A day in the life of...
Ever wondered what other roles at Bauer involve? Ever considered how your ‘normal’ matches up to your colleagues' normal? In our "A Day in the Life of" series, we uncover what a typical day looks like for people in a variety of roles across our Business Areas and markets.
In this edition of "A Day in the Life of", we're excited to introduce you to Publishing Assistant Elisha Thomas, who is based in the UK. Thanks for sharing your day with us, Elisha!
...Elisha Thomas
I start every day with a cup of tea…
...I’m up at 6.45am – even on the days I work from home - and most mornings I get out for a walk after my cuppa. I live on the edge of a forest, just 5 minutes away from a canal, so I feel very lucky to have scenic spots on my doorstep. I get back home around 7.30am and feed our cat, Loki. By 8.00am I’ve showered, turned the radio on (Magic or KISS) and am doing my skincare and make-up routine before work.
I take the train to work if I’m heading to the office…
…It’s a 10-minute walk, then a 30-minute train ride to Euston Station. From there it’s a walk to the Camden office (or bus if I’ve been delayed or it’s raining). All up it takes about 1hour 15 minutes.
I tend to eat breakfast el-desko…
…In the office I’ll have breakfast at work, but at home I tend to have breakfast at my desk while looking at emails and diaries.
If I had to explain my role to a 10-year-old I’d say…
…I make sure my senior leaders working days are as seamless and organised as possible. Basically, I’m a professional juggler!
I work closest with Jo Bourne (my manager) and Group MDs Liz Watkinson and Helen Morris.
I keep a very organised inbox and calendar…
…I’m online by 8.30am, scanning emails for anything urgent to deal with and flagging all other emails to come back to after I’ve checked the Group MDs’ diaries to see if any changes have come in since the night before. I schedule blocks of time or ‘focus time’ in my diary to get other work done, so that I am always focused on the task at hand.
I love the diversity of my role…
…no week is ever the same!
I’m good under pressure…
…It’s a struggle sometimes when it feels there are not enough hours in the day and you’re up against multiple deadlines – but they are usually the most rewarding days too.
A lot of people don’t understand what a juggle my role can be…
...I do a lot of work behind the scenes! Managing busy diaries is more complicated than it sounds, it’s a bit like a difficult jigsaw puzzle trying to piece everything together – but it’s very satisfying when it all comes together!
I’m really proud to have been involved in the record fast operation to get our people working from home when Covid hit…
…I worked with IT and Facilities teams to get people home with their equipment before lockdown. Normally a project of that scale would have taken months of planning and trialling, but we managed to achieve it within a matter of days.
I need to be pretty flexible to my approach to work…
...My schedule varies from week to week – some days I won’t have any meetings and others I can be on calls for most of the day. 9.00am is usually reserved for a catch up with my manager; we have a chat and then discuss any urgent work or meetings to set up. Then I work on urgent tasks/deadlines once meetings have been arranged. I constantly check emails throughout the day and have to ensure I am available and flexible with my work to deal with urgent requests or calls at any given time. Project work or reports are scheduled for the afternoon, I am normally too busy to get to them in the morning.
I tend to prepare my own food for lunch…
...Lunch is around 12.30pm – 13.00pm, depending on workload, and usually involves leftovers from dinner the night before (spaghetti Bolognese always tastes nicer the next day!), or a homemade salad or sandwich.
Occasionally I will treat myself to a bought lunch though…
…and when I do it’s usually a Katsu Chicken Poke bowl from M&S which is LUSH.
I try to avoid screens at lunchtime…
…If I’m in the office, I’ll eat at my desk - but I will choose to chat with others or read a book or magazine. If I’m working from home I’ll eat anywhere that isn’t my desk! It’s important to have a screen break and have time away from the computer.
I’m a list writer…
...I finish work between 5.00pm – 6.00pm. I like to finish all my tasks for that day and then write a list of things to action the next day. My to-do list never ends! 😊
When work is finished for the day, I head to the kitchen…
...I do most of the cooking in our house because I really enjoy it, I love trying new recipes. And on a Friday – I pour myself gin and tonic!
I’ve recently picked up watercolour painting…
...which is my new favourite way to unwind. I also like to put the radio or a podcast on while doing a jigsaw puzzle.
I’m usually in bed by 10.00pm…
...but I’ll normally read or watch something on Netflix before going to sleep.