Living in the ACT, with our COVID situation mostly under control (touch wood), I'm back to working at the client site, so after a (very cold) run I suit up, enjoy some breakfast, feed the cat and get in the car.
I arrive around 8:30, to give myself plenty of time to get a park (and make sure I get my favourite desk), then ¬I call my manager for our morning catch up.
He's in Sydney, but our practice at WFH makes us being in different cities not a problem. We are working across two different matters at the moment, one doing some budget analysis work and the other doing some financial management work for a big project. Working across the two matters means I need to be pretty flexible, but there's always plenty to do! I get the update from my manager on what has happened on my days off, and also hear about his bathroom renovation he's about to get started on.
After I've finished the morning catch up and have logged in, I check through my emails and plan out my day, noting that a client on the financial management matter has asked for a midday meeting. Then it's time to head downstairs with a couple colleagues for the first coffee of the day. We're lucky that the best café in the area is in the building, though perhaps we should be worried how well they know our orders!
I've received an email from the director of the project we're doing the financials for. They had a few clarifications on a financial model we produced for them, so I start running through the model to see where the issues are and start fixing up formulae.
My manager dials me into a conference call and runs me and a few other people through a budget analysis task he'd like to start. He allocates the tasks and I get started on consolidating the data we already have, and arranging it to make up the required graphs, making sure they are as aesthetically pleasing as they are informative.
We have the meeting with the client. Due to COVID restrictions, we all dial in and are run through some changes to the planned spending of the project we're doing the finances for. After the meeting is done, I update our model to reflect the new spending and am very proud when all the numbers reconcile the first time.
It's time for lunch with my co-workers. We all eat lunch (as usual, leftovers from last night's dinner), chat about the work we're all doing and commiserate over me dealing with a burst pipe at 2am this morning.
I call our contact in the client's financial team to see if we they can run some reports for us. I also go upstairs to chat with a contact in the client's procurement team to chase up some contracts we're working with. With my manager in Sydney I've had to learn how to communicate with clients by myself. It was a bit intimidating at first, but it's amazing to know that I'm trusted enough to have these meetings by myself, despite still only being an intern.
While I'm upstairs, I run into the team I worked in on my summer internship and catch up with them. I really enjoyed my time working with them and we still get along great, so I always make time for a quick chat with them when I'm on their floor.
Time for the afternoon coffee before the café closes and another chance to check in with my co-workers. We're all hitting the mid-afternoon hump, but the caffeine helps and then it's back into making the graphs for the budget analysis task.
I get in touch with my manager who's going on leave tomorrow. He and I work out a list of tasks for me to work on while he's away. In particular, I will be the only one actively engaged on the project financial management matter, so he makes sure I know who to ask if I need help, but leaves it with me to decide how to prioritise the various tasks for that matter.
I check in with my manager, submit my timesheets and head home via the shops, to feed my cat (and myself!).
© 2024 MinterEllison
