It’s with a combination of sadness and anticipation that I write my farewell post for Writers, a workplace that’s been more like extended family for the past (almost) three years – quite a long stay for a shapeshifting millennial.
While I will miss working with the wonderful clients we have, what I will miss the most is the Writers team and culture.
Yes, five weeks of annual leave and having your birthday off have been jaw-droppingly wonderful bonuses, but it’s the flexibility and ease with which Sara supports a work-life balance that has been the most valuable to me personally and professionally.
There is no curveball you can throw at Sara that she won’t stop, pause and adapt to, to support you. Most notably, when I made the decision to move back to my home state of QLD earlier this year. She was initially a bit shocked, but quickly gathered her thoughts and became excited for the change she knew I needed. On the spot she came up with immediate solutions about how we could make it work, and it did!
Making remote working a success
Every morning the team checks in on Slack, remarking about the weather, traffic conditions (none for me) and what they’re working on for the day. We have different channels for different purposes – #warmandfuzzies the favourite where we share lovely feedback or results from clients.
We have a team WIP over Zoom where we catch up on projects at the beginning of the week – and where I get my much-needed face time with my team mates. Then a secondary WIP call on Thursday with our account manager / sanity-securer Katrina who helps make sure everything is still on track.
Client work was unaffected given the majority of our briefs and interviews take place over the phone or Zoom – proving as long as you have a sturdy internet connection / phone line, you can really work anywhere.
Finding meaning through great relationships
It was in my first year at Writers that Chloe, Sara, Katrina and I sat down for our strategy day to make goals for the next year. One thing we all agreed on, and have turned into a reality, was the decision to focus on the clients we had. We decided we wanted solid, mutually respectful relationships and to slowly phase out those who weren’t necessarily serving our happy-meter. It only takes one disastrous project to understand what you definitely do not want with a client, or any relationship for that matter!
That decision was our way to ensure we felt passionate about the work we were doing, even if sometimes the content was outside of our usual interests. We found when you’re working with great people, your motivation to help them reigns supreme. Through this, I’ve been pushed and stretched outside of my comfort zone, which has only brought fruitful learning and developed a confidence in tackling any subject matter. I’ve also learnt that when you approach everything with curiosity, talking to the humans behind the work, it all becomes interesting.
I know so much more about myriad industries and business issues. More about writing, strategy, and the hustling that goes on behind the scenes to create work that has an impact.
And finally, I’ve learnt so much about the joys of working in a strong, supportive team – where people drop what they’re doing to help, band together and collaboratively get sh*t done.
I will miss my fellow Writers and be forever grateful for how much they’ve helped strengthen my skills – helping me grow and prepare for the next challenge ahead.
I will leave you with my favourite farewell song from my favourite musical.
Leave a comment