These are unprecedented times. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our work, family and social dynamics. With most of Europe locked down, restoring some kind of normality to our lives will take time.

In our new ‘Day in the Life of a Remote Worker’ series, we talk to some of our colleagues to learn about their new reality as remote workers – and how they are rising to the challenge in continuing to provide the very best service to our clients and candidates.

Tom Gowing, regional director, Fyte, let us take a peek into his (temporary) new home office. As Tom tell us, it’s “Time to lean, time to clean”…

How are you adapting to homeworking during the Coronavirus outbreak?
Tom: I’ve not worked much from home before so the novelty factor is still high. So far so good, ask me in another week!

What are the main obstacles and how are you getting round them?
Tom: The main challenge in my role is keeping engaged with my team. We are talking lots and will begin to do more video calls this week to keep everyone involved.

1. With the distraction of children, how do you remain focused and productive?
   Tom: I am old school, I make a list each morning  – calls, projects, people to call, and work through it. Last week I actually did everything on the list. That never happens!

What are you doing to communicate with your team and the wider organisation? 
Tom: We make sure we talk regularly, share ideas in groups on what is working well, and ask for help and solutions on what isn’t. We are very well supported by the business – everything is in place to help us keep working as normally as possible.

And how do you maintain effective interaction with clients and candidates?
Tom: An old boss of mine when I worked in a bar had a saying, “Time to lean, time to clean”. The same applies to us. We know levels of recruitment will drop in the coming weeks, but this is a great opportunity for us to get back in touch with our candidates. Many will need support right now, as will our clients albeit in other ways. This will mean that once we are back to work proper, we are well positioned to help them get back to where they want to be.

Do you have any advice for anyone working remotely?
Tom: I have found that if I dip in energy levels during the day, getting away from the desk or kitchen table really helps. If that can be outside, a few laps of the garden or a short run or walk (while we can), then all the better.

What are you enjoying most about working from home?
Tom: Not having to commute each day is saving two hours a day, which is amazing. I am also at home for dinner with my children and with the evenings getting longer get to go out and kick a ball about with them too. This is usually something I don’t get to do very often during the week.

Feel free to get in touch with Tom Gowing for all your recruitment needs or job search efforts.