Karl Saade, Client Assistant
It has already been eight months since the first lockdown, and I had started getting used to the “new normal”. Sleeping a bit longer in the mornings instead of my commute, going to the park more regularly, and meeting friends at the pub (until 10pm). However, a second lockdown has now been imposed and as many people, I have decided to leave the UK to spend a bit more time with my family back in Dubai. Although I haven’t been here for long, I’m enjoying the sun and warm weather. Due to the time difference I also find that my mornings are quite empty (I start working at 12:30 local time) and I am therefore taking on new hobbies such as jogging and cycling. It has been great to see my parents, as the pandemic has kept us separated for the best part of this year. Though the best part has to be the food!!
On another note, my working from home skills have improved. Although being hard to get to grips with at first, I have learned to adapt and now, with the addition of my second screen, mouse and keyboard, I am starting to master the art of working away from the office. One challenge for me has been knowing when to log off as I feel the need to always be available for my team and clients. I do believe that this situation is temporary and hope that working from the office will become the norm again for most of us. That said, the typical five days a week in the office will probably not happen anytime soon.
Finally, I am enjoying streaming content much more after work, and the choices of content has now become (almost) endless. In addition to my Netflix subscription I have added Prime, Disney+ and HBO to get me through the weeknights at home. I am currently watching The Office for the 20th time.
Overall, working remotely has been full of ups and downs during these past eight months but I can’t wait to come back to the UK and to the office again!