Powered by IPT for Teams and my sense of adventure, I decided to take my creative talents to a Dublin city centre hotel. I needed a change in environment to rejuvenate my creative juices.
IP Telecom is an advocate for remote/flexible working. As a marketer, it is an invaluable option for my work lifestyle. I'm naturally self-motivated, and I tend to be more productive and creative when I'm not restricted to my office environment. With my collaborative tools in hand and the luxury of relative isolation, I was excited about my social experiment of working in a hotel. I stumbled upon my location while walking back from a marketing event, and I earmarked it as an alternative to working from home.
One of the dangers of working from home is developing cabin fever: most people don't want to work where they live; in my case, where I sleep. The appeal of the social interaction with my colleagues and daily inspirations from my work environment sometimes beats the isolation and boredom of my makeshift home office.
In my selected location, I found a hybrid of both: a hotel that has a designated office space. The layout of the hotel and the services offered made it an ideal place for a creative like me. There was enough social interaction to keep me from getting lost in my solitude and a quiet space to focus on my work. As a writer, I value privacy; as a marketer, I draw inspiration from nature, architecture and observing human interactions.
The awe-inspiring decor of the hotel lobby
The hotel on Bow Lane, off the busy Grafton Street, was quickly filled with foreign residents looking to check-in, and locals, like me, looking for a spot to get their morning caffeine fix and kick off their pre-work ritual.
The mid-20th-century furniture was complemented by the industrial-themed ceilings and pillars, that created a smart and individual ambience that is common in modern, chic spaces in major European cities. As I manoeuvred past the sculpture tree in the lobby, I stopped by the horsebox coffee station for my cappuccino. Tempted to sit on the Vespa seats, I resisted and made my way to the designated workspace to commence my day.
It was work as usual. I did my best to replicate my workspace; with my laptop docked in my provided workspace, and The Best of Phil Collins playing, I was ready to start my day.
How my day went
8:00 am: An early starter, I logged in to my Slack app, and my Microsoft Teams platform, I was ready to connect to my work world. I Read through the internal communications for the day - no major news - so I dived into my to-do list. As flexible as I am, when it comes to taking on new tasks, having a structure to my day gives me an anchor to focus on and an urgency to complete set tasks.
9:00 am: The rest of the working world had caught up with me, mid-scrolling through emails I got a call through my IPT for Teams app from one of my directors about a project. He had sent me a revised version of a document for me to review, back to work so.
Although I was away from my desktop, the find me, follow me feature on our phone system meant the call kicked to my mobile app. The app is pre-programmed and tailored to my requirements. It means that after a few seconds, my calls are forwarded to my chosen devices, then switches like musical chairs until its picked. The caller doesn't get interrupted by hold music, and I can pick the call up anywhere.
Your phone system in your pocket with Find Me, Follow Me
"Are you at your desk?" he asked. "No", I replied. He wanted me to review the doc together and suggested a screen share to fix the tweaks. I returned to my space, switched my laptop open while still on the call; in my Microsoft Teams environment, we collaborated on reviewing the document. We got a finalised version together in minutes.
Noon: Another screen sharing session with our Business Development Manager, Chris, to run through the plan for a scheduled conference call with one of our partners at 3:30 pm.
Lunch: By chance, I got to network with two IT professionals, visiting their new European HQ in Dublin post-Brexit. We talked about all things cloud technology, and I got the opportunity to show-off our unified communications platform, and all our product suite. It was an impromptu demo session, and they were well impressed. You don't know who you might meet in a working space in a Dublin city hotel!
3:30 pm: Dialled-in to a meeting being held in the IP Telecom boardroom in Parkwest, conferencing a partner in the UK. From my Teams platform, I could conference in using my IPT for Teams integration while simultaneously sharing my screen with the meeting participants.
Collaborate better with IPT for Teams
4:30 pm: I was ready to check out from a thoroughly productive day. It was a much-needed change of scenery which helped re-ignite my creative spark.
We are all on the pursuit of a perfect work/life balance; you can attain it by creating a conducive environment that improves your productivity.
The key is discipline and having the right tools to enable your remote working lifestyle. Trust is a significant issue with businesses adopting the remote working culture; the best way to repay trust is by maintaining a high level of productivity. Here are some tips to maintaining productivity while working from home, or like me, a designated location.
- Make sure you have the business tools and tech to power your remote work lifestyle. To stay connected while working remotely, you need to have collaboration tools and technology to keep you in touch with your colleagues. With IPT for Teams, you are reachable with a short-extension dial, and you can make outbound calls to clients from your desktop or mobile using your work number.
- Keep your daily routine: If it is not broke, don't fix it! Flexibility in work location should be complemented with a strict workflow. Take the same breaks, and work your regular work hours
- Plan your days out: Make a to-do list of work tasks then figure out how to ration out your day to complete them. This keeps you from veering off tasks when distractions inevitably present themselves.
- Minimise online distractions: Like in work, avoid the rabbit hole of social media. As a marketer, I have to glance through our social channels during the day, but I confine myself to our marketing page during work hours.
As remote working becomes a business necessity, it is beneficial to switch your location up to keep your productivity levels up and prevent boredom. Spaces like the hotel I worked in have seen an opportunity to fill the demands of a flexible work lifestyle, by providing a workspace that gives professionals a chance to explore the city.
Dublin is becoming the digital hub of Europe, working in a co-working space allows you to network with business travellers from all over the world. Who knows, you could meet a potential business to partner with or your next big customer.