WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON ( UK ) Following a firm-wide employee survey , we have adopted a hybrid working model . Our people have the flexibility to combine home and office working , blending personal preferences with business and clients ’ needs without any mandatory requirements being set across the business other than for those in learning roles .
Personally , I find working from home increases my productivity and suits me , but I am fortunate to have plenty of space and privacy . However , I work in a close-knit team and we will benefit from getting back together in person on a regular basis .
ROSALIND STUART , DIRECTOR , POWER OF WOMEN I ’ ve been working from home since March 2020 . It ’ s not my preference , I am a social creature and I need other people to share ideas , stories and cups of tea with ! So , I ’ ve found it hard .
I am now transitioning to be in the office two days a week and out at client meetings or at home for the rest of the time and , honestly , it ’ s a relief . It ’ s allowing me to maintain a balance but also to be myself a bit more and separate home and working life .
EMILY BULMER , SENIOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS CO- ORDINATOR , PD PORTS At the onset of the pandemic , PD Ports encouraged all staff who could perform their roles remotely to work from home . As restrictions have eased , the company has introduced a flexible approach .
It ’ s great to be back among my colleagues in the office as we can catch up on projects and developments much more easily . But , as someone who has moved into their first home in the past year , I do think a flexible approach definitely allows for a better work / life balance and I ’ m glad that ’ s the route PD Ports is going down .
134 | Tees Business