My Return to Office Life

Socially distancing before it was cool: My return to office life

by Dave Flynn, Head of Digital, Data and Technology.

After almost 20 years in recruitment, you get used to change. New markets, new technologies, new ways of hiring and, of course, new jobs.

My latest chapter in my journey has been joining Meraki Talent, where I’m specialising in Digital, Data and Technology. Alongside the excitement of starting a new role, there has been another fairly significant adjustment: I’m back working in an office again after several years away.

I’ve joked that I was “socially distancing before it was cool.” For a long time, my working day involved a ten-minute dog walk followed by the shortest commute imaginable, going through through my own front door.

Now there are trains to catch, people to see and, apparently, a surprising number of things I need to remember to take with me.

A new role and a new routine

My career has given me the opportunity to experience recruitment from several different perspectives. I’ve worked for major recruitment businesses and also spent time in-house with AWS, giving me an understanding of both sides of the hiring relationship.

Now, at Meraki Talent, I’m bringing that experience to our Digital, Data and Technology offering, working with clients and candidates in a market that has changed enormously during my career and continues to do so.

But joining Meraki has also reminded me how much the way we work has changed.

Returning to an office environment has meant having to become a little more organised. For someone who can admittedly be quite scatty, this hasn't necessarily been seamless. So far, the list of things left behind has included an umbrella, charger, water bottle and mouse.

The solution? A dedicated work bag (helped considerably by some nicely branded Meraki merchandise) permanently stocked with the things I’m likely to forget. Problem solved. Mostly.

Rediscovering the office

There are things about office working that I'd forgotten I missed and the biggest has probably been the spontaneous conversations. The supposedly clichéd “water cooler chat” really does have a huge value.

It might be discussing something happening in the technology market, talking through a client challenge, getting another perspective on a candidate or simply having a conversation that wouldn't have justified scheduling a Teams call. You forget that those interactions happen naturally when you're sitting alongside people.

I've also found myself having more face-to-face meetings and collaborating more directly with colleagues. Conversations can feel more present. You pick up on people's energy and ideas, and sometimes a five-minute conversation can solve something that might otherwise have generated a chain of messages or emails.

There is a buzz that comes from being around other people who are busy, speaking to their people and getting things done. I've found myself feeding off that energy.

Finding the balance

That doesn't mean I've suddenly become an evangelist for one way of working because, in my experience, both office and home working have advantages and disadvantages. I've done enough of both to appreciate what each can offer, although my two dogs might have a fairly strong opinion about which arrangement they prefer.

What I'm beginning to appreciate is using each environment for what it does particularly well. Office days are great for conversations, calls, meetings, collaboration and contributing to the wider buzz of the team. Home working can be incredibly effective when you need uninterrupted time to concentrate on something that requires more focus.

But perhaps the biggest difference for me personally has been the clearer separation between work and home because when your home is also your workplace, the boundaries can become blurred. There isn't necessarily a moment when the working day clearly begins or ends.

Having a commute has unexpectedly helped create that distinction again.

I can switch on when I arrive and switch off when I leave. Of course, ideas will still pop into my head outside working hours, I'm not sure any of us completely controls that, but I've found that having greater separation actually helps me be more focused and productive during the working day.

And when the working day is finished, it feels more finished.

A new chapter at Meraki

Starting at Meraki has therefore been a change in more ways than one. I'm already enjoying bringing almost two decades of recruitment experience, including both agency and in-house perspectives to the Digital, Data and Technology market and reconnecting with people I've worked with throughout my career, while building plenty of new relationships along the way.

I'm also enjoying being part of a team again: bouncing ideas around, having spontaneous conversations and getting to know the people around me without having to put 30 minutes in someone's diary first.

There will always be debate about where and how we should work. Having experienced both sides, I don't think there's a universal answer. Different people, roles and tasks benefit from different environments.

For me, though, returning to an office has brought back something I hadn't realised I'd missed quite as much as I had: the energy of being around other people.

Now I just need to remember my umbrella, my charger, my water bottle.

And apparently, I need to wear something smarter than a hoody and shorts.

Get in touch

If you are in the Digital, Data and Technology space, either client and candidate, please email me on david.flynn@merakitalent.com or meet me on LinkedIn.