If there’s anything we can be certain about in 2020, it’s that nothing, at all, is certain. When we began working from home way back in March of this year, I don’t think any of us truly thought we’d still be at our kitchen table desks or bedroom offices this far into Q4. And yet here we are, working hard to bring the best possible results to our clients as Black Friday/Cyber Monday draws ever closer, working from home and completely separated as we do it.
But we’re not gloomy. We’re welcoming newbies to our team every month, with most of them starting their DMT journey whilst working from home during the lockdown, and many of them yet to meet their colleagues in person. Our company is expanding at an exponential rate, and we could not be more proud of the hard work being done across the board at DMT. And we’re doing what we can to stay positive whilst working from home – staying busy, and keeping the community spirit going! Read on to find out a little about what we’re all getting up to…
The Whole Team: Mugshot Mondays
Although we stay in day-to-day communication via our morning and evening Google Hangouts, we’ve transformed our Monday mornings into Mugshot Mondays in an attempt to continue face-to-face contact. No pyjamas or bed-heads in sight, we instead join the team via webcam for a catch-up and share our shout-outs, challenges and wins for the week just gone. Not only does the person with the most shout-outs win a special prize, but we also get to catch up with members of the team we don’t converse with on the regular. This gets the week off to a great start whilst working from home – it’s nice to feel like you’ve spoken to actual people in this weird climate!
Aimee B: That Scene From Ghost
Graphic Designer Aimee is living at home with her parents (and gorgeous doggos) at the moment. On what she wants to do differently compared to the last lockdown: “Probably not eat as many crisps. Maybe do a workout or two.” – This is a mood.
In terms of a new working from home hobby: “I might take up ceramics, because why not?” If only everyone had this drive going into quarantine!
Aimee C: Marie Kondo-ing Her Life
Our lovely head of content, A-to-the-C, is spending lockdown 2.0 in the city centre. “We also have 10,000 new housemates… the plants we’ve grown from Lockdown 1!” After becoming a bit of a hoarder, she wants to declutter her life, as well as spending some downtime building Hogwarts – “I got a load of Harry Potter LEGO for my birthday – no shame.”
Anna: Getting Ready For Christmas
Paid Social Executive Anna is another team member who’s made the move into a house during all of this! “Me and my partner were both WFH in a small flat during the first lockdown, so I think we moved into the new house just in time! I now have my own home office!”
One side effect of the lockdown means that Anna will be missing Christmas with her family in Greece this year, but she’s not letting it get her down: “I’ve lived in the UK for almost three years, but I spend every Christmas in Greece. This is going to be the first year I can decorate my house for Christmas – the tree, lights everywhere and Christmas songs on my record player all day long. I’m so excited about it!”
Ben: Still Moving In
Big Boss Ben, our director, is currently one of the few staff members still in-office, as he’s training yet another team of new starters. “I’ve only been in my new house a few months so I’ll be looking to spend evenings and weekends putting some finishing touches to it.”
Much like the rest of the team, Ben is pushing himself to stay active: “I did almost daily exercise in the last lockdown but would like to push myself to do even more this time around.” He’s clearly leading us well, as we all seem to be trying to keep as active as possible during this time!
Cam: Triathlon Training
Paid Social Manager Cam has two dogs to keep him company, which he lovingly describes as “better company than office staff”. In terms of lockdown accomplishments, he wants to simply survive Q4 “if that’s possible. I’m going to try and grab another book and use my time to read, because I’m usually addicted to Audible versions” (not a sponsorship deal). He’s also getting up at six or earlier to train for a triathlon in the cold, rainy mornings. We don’t envy you at all, Cam!
Joe: Redecorating The Flat
Content writer Joe is living just round the corner from our offices, so his commute hasn’t changed much. He’s been working for DMT since July: “I spent most of the first lockdown on furlough as I was working for a restaurant. Somehow I managed to get this job bang in the middle of it!”
In terms of keeping himself busy, Joe’s spending his weekends doing the mammoth task of painting his entire apartment: “I’ve lived here over a year and the walls are absolutely horrendous, so I can’t wait to make them look as beautiful as my hopes for this vaccine.”
Kirsty: Recreating The Queen’s Gambit
Head of Operations Kirsty has moved into her girlfriends’ parents’ house, “so it’s the four of us and the family dog… cosy!” Living in her flat for another lockdown meant no outdoor space, so the addition of a garden has been a welcome blessing.
In addition to learning how to play chess, Kirsty is investing some time into working on her football team’s social media profiles, and counteracting her good habits from the first lockdown by “eating more”. Truly the dream goal in a winter quarantine.
The Whole Team: Daily Catch-Ups (& Forfeits)
If you were ever in doubt that DMT was a one-of-a-kind place to work, wait until you hear about this.
We operate a strict “three strike” method to our morning and evening catch-ups (which occur every day at start and end of play). If anyone arrives past the first minute mark of our online meeting, they’re given a strike to their name. Earn three strikes and you’ve got a forfeit on your hands.
Before & After with our gorgeous gal Rhyse.
Past forfeits have included cracking eggs on heads, eating cold beans and completing the cinnamon challenge. It’s an office (well, working from home office) situation like no other, and we can confidently say it’s got our punctuality up (for the most part).
Lewis: Moving Out
Our most recent addition to the Paid Social team, Lewis, is waiting to move into his first flat with his girlfriend. Until then, he’s living with her and her parents – not the most ideal situation!
“I want to make the new flat feel like a home. I’m sure that with all the spare time, we’ll be able to get a decent amount of IKEA flat-packs built.” In terms of non-home-related accomplishments during lockdown: “I really want to take up more reading as I’ve got tonnes of books that until now have all gone unread. With an inability to meet anyone else, hopefully I’ll be able to pick up a few of them.”
Martyna: Staying Social
Web developer Martyna lives on her own, so lockdown’s been quite boring thus far! “I’ve managed to meet up with a friend in the park – two metres apart of course! But when I’m home I’m either reading, cooking or catching up with the family on the phone.”
As with most of us, this lockdown feels really different to Martyna: “During the first lockdown I was outside a lot, but now it’s colder and darker I plan to stay in and focus on work. There won’t be anywhere near as many distractions!”
Matt: New Gadgets
Matt, our Head of Paid and Dad Jokes, probably made the most divisive purchase in Lockdown 1 with an electric scooter. “I’ve been zipping through the city centre with no traffic/pedestrians to bother me.” He’s planning some new, interesting ‘hobbies’ for this next lockdown: “With the PS5 coming out shortly I’ll most likely be spending my free time on Assassin’s Creed. I’m also currently looking into buying a drone for some exciting aerial clips. Although an outdoor activity is probably not the best thing to do considering Manchester weather…” We still can’t wait to see what they look like!
Regan: Keeping Fit
Our “rice and chicken, chicken and rice” connoisseur and graphic designer Regan is focusing on keeping fit during this lockdown as well as spending time with family. “The football season’s been put on hold for the month, so it’s just about keeping my fitness up until it starts again!”
When he’s not running or cycling, he’s trying his best to do home workouts, which have apparently been relegated to the pitch black back garden.
Ruby: (Not) Learning a Language
Ruby, one of our content writers, lives in a sleepy village outside of Manchester, but is being kept company by her two friends who are furloughed. “I wanted to learn another language, but I tried that in the first lockdown and all I learned was how to say I’d like a pink wine – which is all I feel like I need to know, to be honest.”
She’s tried to see as much of her family as possible during this difficult time, nipping to her Nanny’s for biscuits and a brew, but what she really wants to accomplish is convincing her boyfriend to let them get a dog. It’s not going well, unfortunately.
Tim: Becoming DMT’s Very Own Bob Ross
Head of Design Tim kept his home office from Lockdown 1 set up, so it was an easy transition to move back into. “I’ve literally completed Netflix”, he says, “so I want to actively revisit some old hobbies like painting.”
When he’s not painting, you can guarantee he’s spending his evening sending 100% banter-free vegetable puns to the group chat.
Tom: Drinking Rum
We’re yet to hear Paid Advertising Exec. Tom talk about anything other than the gym, so it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on now they’re closed. “I’m sharing my house with two friends who are key workers, so I can blast tunes out at work while they’re gone.”
Tom also started working for DMT during the last lockdown as our business grew, so this time round he’s sure to be much busier. “I spent most of the last lockdown on my Xbox before I got the job here. When I’m not busy working on our Black Friday campaigns, I think the majority of my time will be spent doing pushups or drinking rum!”
The Whole Team: Quiz Night Friday
Yep, your least favourite thing about Lockdown 1 (Zoom quizzes) has actually become one of our favourites for the second one. We’re playing with Kahoot (not sponsored) which is way more fun than we’ve had on other quizzes. It’s also been a great way to hang out with each other after work, have a few drinks, and it helps that the winner gets a prize.
As you can see, in addition to being a bunch of busy bees this Black Friday, we’re keeping ourselves occupied throughout our working from home downtime. Stay tuned to see if Ben, Regan and Tom keep up their gym routines, what masterpiece Tim will paint and how much LEGO Aimee can build before she goes insane. We’re looking forward to the results.
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