Amanda Papworth
April 23, 2020
Amanda Papworth, Office Manager at Arcus Global
The alarm goes off on the Monday morning of another working week, and this new routine is slowly starting to settle in. I ask myself the first question of the day: do I have any video conferences or meetings ahead? If the answer is no, then casual wear it is. As much as I enjoy looking like something out of 1973 Eurovision every time I don my new headset, not having to decide on a work-appropriate outfit every morning is both time saving and liberating.
The usual 45-minute battle with the A14 has been replaced with a quick skip down the stairs, with the only decision on my hands now being whether to put the overflowing laundry basket on to wash before I check my emails. The small household jobs are much harder to ignore when your new dining room office is scattered with those tupperware boxes of old stationery you’ve been meaning to sort out since 2006. In the end, this results in both a clean work space, and work that gets completed.
A reliable cup of coffee kicks the day off to a flying start until I realise that I’m the only person in the world not doing PE with Joe Wicks at 9am – the holy grail of parents and the childless alike during the countrywide lockdown. It’s enough of a workout for me grappling with oversized screens, working my way through mile long spreadsheets and making physically challenging alterations to everything, to ensure I pass my DSE assessment for home working.
The usual hustle and bustle around the work cafe at lunchtime is replaced by a quick sandwich and twenty minutes of fresh air. Having your time outside regulated is another huge eye opener as to what we take for granted in everyday life. The flexibility of Arcus lunchtimes will be welcomed back with open arms when normality eventually resumes. Thankfully, the potential isolation stemming from lone working has been brilliantly counter acted by the Arcus community online. Who knew a couple of pints (for me, water) at the Directors Head Inn, at the end of a busy day, could help to bring a sense of ordinary to a very extraordinary situation. To clarify, the Directors Head Inn is our new virtual pub. Video conferencing tools and cloud-based technology can not only aid remote working, but it has brought back a sense of community to employees that aren’t used to being cut off from each other.
After another long commute from the dining room to the kitchen to start making a third night of tinned borlotti beans on toast, I find myself very grateful for not only the company I work for, but also the hard working, compassionate colleagues I work with and the tools that we’re able to use to do our jobs. Working from home is a brand-new experience for me, as it is for so many. But, with a winning combination of 14- second commute times, Google Hangout check in calls, Eurovision-themed meetings and the usual Arcus spirit, our first stint of working from home has set a solid foundation for us, however long this experience may last.
About Arcus Global
Arcus Global, formed in 2009 and based in Cambridge UK, is a market leading GovTech cloud company, delivering mission critical technology solutions that enable local authorities and other public sector organisations to transform their service delivery to citizens.
The Software as a Service division of Arcus has developed a platform based suite of Applications for Local Government. Addressing the challenge of legacy technology in Citizen Digital interaction, Planning, Building Control, Licensing, Environmental Health. Arcus has grown to over 30 customers including Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Eastleigh Borough Council and the London Borough of Southwark.
The Cloud Infrastructure Division of Arcus provides Consultancy, Managed Services and Cloud Storage to a large number of Public Sector bodies across Central Government, Local Government, the NHS and the Education sector.
Contact
Kate Warboys, Marketing Manager at Arcus Global
