I love this building. I love it's sparseness, the way the angles come at your from all around, and that looking up makes you think you're in Superman's bunker, only it's warm - and the colours are all wrong. I worked in this building for three years, finishing up there about five years ago. I've been back in between times, but this time round, it felt a bit like coming home.
The security guy is still there - we recognised each other. I've remembered how to use the lifts. I know where to find everything, from the loos to the stationery cupboards to the IT help desk.
It's a lot like coming home.
Mind you, a lot has also changed. Before COVID, you were struggling to find a desk, let along a locker. The bathrooms would often fester by midday, depending on what floor you were on. The queue for the coffee cart was long - and there were three of them. The place hummed, droned with the noise of a small city keeping the wheels of the organisation running.
Now, there's about 20% of the people in the building. If that. What was often a lengthy process to get the computers working, has now been streamlined. By 1 pm I had a working laptop, email, security pass and ID - all done. I remember starting at this place at one time and I had to use my own computer for about three weeks. The laptop is new - with a touch screen. It's lightweight. It's rather amazing really.
While I waited for my profile to load up at the IT support desk, I went to make a cup of tea. Where there used to be a packet of Arnott's assorted biscuits in the biscuit barrel, dutifully replenished every morning at 8 am (when there would be a fight for the chocolate ripple and Nice biscuits - too late and you were stuck with the Marie or Milk Arrowroots) there were none. COVID has meant that all of the coffee and tea comes in individually wrapped packets. I've been told that in the thick of the lockdowns they took away the cutlery and crockery.
Yet amongst all the familiarity this is a new role, doing what I do, with new people. The team are lovely, my boss is great and the work should be interesting - and able to be done in a professional 38 hour working week.
As much as I love being back with this company, I'm more excited about getting my life back.
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