Launching during lockdown
Being a new starter in a company is always exciting, nerve-racking and challenging. Especially when it is your first job after university! This is the position I found myself in 1 week before the shock COVID lockdown. This made my new start all the more interesting.
I was lucky enough to meet all my Cuttsy+Cuttsy colleagues face to face before we all went virtual, so I knew that the company culture was what I was looking for fresh out of university: values driven, hard-working, fun and people focused.
That first week was a whirlwind of experiences and I could already tell I was going to enjoy the role. You can imagine my surprise when the work from home order was announced by the government, cutting down my 50-minute commute to 30 seconds! Being brand new to the team and just at the start of establishing relationships, I was somewhat apprehensive about working from home at first. That quickly dissolved within the first few days as the internal communication and the creation of new company initiatives made my “home office” feel more connected than ever.
The coffee room in an office is always a social hub and a place where I thought would be a good start to begin to socialise with everyone. Working from home with the rest of my family did not have the same social atmosphere as a new office environment. Naturally, I was worried I would miss out on this aspect but with our amazing 21st century technology, virtual coffee breaks were set up. This provided a short daily opportunity to catch up with not just my immediate colleagues but the wider company. This has meant a lot to me and I feel I have got to know everyone well despite being virtual.
Cuttsy+Cuttsy also has a keen running ethos, one which I was luckily enough to participate in, during my short stay in the office. It seemed silly for this company ethos not to live on, so a Strava group was set up encompassing everything from leisurely afternoon walks/cycles to some intense runs! This has been great for me and my running continues to improve.
In this strange environment I am very fortunate to be part of a work community with interesting and engaging people, albeit virtually for the moment. I look forward to the day that the Friday afternoon drinks will be held in an actual pub and the company is brought together again!
George Allen
