Where I Work: Kevin, an office design specialist working from home in lockdown

Each weekday we’re chatting to people about how their working lives have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, as part of our series, Where I Work.

We’re keen to see how people are getting stuff done when their homes become their offices.

Today we’re (virtually) hanging out with Kevin Wither, the Head of Landlord at Peldon Rose, a company that specialises in office design.

Since lockdown began, he’s been working from the home he shares with his wife and their two daughters, one aged six and the other 14 months old.

Hey, Kevin. How has coronavirus changed the way you work?

Coronavirus has definitely changed things. Both myself and my wife work full time from our respective workplaces, and neither of us normally work from home, so this has been a real change of pace!

It’s been tough, I’m not going to lie. Two kids, both continuing to try and work full time, both of us managing a team and balancing it all has been a challenge, but also a massively amazing experience.

Work in the past has meant I missed my first daughter’s first steps and a few other big life moments, but working from home has meant I have watched my second child take her first steps, cut seven of her nine teeth and also taught my eldest to ride her bike in an afternoon.

What’s a working day in lockdown like?

As a team leader of a growing business unit, communication and engagement are really key. I’m up nice and early, but a six-year-old likes to start the day just after 6am, so there’s not much choice!

I then shower and freshen up for the day (never accept the chance to ignore this – it sharpens your mind). It’s then onto breakfast with my wife and the kids, and then generally I’m on the first Zoom call of the day at 8.30am, which is for our HOD’s (Head of Department) and business leaders. The only exception being our company ‘all hands’ meeting on a Monday morning hosted by our CEO, which is a great way to start the week!

Most days, I am on calls with my team until about 10.30, and then it’s break time and play time with the little ones for 30 mins, generally, my turn for an hour to be the teacher, quick email check and then lunchtime with the family.

I’m usually hard back at work by 1.15pm, as the smallest one has a two hour nap every day at 1pm like clockwork. 1pm to 3pm is the golden period for me – the eldest knows this is dad’s ‘work work work’ time, and when I try and get a lot of my more private and business-related calls completed.

3pm every day is our family park run – 15-30mins walking around the park and then home to crack on. Dinner time for the kids is just after 4pm but my wife finishes at 4pm, so she generally covers this whilst I complete the work day which finishes at 5.30pm.

By the time that’s all said and done, kids asleep etc, we are down ourselves and ready to go again the following day!

Starting the day with our ‘all hands’ team meeting on a Monday leads nicely to finishing the week slightly earlier at 4.30pm on a Friday, that’s when our virtual beers start! I would heavily recommend this to everyone out there, just to keep morale high within teams, and to enable people to interact on a more social level and of course have some fun! Next week one of my team is hosting a cookalong during this session – I’m really looking forward to it.

Talk us through your working space at home

I luckily have two designated areas. My wife and I operate from our re-purposed dining room table, which I am lucky enough to have furnished with additional screens and adequate space.

When I need some privacy, I will often move to my daughters’ play room (complete with small desk and chalk board paint on the wall) and carry out the quiet work I need to complete.

What are your personal rules for working from home? How do you stay focused?

Steady schedules and constant routines are essential. A lot out there will agree, but it’s a little like when you have children – without routines and managing the small sections of the day, full blown chaos ensues and no work can ever get done.

Also, it’s important to respect all the people in the household, I might have to make a call that is essential to the business, but my little ones might be on free play and then I often am the one to leave the room for privacy, so they can continue to be themselves and ‘relax’.

How are you doing mentally in lockdown?

I am in a good place, I have my family around me, access to my extended family via several channels of communication and good constant contact with my team and colleagues.

Would I say I am 100%? No, I don’t think many would be able to say that at the moment, but it’s about making the best of a bad situation and my opinion is there are still millions of people out there who are in worse places than me, and I am therefore very, very lucky.

What advice do you have for people new to working from home?

Try and give yourself the space you need to thrive and be yourself, don’t forget to stand up and walk around and don’t forget the power of clear communication to the people around you. There may be points where others in your home might not understand what you are working with and the constraints and deadlines under which you are doing it.

Are you working from home in lockdown? Fancy sharing your working space with us? To get involved in Where I Work, email Ellen.Scott@Metro.co.uk.

Share your views in the comments section below.