Tech-011: The Covid Chapter, From Office Life to Hybrid Working

When Covid-19 hit, everything changed. Overnight, the routine I’d had for four years — commuting into the office every weekday, seeing colleagues face to face, solving problems together — was replaced by working alone at home.

During my career at DMS navigator the Covid 19 pandemic hit, we were then all forced to work from home…

It was a very strange experiencing working from home, after 4 years of being in the office every weekday, I saw no colleagues, rarely spoke to people other than via messages and started to feel very isolated. At home I had moved my office round from room to room to try and break the psychosis I was facing ...

During this period, my long-term relationship of 5 years also ended... but that's a whole other story.

I hit a real deep depression and I'm thankful for my friends, family and colleagues who were my rock during this difficult time.

With their help and support and some very impactful words from a Mental Wellbeing Coach I was able to pull myself from this dark hole.

If the piece of trauma you are facing was a physical lesion on your brain, what would you do?

I responded with... "get it removed" I was then given the advice to do exactly that. Now emotional trauma can't be removed or "fixed" as we all know. but it can have its perception changed...

I was able to spin the negatives from the trauma into positives by focusing on what I had learned from the experience and how it would better my life by teaching me not to make the same mistakes I had before. notice the early warning signs and prevent myself from slipping.

I spent time doing remote yoga sessions and attended private therapy.

As Covid restrictions started to ease, we were eventually allowed to return to the office.

The shift, however, had transformed not just DMS Navigator but the entire tech sector. More and more companies started hiring for fully remote roles, and many employees began seeking either fully remote or hybrid arrangements.

I chose a hybrid approach — spending three days a week in the office and the rest working from home. It felt like the right balance: the commute was long, but I valued the face-to-face interactions and the energy of the office environment.

Gratitude

the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for kindness, benefits, or positive experiences received

I realised how much I valued the small things — the quick problem-solving chats, the laughs at lunch, the energy of working together in the same space and of course family and friends

Special mentions: Daz, Lisa, Jake, Hayley, Chris, Leanne

Closing Thought

Covid reshaped the entire industry, but it also reshaped me. It taught me to adapt, to value connection, and to think differently about how and where we work