Life as a new starter: remote edition

In the analytics industry, everyone I have had the opportunity to work with is so passionate about their role and always thrives on learning and sharing techniques. So when you're starting a new job at an analytics agency you know you'll have the opportunity to learn lots of new tricks and experiment with new types of datasets, which is very exciting.

Excitement is one of the two feelings you experience when starting a new job. Then comes the unknown, the nerves - What if I'm not what they expect? What if I don't click with the team? What if no one likes cats?

So what happens when you are about to start a new role - then a global pandemic hits, companies begin to review their outgoings, and some of your friends and family begin to get furloughed? Well, you start asking yourself a whole load of new questions which brings more anxiety and unknowns.

I joined Measurelab as a Senior Analytics Manager on 16th March, just as the lockdown began. The first few days saw everyone in the company adjusting to the 'new' environment, and I was eager to get to know everyone. There are a few practices that I experienced over the first three months that helped me settle into working remotely:

Trust

Every team member is so transparent and honest, which creates trust between one another. We were sent a report on how our revenue was progressing against forecast throughout the time of the pandemic. Aside from the results themselves, the transparency of the reporting gave me huge confidence. Communicating changes and honesty at a time like this shows that we are a team, all working towards the same goal. Transparency is a must.

Empathy

This is one of Measurelab's core values - everyone tries their hardest; no one knows everything. One of my fears about my role being client-facing is that I have to provide answers on the spot. The strength of the team working together to solve problems carefully eliminates this pressure, and I soon learnt from my peers that if you need time, take it. A rushed job will cause problems in the future. Making a mistake is absolutely fine if you're honest and you can communicate the resolution quickly.

Growth

As mentioned, our clients need us more than ever at the moment. Everyone's been working at nearly full capacity, and Measurelab has recruited numerous new members of staff since I joined. This is so exciting as we continue to solve even more problems for our clients, as well as bring in new skills and viewpoints of analytics that we can all learn. Our next push is everything data science and engineering where we have just recruited a new lead to push the company in the right direction (where we are currently hiring at the time of writing this!).

Knowledge

Everyone at Measurelab loves to learn - and we always are. We learn from each other every day by running ideas past each other, showing solutions to the group and tackling problems by putting our heads together. We love to share our learning in other blog posts too, where recently we have updated our GTM Solutions series. This is so important - don't stop learning, and always be surrounded by people cleverererer than you!

If I was to give any advice to someone joining a new company during this time - ask your new employer the following questions:

• How are you maintaining communication and trust within the team remotely?
• What are you doing to ensure everyone has the right level of support?
• How do you ensure that members of the team are always upskilling and learning from each other?

If you're thinking about moving to a new adventure during this time, and the companies core values align with your own, go for it.