Here Ryan MacLeod, Contract Services Co-ordinator, explains a typical day.
7.00am – I am delighted I don’t have to race Louise, my wife for the bathroom, as she is working from home and can have a little longer in bed. It is then downstairs to make a much needed coffee and breakfast. Our team have a group chat set up to ensure we touch base daily and this starts with a message first thing. As I am carrying out building inspections I email the security team to let them know my arrival time and what keys I will require for the building I am working in that day. Quick catch up on events from the breakfast news and it’s a reminder of the situation we are all in. Just before I leave I give my kids a shout that it’s time to get up. My son Jamie (14) has been going running around our area first thing to keep his fitness up as he is missing his football. My daughter Callie (12), on the other hand, likes her sleep and is more difficult to get out of bed. This is left for Louise to deal with.
9.00am – Arrive at Security, collect keys and let them know what time I estimate to be in the building. Once I arrive at the building, I let the team know on our group chat that’s me here. This is important as I am lone working. It is strange being in an empty building and can be a little eerie. Carrying out the inspection of the building involves making sure all doors and windows are closed and locked, making sure there are no electrical appliances left on that don’t need to be, check the fire panels, water flushing, run lifts to make sure they are in working order and observe to see if there are any other concerns that need to be highlighted.
11.00am – Our team have been having conference calls on Microsoft Teams to have a general catch up and discuss work matters. When I am out doing the inspections I have been logging in from the building I am working in that day, it’s been good to find out how everyone is doing and coping with this situation we are in. As I am fairly new to this role it has been good to chat to colleagues on Microsoft Teams and get their help when working from the laptop in the house on certain issues that they can pass their experience on.
Lunch Time – I have been making use of the free lunch on offer, which I collect from one of the hubs across the estate. This has been a nice gesture in this time and has saved a trip to the shops or making something at home to bring in.
1.00pm – Back to carrying out the inspection of the building and let the team know that is me back in the building. I have also assisted in instances where staff members who are working from home and are having difficulty because their PC has turned off and I have been contacted by the building manager to assist with resetting this while I am in the building.
4.00pm – Finishing time and I fill in my building check list and pass on any issues that have arisen from the day to the Estates Helpdesk. I then head back to Infirmary Street and hand back the keys to security. It is time to head home and let the team know I am home and finished for the day.
5.00pm – It has been nice getting to sit down and have dinner each night with the Family, as in our usual routine, between me and my wife, we run Jamie and Callie to their hobbies straight after work. Evening times have been spent doing plenty of walking, finding new paths and roads that I didn’t know existed in our area. This has resulted in me finally giving in to my daughter and agreeing to get a dog, so the walking will continue after lockdown for us when our Labrador ‘Ollie’ joins the family.
What does your new nine-to-five look like? Share it with us at bulletin@ed.ac.uk