Remote Working - A Success Story

14 May 2020

We are currently experiencing an unprecedented health crisis in Covid-19. The situation is changing by the day, but the majority of us, particularly in the marketing and creative sector are now working from home.

 

This is an obvious challenge for many businesses and you may also be reluctant to recruit new members of your team. But even before this crisis, remote working has not been an alien concept. We spoke to one of our candidates, David, who has worked remotely for the majority of his career, for many high profile companies and it has been a real success for both him and his clients. 

 

Tell us a little bit about your career history, what you do and why it's been necessary for you to work remotely?

 

I began in digital marketing writing blogs and creating websites, back when they were made out of tables! I soon decided it would be better to specialise in a field and my love of graphic design, content creation and analytical mind meant email marketing was the ideal choice in the field. 

 

For the past decade I've created emails, managed accounts, automation, data, segmentation, technical aspects such as sending reputations and certificates and overall email marketing strategy.

 

It's been necessary for me to always work remotely during this time as I suffer with epilepsy, meaning I have no driver's license and travelling alone on a regular basis is not entirely safe.

 

Who have you worked for in the past and what projects or clients have you particularly enjoyed working on?

 

I've been proud to work for a number of clients both locally and nationally, including many charities. During my time as a freelancer I've secured remote contracts working with:

Financial Times
Sony Entertainment Europe during the PS4 console launch
Arsenal FC
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

 

The Sony launch was a particularly proud moment to be involved in as it was a global rollout. Being a dog lover Battersea was a particular favourite; I have helped them on two occasions now, handling month-to-month fundraising journey emails, planning out complete automation and most recently helping them migrate to a new Email Service Provider.

 

How has the recruitment process worked for you, what have you had to do in order to interview successfully and ensure your skills and ability are showcased to employers?

 

Thankfully the above have helped me in terms of gaining a wealth of experience using different sending platforms and programs and the recognisable brands help to make a positive initial impression. This has been important when requesting remote working, as until now this can still be a unique proposition.  

 

Whenever a client has accepted I have always ensured the process be as seamless as possible - this centers around video conferencing, as well as regular communication over platforms such as Slack and the traditional mediums of email and telephone. 

 

I stress this as much as possible in interviews and I also highlight the positives of remote working, for example fewer workplace distractions and the ability to focus on the tasks provided, not be sidetracked with other requests.

 

Practically, what advice do you have to make remote working work? 

 

Make a structure! Simple things like your commute, start time, end time etc. are all automatic structures in your day that remote working can strip away. It's important to create a new structure. Take regular breaks or you can be at your desk for hours! Music is great, but keep away from Netflix! If you're able to then plan regular time with colleagues then aim for video chat - seeing a face is a hundred times more positive than black and white text.

 

Humour aside, my priority is always the client. Whether large or small, I treat all contracts as if they were my business and strive for the best results possible, and this includes a focused workday. 

 

What message would you have for businesses who are struggling to adapt to remote working and still fear it? 

 

Trust your employees. Remote working can mean everything to those who request it and they won't abuse the trust. I often find they'll work harder to reward your trust. Some people work better later, some earlier. The flexibility allows for people to perform for you at their best times. 

 

Once this crisis is over, which hopefully won't be too far away, how do you think people might view remote working differently? 

 

We are going through truly terrible times. Remote working has been forced on many but people are quickly adapting with video conferencing and the tools mentioned above. Safety is paramount and remote working has been key to that and allowing business to continue where possible. The proceeding weeks and months where colleagues are at home may be key to companies surviving - the work done remotely will be at the heart of this. There's no greater proof than that of its effectiveness.

 

Thank you so much for talking to us David. Find out more about David and his email marketing services and strategy.

 

_

 

If you're a business that needs help in recruiting during this unusual period, speak to us today.