I worked in nine separate rooms yesterday, all within County Hall. When I say work I mean I used my laptop to write, converse or otherwise communicate. I started on the lower ground before moving up to two rooms on the ground floor. I then moved back down to the lower ground but this time at the opposite end of the building where the members reside. I worked in two rooms there. After that I went up to the fifth floor for a meeting on our new student app with Alan before going to a business continuity planning meeting on floor one. Rooms eight and nine were on floor two.
It was quite a day. In each room I was able to rock up, as they say, open up my laptop and get on with stuff. Now, I am a Guerrilla Worker. This style of working is what I do. I am a nomad without an office or desk. There is never a problem in finding somewhere to go.
Guerrilla Working has two aspects: bringing talent together around a problem (which is what we are doing with most of our applications now) and getting in amongst where the work is really done. In spite of all the places I visited yesterday I was only truly a Guerrilla Worker in one room and that was the second last place I worked in. It was up with Children’s and Adults Services and in a room I have never been in. I had an hour to spare between meetings and so chose somewhere close to where I was due to be next.
I’ll say it again. You never know what really goes on until you experience it in the flesh. Within a few minutes of sitting down I got involved in a conversation about using SharePoint rather than distribute large files. I felt I ought to get involved due to my position. I also found out that the wireless was not working properly and logged a call to get it fixed. (How do these people survive? They are hard wired of course.) I struck up a conversation with several colleagues who were all surprised (pleasantly) to see me.
It was a well spent hour. People ask me why I work in this way to which I reply ‘why wouldn’t I?’ For me, the benefits far outweigh any downsides. I would not want to go back.
