A day in the life of Field Office Citizens Advice Walsall

Gary and Mart share an insight into a typical day at their home office

Volunteers’ Week is a bit different this year. Across England and Wales, staff and volunteers have adapted to working from home. We asked Mart and Gary to share what a typical day for them looks like…

Since March 2020 the staff and volunteers at Citizens Advice Walsall have been supported by a very unique remote office. Nicknamed Field Office Citizens Advice Walsall, this remarkable office is located inside our 2-bedroom terraced property. Mart, my wife, is one of 2 field-based administrators supporting the team, whilst I work as volunteer coordinator for Research and Campaigns.

Like a Doctor Who Tardis, the office is small on the outside but vast in the supportive role taking place inside!

8.30am — Power up!

After breakfast we depart to our separate parts of the house to start the day ahead. Mart’s office is the former broom cupboard under the stairs. Mine is upstairs in the spare room working on a homemade desk constructed from collapsible boxes and a plank of wood. Mart says it’s the best place for me!

Like so many people working remotely, we’ve had to be inventive in creating our home office environment whilst maintaining a sense of a home as well.

Mart starts her day by checking her emails. As the morning progresses, the silence in our house is frequently broken by the sound of smartphones. Today’s call for Mart is from Rachel, the other field administrator acting as the switchboard for anyone contacting our local service. Between the two of them they juggle the day to day coordination of administrative issues that arise. This morning, her telephone call is a technical query about her laptop . Mart offers guidance and asks if I can help. Between us we find a solution to Rachel’s problem.

Working remotely means you have to be inventive with how you solve people’s problems as you can’t see the other person’s perspective. The telephone call is also a nice chance to share some laughs whilst in lockdown.

My first task is logging into Casebook and reviewing the evidence forms that have been generated from the previous day.

I value each evidence form raised by our staff and volunteers because they highlight the impact of this pandemic both locally and nationally. Where possible, I email messages of personal gratitude to the advisor for taking the time to raise the evidence.

I view my approach in this pandemic as a means of keeping people engaged in our research work whilst working remotely.

10.30am — Whose turn is it for brew?

It’s time for me and Mart to come together for a mid-morning catchup and a brew! Some mornings the house is filled with the smell of burnt toasted fruit loaf. Then I’m brought downstairs by the sound of a smoke alarm! Although I’m sure Mart will say it’s usually me who burns the fruit loaf! During our break it’s time to catch up on our separate working plans… before we know time has beaten us and we have to return to our offices.

11ish — Is that a knock at the door?

Post is a new thing at Citizens Advice Walsall Field Office because our home is not used to having daily deliveries! In fact, we now know the Postman on first name terms!

It’s been great having this new approach, but it’s created a challenge — how to manage all of the post when working remotely. Marts’ practical solution was to develop her own internal postal system that sorts it by items that need actioning, filing, scanning, or telephoning to the team! Setting up a field office has meant we’ve needed to be creative, managing office processes in a home environment. It now runs seamlessly.

12.30ish — Is it soup or a sandwich today?

Each day we rotate what’s on the menu between soup or sandwiches. Then we catch up on the daily coronavirus television briefings. Whilst I prepare lunch, Mart sorts what will need posting at the local post office later that day and sorts the table. We’ve never spent so many lunch times together! When I’m in the office of Citizens Advice Walsall we normally operate apart. It’ll be strange to adjust to our new norm after lockdown. Apparently Mart “can’t wait”…

1ish — Daily exercise to the Post Office

Following lunch, it’s time for a daily walk to the local post office. During the pandemic, our walks to the Post Office have given us time to get out of the house and into the fresh air. It’s surprising the difference fresh air makes.

Today on our visit the people in the Post Office commented, “Is that all the post you have today, you normally have a lot more!” Most days it can range from 1 envelope to a stack and even the odd mobile telephone to a team member. Without Mart’s daily routine, clients would not get their responses and advisors would not have important documents sent to third parties. Overall, her responsible approach helps to ensure this valuable service is maintained.

3ish — Last cuppa of the day!

Phew, where has the afternoon gone! Since lockdown began the afternoons seem to disappear so quickly. Thankfully, the afternoon drink is for Mart to sort this time whilst I finish off adding a post to the social media system, Workplace. During the pandemic we have added some of our inventive moments working remotely on Workplace and I’ve enjoyed all of the comical responses back! Such as the remarks on our noticeboard made from string or our folded down paper box to hold post-it notes. All of our ideas have been to show the difference side to our unique field office!

4.30pm — Guess I’m cooking, again!

Well, the office day has come to an end and it is time for me to log off and go downstairs to prepare the evening meal. For Mart, it’s a case of condensing her office paperwork back into the broom cupboard so that we can regain back our living room for tea. For me, my volunteering day ends and my role as a husband starts. The first task today is getting the joint of beef out of the slow pot and leaving it to stand whilst I sort what vegetables to do. As Mart closes the broom cupboard door, I know she reverts back to being my wife. For both of us, as time has progressed, we have adapted to our new routines between our roles working for Citizens Advice and that of a married couple during this pandemic. Before we know it, the evening will end and our house will start a new day being Field Office Citizens Advice Walsall.