EQ at home – Rachel Bell

Category: People - Posted On: Apr 6 2020


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 Rachel Bell, one of newly appointed Partners from our Dundee office, to find out more about her experience working from home.

How are you finding working remotely?

Since working from home, I’ve settled into it pretty quickly. Some things you have to do slightly differently from normal, but there’s always a way round it and you just have to try your best. Whilst I miss seeing everyone in person there are definitely some benefits including a much shorter commute and better lunches.

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

It’s not been difficult to keep in touch, and if anything, I think I’ve ended up speaking to some people more than normal. Between emails, messages, phone calls and video calls you all manage to keep in touch one way or another. There are plenty of team chats going on to make sure that everyone has settled in to their new ‘offices’ and are coping fine with new ways of working whilst getting the support they need.

To celebrate our promotions to Partner on Wednesday, Robert, Scott and I had some virtual drinks (bring your own bottle!) with some of the other Partners. Not the celebrations we had anticipated, but a nice way to mark the occasion.

How are you looking after your emotional well being?

I try to make the most of my daily outdoor exercise by getting out for a nice walk – which also helps our dog Buster’s well being too! There are lots of nice walks around here and its good take a break and get some fresh air.

I also think that making sure you do speak to other people is important. We have great team at EQ who have supported each other through many ups and downs over the years, and it’s good to know that there’s a whole team of people there if you want to share any problems or just want a chat. Everyone is in this together and probably feeling the same way.

What advice would you give to others working from home?

As you are living and working in the same place, I think it’s important to keep as much of a distinction between work life and home life as possible so that you can switch off at the end of the day. I’ve made sure that I have a separate working space so that when it gets to the end of the day I can shut down my laptop and enjoy some downtime.

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

They have done a brilliant job at taking over the tea and coffee rounds from my normal co-workers (who would be the first to tell you that I definitely don’t make my fair share, something I need to work on when we are back in the office).

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 on this website.