A graduate’s take on virtual working
Oscar Osborne joined Tyto, remotely, for a stint as an intern, after graduating with a degree in politics from the University of Leeds. Looking for some ‘real world’ experience, he has excelled with a willingness to learn, swift task completion and his ability to gel with the entire team. Here are his thoughts on how we work as a location-agnostic PR and communications agency.
Working from home is something I always assumed could only be done if somebody either had a very simple job or were the only employee of a home-based business. However, I have recently learnt that is not the case at all.
While it was never a situation that I expected to find myself in, my internship at a location-agnostic PR agency has taught me that not only were my pre-conceptions of working from home inaccurate but that a fast-paced, teamwork-reliant, business can function perfectly without the need for a physical office.
Learning a new industry from home
Going into this internship, my main concern was how I would fare joining a PR company, despite knowing nothing about how it operates or the type of work it does.
During my previous internship at a planning authority, this was less of a worry. I knew I would be office-based with many experienced people around who could teach me how they work in person, whilst also being able to ask them for help whenever I needed it. This was perfect for me as I’m very much a visual learner. I, therefore, thought this would be very difficult to do virtually.
Fortunately, I still managed to learn the basics for producing written content or pulling together press briefing materials, as well as various other types of PR work, in a remote set-up. I was given very detailed briefings and was provided with recent examples of the work I was required to do.
As I was supplied with plenty of resources, I have been able to carry out tasks successfully without needing to watch someone complete them first. The easy to use internal communications systems allowed me to ask questions and receive answers for all the queries I could think of, which helped to avoid any misunderstanding. This was a new way of learning for me.
Regular video calls with obliging and patient colleagues also helped develop my understanding of the company, how it operates, and PR more generally. Though the way I worked and communicated at Tyto was very different to what I’ve been used to, it transpired that there was nothing for me to worry about. It has been strange to spend a month working with a team of people and not meet them in person once, although I never really felt like this was much of an issue for learning, culture and efficiency purposes.
How a tech PR company adapts to the current global situation
Something else I learnt is that in a time where thousands of companies are suffering or going out of business, the tech industry continues to go from strength to strength. There are companies whose products are either more popular now with people in lockdown or have the potential to help tackle Covid-19-based issues – all in a way I would have never imagined.
Geographic mapping technology, data management and micro-computers are all key examples of this in action, to name but a few. These are the areas of technology that I have discovered are still in very high demand during the pandemic.
As a tech-industry outsider, from my point of view, some of these technologies have the potential to be hugely important in fixing big societal issues away from Covid-19, e.g. pollution or the UK housing crisis. This is in spite of the fact that they remain relatively unknown to those outside these industries.
Variety is the spice of life
The huge variety of clients has taught me about how everyday technology is changing the way businesses operate, how cybersecurity is evolving and even how the international cryptocurrency market works.
Every single one of the technology companies that Tyto partners with strives to create something entirely new and to raise important questions to their wider industry. Some even have the potential to create meaningful and lasting change both in their sector and society-at-large.
Few industries have the potential to have such a significant impact on the lives of so many quite like the tech industry does. Playing even a small role in helping to advance these technologies was not only exciting and fascinating but truly fulfilling in the same breath.
