When my friends and family ask me what exactly I do every day, my usual response is that no two days are the same. Whilst the cliché of this is not lost on me, after a year and a half of working at 90TEN it still rings true. Although this is representative of the industry we work within, it’s not very helpful for people considering a career in a healthcare communications. For me, coming straight from university with a biomedical background, I had no an idea of what a ‘normal’ day in agency would look like. So when asked what life is like for a Senior Account Executive at 90TEN, I decided to pick a day at random to illustrate the variety of things I can get up to:
8:45am – Logged on, checked e-mails and opened Zoom to say good morning to my teammates. Since working from home, we’ve been using instant messenger on our accounts and it’s a really nice way to keep in touch throughout the day. (It doesn’t quite replace the usual morning chat you’d get in the office kitchen but it’s the next best option).
9:00am – Joined a client call to receive a brief on boosting vaccine confidence through social media. Then drafted a LinkedIn post for a vaccines thought leadership campaign.
9:45am – Reviewed a media monitoring report for a HIV client. We share these reports daily, highlighting any relevant news within the wider HIV space. There’s been lots of coverage around ‘It’s A Sin’ recently – a powerful Channel 4 drama focusing on the HIV epidemic in the 1980s.
10:00am – Short-listed potential members of a steering group (doctors, nurses and patient representatives) for a new patient advocacy campaign that we’re developing.
11:45am – Took an extended lunch break to get a proper coffee and walk around Tooting Common. We’ve all been encouraged to work flexibly during the pandemic – I’ve found breaks of fresh air really helpful whilst working from home.
2:00pm – Led an internal catch-up with my Vaccines team. In these weekly meetings we run through our actions list, updating on our individual projects and divvying-up any new actions for the week.
3:00pm – Created a storyboard for a social media video – part of a national antibiotic resistance (AMR) campaign we’re rolling out.
4:00pm – Video-called one of my team mates for a coffee break (back in the office, this is usually the time when I’d drag someone to the sofas for a screen-break)
5:30pm – Updated my to-do list for the next day before logging off, watched some quality TV (I’d recommend Drag Race UK for sheer fun and escapism).
Fresh air is even more important now we’re working from home
One thing I’ve learned in the past 18 months is that no matter how perfectly organised your morning to-do list might be, there will always be an urgent client request or breaking news story (or three) that can change your entire day. PR requires fast-paced, agile working and continuous shuffling of priorities – making it a demanding yet dynamic industry to work in. At 90TEN, I’m lucky to work with great teammates who are supportive, collaborative and truly care about each other. This team spirit and culture has been a constant throughout the pandemic, which makes me so excited for us to return to the office when we can. Until then, all that is guaranteed is several more Zoom calls, coffees and wine time with people I now call friends – even if I haven’t yet met some of them in the flesh.
iwouldlovetowork@90ten.co.uk or view our current vacancies here.
Amelia, Senior Account Executive:
It has taken me a while to settle into a working from home routine, but almost a year in and I’ve finally found my groove. My day starts with a workout and a shower. My favourite thing about working remotely has to be having more time to move my body. Gone are the days when a morning workout would mean a 6am start and a trek to the gym in the dark. Making time to exercise, whether it’s a run around my neighbourhood or a workout video on YouTube, sets me up for the day and leaves me in a positive frame of mind.
My working day tends to start at 8:30am. 90TEN operates under a flexible working policy, so if you work better in the morning, you can log on earlier and finish a little earlier too. After boiling the kettle, I spend some time catching up on emails, chatting to my teams and refamiliarizing myself with my to-do list.
I tend to spend the morning on calls and progressing the projects I’m leading on; whether it’s liaising with the media to launch a disease awareness campaign, interviewing a patient with an ultra-rare disease to help them tell their story, or brainstorming ideas for a creative brief we’ve received. What excites me the most about logging on each morning is the sheer breadth and variety of projects that I work on. From oncology, to diabetes, to neuroscience, I have had a crash-course in so many different therapy areas. My background is in consumer PR, so initially the switch to healthcare seemed a little daunting, but I’m pleased I took the leap. I have learnt so much from my team members, and I’m sure there are things they have learnt from me too.
Lunch is either marked by a walk in the local park, or a catch up with some colleagues over Zoom. Some of my favourite lunch breaks are spent unpicking a good book with a cup of tea and my fellow 90TEN ‘brainfood’ book club members.
90TEN’s ‘brainfood’ book club was set up to boost wellbeing and encourage open conversations
I return feeling refreshed and ready for the afternoon, which I might spend researching clinical trial data for a new potentially life-saving product, or reviewing a podcast episode on terminal illness that we’ve recorded.
As I wrap up each day and close my laptop for the evening, I feel confident that I’ve learnt something new, and contributed towards improving health outcomes to make a positive difference to people’s lives.
iwouldlovetowork@90ten.co.uk or view our current vacancies here.
Caitlin, Account Manager:
Starting a new role can always feel daunting, especially when you are a completely virtual starter like me. Unlike most first days on the job where you start to get a feel for the place, my surroundings have stayed very much the same as they have been for the last year.
By the time I started in October working from home had become the new normal and I wasn’t sure how joining a new company remotely would feel. Luckily for me I wasn’t the only newbie so I got to speak to a lot of people who were going through the same experience.
Four months on from my first company Zoom I feel part of the team, although I haven’t met my colleagues in person it doesn’t feel like that. I’ve attended virtual baby showers, after work drinks and our Christmas party. One thing that struck me when joining 90TEN was how important employee wellbeing is to the company. A lot of effort goes into implementing policies to make sure everyone takes time away from laptops and Zooms, and there are also lots of friendly check ins just to catch up on how you are.
Team building is really important at 90TEN. I have made dinner with my teams, played online games, and yes, obviously there have been quizzes…It all comes in handy when you have busy periods and multiple client deadlines, it’s good to know you have a supportive team behind you.
From a work perspective my day looks different from day to day depending on the needs of clients and that’s part of the reason I enjoy it. Some days I have my head down in communications strategy planning and other days I am working on immediate press requests.
I’ve also had the opportunity to branch into other areas of the business, part of the reason I joined 90TEN was because of their Feel-Think-Do model that drives behaviour change to address barriers in communication. I’ve had the chance to work with the medical education team to understand how to go beyond engagement and inspire positive change. Working with people who have different backgrounds and skill sets has led to the creation of projects that I am really proud of and I’m excited to deliver the results.
As we start to emerge out of a very long winter I look forward to seeing the what this year holds in store, hopefully it includes some drinks with my teams in Battersea. My advice to anyone looking to move roles while remote working, be confident and think positively, there are many good opportunities out there.
iwouldlovetowork@90ten.co.uk or view our current vacancies here.
Helena, Senior Account Manager:
I have never had a ‘normal’ day at 90TEN. My first day was the 23rd of March 2020, which was also the official start of the UK’s first lockdown. During the week before I knew that most of the company was already working from home, but I had been scheduled to go into the office to collect my laptop and meet my line manager. Instead, the laptop was now being couriered to me, and I wasn’t going to meet my colleagues in-person for what has turned out to be a very long time. I had never worked from home before, not even for a single day, and honestly, our job is so collaborative and team-based that I wasn’t sure it would be possible to do remotely.
But, nearly a year later, it doesn’t feel like I’ve never been in the office with everyone ‘properly’. 90TEN rose to the challenge of integrating me as one of the first entirely virtual new joiners seamlessly, and my calendar for my first couple of weeks was filled with whole-company quizzes, meet and greets with people outside of my immediate teams, and regular check-ins from my line manager and HR. One thing that has really surprised me is that, even without meeting anyone or ever being in the office environment, I have really felt the positive, democratic and supportive culture of 90TEN, and have felt completely included.
On the account work side of things, I won’t pretend I love working from home, because I don’t. Some of the things that make me love what I do the most just cannot be replicated virtually. I love being surrounded by the constant buzz of ideas being bounced off each other in the office all day, spontaneous debates about big topics in healthcare triggered by an article someone spotted while media monitoring, and just going for a team pint after a particularly intense day. But, I have still worked on some of the most exciting and inspiring projects of my career while working from home, and I am so proud of the standard to which we have delivered them.
The 90TEN team show off their impeccable veggie lasagne
An added bonus is that even with all of our interactions being over zoom I still feel really close to my teams. This week, we did a virtual cook-along, and as someone whose idea of cooking is putting a fishcake in the oven and boiling some broccoli, I managed to make a perfectly edible veggie lasagne – a bit crunchy round the edges but you should have seen my perfectly smooth white sauce, I think I’ve found my true calling.
So, for anyone considering a mid-pandemic career move, I know it might feel terrifying and risky, but I promise you it can be worth it.
Zoom, to weekly team huddles and our legendary Friday quiz, our meetings have moved entirely online with video conferencing.
Whilst we might have initially struggled to get to grips with juggling conference calls, childcare and inevitable technical mishaps, we are now getting into our stride. Have a read of our top ten video conferencing dos and don’ts and you’ll be a self-professed whiz in no time.
What’s working for us:
DO keep your camera on (if your Wi-Fi allows it)
Being camera ready 24/7 whilst working from home can sound a bit daunting, but being able to read visual cues and body language leads to clearer and more effective communication. You can always hide your camera view if you don’t feel like staring at your own reflection!
DON’T ignore lighting
If possible, make use of natural light by sitting near a window. Alternatively, use overhead lights or lamps to ensure your face is well lit.
DO use the mute function
It’s best to stay on mute when on a busy call to keep background noise to a minimum. Top tip: if using Zoom, press and hold the space bar to temporarily unmute and let the host know that you’re still listening.
DON’T forget to take timing into consideration
When scheduling video conference calls, build in some additional time to get set up and tackle any technical difficulties. Join the call a few minutes early to make sure your audio and camera are working correctly.
DO get your hands on a headset
They might look a bit awkward, but using a headset for video conferencing improves audio quality and leaves hands free for note taking or tea drinking.
DON’T multitask
Whilst it might be tempting to catch up on emails or check your phone, try to stay focused on the task at hand. Eliminate distractions, maintain eye contact and concentrate on the individual speaking, just like you would in a face-to-face meeting.
DO take the time to mention any limitations up front
Taking a few minutes to acknowledge any potential bumps and hurdles before getting started can help to reduce the (often self-imposed) pressure for everything to run perfectly. For example, if you’ve got the kids in tow, you might have the reasonable expectation of an interruption or two.
DON’T forget to take breaks
If your meeting is scheduled to last for a few hours, try to split the call into smaller meetings, or build in chunky breaks away from the screen.
DO make roles and responsibilities even clearer than normal and up the pre-work
For longer meetings or workshops, try scheduling additional short calls prior to the meeting to share any pre-work and agree who will be acting in what capacity. Allocate roles and encourage people to stick to them to cut down on cross talk, then schedule in a set time for wider input.
DON’T ignore the chat function
For larger meetings, the chat function is a useful backup channel to avoid people talking over one another. It can also act as a ‘parking lot’, so that attendees can see their point being noted down, even if it’s not yet being addressed.
Remember to be flexible, this is relatively new territory for everyone and we’re all in this together. Discover more 90TEN working from home tips here.
Calm or a podcast like Tracks to Relaxwith bedtime stories for adults or soothing sleep meditations.
4. Staying connected
Take advantage of quieter time and call friends or family. With options for socialising looking limited, try taking your mind off things with tea, wine or even dinner over FaceTime with friends.
5. Exercising
Regular movement can reduce stress, regulate sleep, improve focus and boost happiness. Find what works for you, whether it’s a long walk outside, trying out a relaxing online yoga session or a hardcore HIIT class.
6. Staying up-to-date, but not too much
It’s important to stay informed, but too much news may make you feel overwhelmed. Try limiting your COVID-19 news consumption to once-daily updates from a reputable source e.g. Public Health England, gov.uk or the World Health Organisation.
7. Creating a designated workspace
While the comfort of your duvet or the lure of your sofa might be tempting, creating a dedicated workspace can increase productivity and help to separate ‘work time’ from ‘personal time’. We don’t all have a home office, but a table and chair will do!
8. Treating ourselves
As you’re not likely to be spending money on fancy meals or nights out, treat yourself to something to enjoy at home. Buy a new book, download a film, order a takeaway or try a new hobby. Colouring, cross-stitching, baking and painting are some of our favourites!
9. Practising gratitude
Try to end every day by listing three things you are grateful for. This can be anything from a conversation with a friend, to managing to get some fresh air and sunshine.
10. Focusing on the now
We can’t control much at the moment which can feel a bit overwhelming. Try and focus on the here and now, slow down, relax, enjoy your cup of tea. 😊
Danielle Forrester, Amy O’Connor and Jenny Squibbs have been promoted to Associate Director level. Danielle and Amy are valued members of 90TEN’s communications division having led multiple award-winning campaigns since they joined the consultancy in 2016. In addition, Amy was named PR Week’s Young PR Professional of the Year in 2018. Jenny Squibbs joined 90TEN in 2013 and is a long-standing member of the consultancy’s medical division; she was awarded Communiqué Young Achiever in Healthcare Communications in 2018.
“2020 is already off to a really strong start for 90TEN and we are delighted to welcome five new and inspiring leaders to our senior management team,” said Alison Doughty, Managing Director of 90TEN’s medical division. “We are looking forward to continuing to expand our client offerings with more hires anticipated throughout the year.”
90TEN has also announced the promotion of Stephanie O’Hagan to Senior Associate Director in the communications division, to support continued growth of the consultancy’s patient advocacy offering. Stephanie joined 90TEN in 2017.
“This is not only a really exciting time of growth and expansion for 90TEN as an agency, but also for the professional development of our team members,” said Peter Impey, Managing Director of 90TEN’s communications division. “We are so proud to see professional careers develop here at 90TEN, recognised by these internal promotions. I’m so pleased to welcome them to the senior management team.”
As 90TEN enters its new financial year, the consultancy’s growth is expected to continue, with plans to welcome more additions to its medical and communications divisions.
