Remote working and me

Over the coming weeks and months we’re working to reset the role of Carnival House, the way we work within a pandemic constrained environment, and looking at how we want to work and use the office in the future, longer term.

We know that for most people remote working has taken some adjustment and many of us will have either overcome or be overcoming challenges and have discovered new ways of working along the way.

Whether you’re pro remote working, pro office or somewhere in the middle, we all have a story to tell and a different experience to share.

We caught up with a few familiar faces to get their take on remote working, what it means for them and to ask them for their top tips on how to collaborate effectively, maintain relationships and achieve balance.

Chris Lees: Executive Vice President, Carnival UK Shared Services

I’ve long found a day here and there working from home to be productive, but to do so routinely everyday didn’t immediately come naturally to me. Like many I tried varying how I worked; different locations, table set ups and working patterns to find what worked best.

After a week or so of playing musical chairs it slowly dawned that it was this very flexibility that could make working from home, work. It took me more discipline to effectively manage my time when working from home, but soon I was able to fit significantly more into every day, both personally and professionally.

Taking back the time I would normally lose commuting meant I could spend more time with my team (an unexpected benefit has been the ease and frequency with which I can catch up with the whole of Shared Services over Zoom) and still have some time to invest in running five painful kilometres, or inflicting pain on others through some truly dreadful saxophone practice.

Quita Walker: Occupational Health Nurse, Carnival UK People

Home working for me has brought about some challenges and some advantages. I have previously worked from home and it did not suit me at all, so when the lockdown started this brought back a lot of bad memories for me. This was also alongside trying to homeschool two children who needed a lot of attention and attempts to juggle this all around my husband’s work commitments.

I found initially I was being quite hard on myself and realised I didn’t have a routine, something I really value. As the weeks have passed by I am beginning to find more of a rhythm, I’m taking a lunch break, something I didn’t do before and I’m meeting people virtually that I didn’t easily have a chance to meet when in the office. I’m not sitting in traffic on my work days and this has meant I have actually had a lie in and been able to more easily fit in exercise. I have felt more connected and able to reach out to people when needed, as I have begun to build relationships with other areas of the business and my wider team. I have also found that knowing I can call my manager to chat things through has been really helpful. We have moved away from Zoom and now just use the telephone as we found it too distracting. We have even met up a couple of times as a small team of three in my garden which was really useful to bring us together as a new team and understand ways of working as we’ve taken on more responsibilities since the consultation.

I know I need to keep clear boundaries between work and home and as my office is in my bedroom, I’m thinking of ways to cover the desk up when not in use so that it isn’t a constant reminder when I wake up. However I do have a lovely view from the window and as I write I can hear the rain pouring down which is strangely peaceful and not a sound I would have heard from the office, it would have been building work from the hotel going up outside the window!

Andrew Wyres: Chief Information Officer, Carnival UK Technology

I live in London so it’s a three hour drive for me to get to Southampton and because of this I’m used to three long days away from home, including two nights in the charming Premier Inn.

I wouldn’t say home working is without its challenges; I do miss my ability to dazzle my team with my whiteboard art work and the corridor conversations. 

Whilst working remotely I have thought a lot about remote etiquette as I think there is a tendency for us all to lean towards Zoom these days for most interactions – Zoom definitely has its place, however, we must remember that a phone call is still acceptable and provides flexibility for others in our household to use the same space freely.

Now I don’t have that same commute twice a week, I get to spend Tuesday and Wednesday evenings with my friends and family. Another plus is that I have lost 6kg from not living off hotel food. My car has also only travelled 80 miles in the whole of lockdown – it used to do 300 per week!

Michelle Harradence: Senior Manager – Learning, Carnival UK People

Living on my own and working remotely is both challenging and rewarding. Challenging because at times it can feel very isolated – interacting through a box on a screen is not the same as the face to face interaction between me and my team, so to combat this we have daily check ins where we can talk about anything (not just work!) which I find helps to set up me up for the day.

I also block out time each day to take a lunch break; something I was not great at when we were in the office!

I said to someone recently, it’s a bit like being on a roller coaster – some days I’m super focused; other days I find it harder, feel anxious and sometimes overwhelmed. On these days I try to remember to be kind to myself and that these feelings will pass.

Jatin Chandwani: Chief Technology Officer, Carnival UK Technology

Working from home for me has been like living a dream (well, most days!) My lifestyle has completely changed – now I get some extra sleep in the morning! Finding the right balance between work life and home life took a while, especially when home schooling was upon us. These days it is about asking the kids to stop running around and making a noise when I am on a call.

Although nothing can be the same as sitting in the Atrium, having lunch with the team or a coffee with a colleague, our new tools like Zoom have made it possible to see our colleagues and maintain that face to face human connection. I had never imagined that I will ever participate in virtual drinks, quizzes, or fancy dress parties over Zoom. We have had quite a few of those, and it’s good fun.

I do sometimes feel that it’s time to wake up from this dream and do the things that we used to do. For now though, I’m just enjoying this way of life while it lasts.

What’s your remote working story?

In one or two sentences let us know what remote working means to you? What have you discovered? What have you overcome? What would be your best tip for others still adjusting to remote working? Let’s help one another to adjust, collaborate and succeed.

Comment on our latest Insider article or email us at Internal.Comms@carnivalukgroup.com by 27 August and you could win a hamper of goodies worth £25.