EQ at home – Laura Hutt

At EQ, our people are at the heart of what we do.

Although working from home means we are physically spread across our regions, our team are working hard to maintain regular communication with their clients whilst continuing to support colleagues by connecting with them daily.

We caught up with Laura Hutt, our Marketing Manager to find out more about her experience working from home.

How are you finding working remotely?

As the fourth week (I think it’s the fourth week?!) draws to a close, it certainly feels more normal than it did at first. Thankfully, I was able to just pick up my things from the office and continue as I normally would, so it didn’t really impact how we do things in the marketing department. In fact, we are just as busy as ever as we aim to issue out guidance to clients and contacts as much as we can and support the Partners and Managers in these new circumstances.

Michelle, our Marketing Assistant and I work closely together so we are in constant contact and it still feels like I have her by my side, even if she is in her own house. However, I am missing my “pod pals” and rest of my colleagues a lot; we are a close-knit team so not seeing their smiling faces everyday has been the hardest part for me to get used to.

What are you doing to keep in touch with the rest of the EQ team?

Along with the usual emails and calls, we have been using Microsoft Teams on a regular basis. I’ve found it really useful to have virtual meetings with the Partners and other colleagues as you get to see everyone – and inside their homes which is always good for a nosy!

I would usually travel between offices so using technology to continue to keep in touch with people around the firm has been vital for me. We also started doing these questionnaires which has been good as you get to hear different perspectives and share advice throughout lockdown – and seeing everyone’s pets is a huge bonus 😊

Finally, we have weekly social chats across the Dundee office where groups of 5 people get together on a video call. These are great as you get to see and hear from different familiar faces each time and it breaks up your day too.

How are you looking after your emotional wellbeing?

I am thankful I have a good working environment at home and a garden to step out in to get some fresh air at lunch and in the evenings so that certainly helps.

Anyone that knows me will tell you I love coffee and I am a bit of a foodie so having a pot of good coffee during the day and something tasty for lunch works wonders for me. Our “pod” has a set coffee routine with a little treat for our 3pm coffee so I’ve been trying to stick to that as much as I can.

What advice would you give to others working from home?

Find a way of working from home that suits you and stick to it as much as you can. Also, when you switch off for the day, step away from that area and go do something else so you still have that balance between work and home life.

Finally, to be grateful and appreciate what you have. I try to be mindful of workers who are out in the front lines dealing with things way worse than having to stay in the house. I am glad my friends, family and colleagues are all safe and well and that I have an employer who is willing to support us working from home.

Tell us, what are your new co-workers like?

Quite noisy and very demanding!

I have a cat called Raz who doesn’t quite understand that working from home doesn’t mean I am here to give him pets constantly and he can’t meow the house down when he doesn’t get his own way! Thankfully, lunch time cuddles seem to appease him, for now.

He is very cute, and the cuddles do help me get through my day so I shouldn’t complain 😊

Our doors may be temporarily closed, but EQ are still here to support you. You can contact us on any of our usual telephone numbers and email addresses, which you can find on the Our People page of this website.