Like many organisations during COVID-19 our staff are working from their homes. Personal spaces are now our offices, places of rest and maybe where we get some exercise. So, how does it all work! We ask Chris Porter, one of the A&A Directors, ‘How are you managing?’
How has your home adapted during this pandemic? Pretty well I believe. Home schooling for secondary school aged children is far easier than for primary schoolers, as my two teenage daughters have just got on with it without needing any prompting. However, I do continually remind them, that “I am not running a hotel” which is what it feels like at times. Workwise, after a couple of weeks of working from home, I realised that I needed to upgrade the desk arrangement, so brought a height adjustable unit home from the office and ensured that ergonomically I would not be disadvantaged. It was a wise decision as I feel far more comfortable with the improved setup and the deeper desk has ensured that screens are an appropriate distance away.
Are you watching or reading anything? If so what is the best thing you have watched so far? Loved watching ‘The Capture’ and followed this up with ‘Patrick Melrose’. Just started on ‘Twins’. Reading has suffered a bit, as after reading reports or reviewing plans and schedules all day, the eyes and brain just want to have a rest from looking at fine print.
Have you discovered a new creative outlet? Sadly no. I haven’t even really experimented too much in the kitchen. Bit boring on that front. However, my daughter has been inspired to start replicating famous painters and thought I would make a great Van Gough.
Are you enjoying slowing down? Not sure that I have slowed down at all. There is still so much to fit into each day – dealing with the changing circumstances, planning for the future, making sure the overall A&A team is coping and assisting wherever possible. We have introduced new internal systems and reporting methods, all of which hopefully will be of great benefit post COVID whenever that may be. The past two months has thrown up many challenges, and a lot of those aren’t going to disappear in a hurry, so we need to be constantly thinking and discussing how best we address the situation to ensure our business continues to beat.
Are you staying connected to your community? Initially there was a fair amount of email traffic back and forth between my social groups and this dropped off. So, over the last few weeks, I have caught up with a mate on the weekends and we have walked the district knocking on friends doors and doing the ‘patio’ chat. Felt a bit like a missionary spreading the word, but it certainly was a great thing to do, both for us the walkers, and those we called in on.
How has your routine changed? The biggest change has been the reduction in after school running around. With no after school and weekend tennis or netball matches, lessons and practice to breakup the day and week, each day does tend to blend with the next. Also, for me, I was playing tennis three times a week, plus squash, so there has been a huge impact on my social outlets during this time.
What are you wearing everyday? Jeans, runners and upper half, dependent upon temperature. Today, it is a hoodie. Needed for the early morning walk, which is a ritual I have adopted to replace the time that previously would have been spent in the car driving into the office.
What are you most excited about when life returns to normal? Catching up with the family who reside interstate is going to be very important. And there are a lot of them, in Adelaide and Cairns. But until the 14 day quarantine period after travel between states end, then that is going to be difficult to make happen. Hitting a tennis ball is high on the priority list. On Sunday we had our first hit in about 2 months. The outcome – 4 players, 2 sets and 0 high fives.
