Most of our team has returned to the office on a semi-regular basis. Here’s their feedback
Nakita Carey,
Junior Designer
Returning to the office has been a surreal experience…
It feels as though we collectively had a weird fever dream, and now we’re all waking up from it and bonding over our shared experiences.
Despite the months of isolation, I feel we’re closer than ever after going through a global phenomenon, and are even more conscious of how we can look out for each other and our community.
Alex Creamer,
Creative Lead
I’m part of the ‘Living Alone’ segment, so heading back into the office was welcome and possibly much-needed (my plants are not extroverts).
I’ve always found that going into the office gives me a greater sense of purpose, and also gives me time to switch from Home Life to Work Life. That 40min pre-work podcast hit (or Dua Lipa’s Physical on repeat) definitely allows me to seperate those dual lives.
WFH helped me become more efficient, more process-driven, and led to the team discovering new online tools for collaboration.
But what can’t be replaced is the magic of working creatively, together, in the same room (albeit at a safe distance): there’s something that grows and flourishes when we’re all (physically) together. It just feels… natural.
That 5min chat on the way to the kitchen, that look over the shoulder to nudge someone in the right direction, and my monologues on the history of my hometown (Preston, check it out) will always be hard to replicate via Zoom calls and technology.
Ash Stapleton,
Senior Strategist
I joined Interbrand during lockdown.
Here’s what I learnt on my return:
It’s bloody weird physically meeting people you’ve known online for months.
I have no work clothes. Need to sort that out.
I think I prefer busy trains to eerily empty ones.
My dog isn’t coping.
Can’t wait for Friday pub lunch.
Kat Fischer,
Writer
I didn’t love the idea of going back into the office.
It meant surrendering that precious hour or so we’d clawed back by renouncing the daily commute. Outdoor-appropriate shoes would assume their natural dominance over ugg boots once again. I’d gotten used to the new rhythm of my days, and changing back felt like I’d somehow be putting myself through the whole process again, but in reverse.
Then I walked into the office for the first time in forever. Right in front of me, familiar faces. And this tension I didn’t even know had been gathering in a ball at the base of my neck just melted away.
The studio tunes are on. We’re singing along. We’re writing on actual, real Post-it notes and putting our actual, real heads together (but, y’know, still from a distance). Banter’s being thrown casually across the room like nobody missed a beat. And I can’t believe I ever thought I’d want to stay away.
