Finding comfort in disconnecting

After the initial shock of working from another continent, 9,000 miles from home, with an all new team and client roster I’ve found that things are… altogether very similar. The conversations heard around the open workspace are all too familiar: viewability, media effectiveness/attribution, content partnerships, asset delays, channel reach. Universal media terms.

Shadowing my coach Aneeket (Strategy Director) and his team over the past 2 weeks has taught me how new business and project briefs are approached here. The clients and market may be different but the framework, challenges, team collaboration are ultimately the same. There is one noticeable difference across the office — lack of technology distraction.

In the Chicago Village people are attached to their phones or computers 24/7. During meetings, at their desks, in the elevators, even walking to the bathroom. Most team communication is done over email or Google hangouts. In the Sydney office there is an important drive to get away from your desk and to put a pause on other work. One of the first things I noticed here was the constant noise in the office. People make an effort to get up and talk to each other face to face. Everyone finds time throughout the day to grab coffee/tea on the shared 8th floor, or café at the ground level of the building. Towards the end of the week you can always find a large group near the open beer and wine fridges — grabbing a drink together. Granted free booze is probably the easiest way to connect a village.

Even in meetings there’s noticeably more closed computers and cell phones put away, which means more concentration and greater collaboration. Coming from an office culture that is constantly connected, it’s refreshing to find a more steady balance of personal interaction and how that’s created a closer, more focused work environment.

More to come as I take on week 3 and my first Melbourne Cup…