"Taking time to reflect" - Vicki Haslam
"Starting a new job in the middle of a global pandemic is far from ideal!"
Changing jobs brings with it worries and anxieties in its own right but throw in remote onboarding and it opens up a whole new range of concerns! The week before I started my manager emailed me a timetable of my first week, this detailed how I would collect my electronics kits and it enabled me to mentally process the types of meetings and conversations I could expect to have which alleviated any concerns I had about being integrated into the team (I am an organised person and like to know exactly when and how things are going to happen).
It has been a challenge at times as all meetings have been virtual, I have spent a lot of time listening (and making notes, lots of notes!). Taking time to reflect has been valuable in processing any information, I have found taking a half an hour walk at lunchtime has allowed me to do this effectively without distraction. Just taking time out in the middle of the day to breathe, get some air and step away from the screen helps me feel revitalised and ready for the rest of the day, this is something I plan to take forward whether that be home working or physically going into the office.
One thing I have struggled with as a new employee working from home is not hearing conversations in the office. I feel so much learning happens from awareness of your surroundings, everything from details of projects to discovering colleagues’ personalities. As great as technology is at keeping us connected there are some things that can’t be replaced but the team have been so welcoming and have made themselves available to answer my questions (my many, many questions!) or simply checking in on me to check I am ok. The virtual support from the team has been incredible and I can’t wait to meet them in person, which in its own right will again be a strange experience as I find out how tall people are (I know this may seem bizarre but it is something I have wondered since day one!).
The main thing I have learned from this process is not to give myself a hard time, it is ok to ask questions and taking time to step back and reflect allows me to absorb information better and that although the world is a very strange place right now…we are all in this together.
