Tara Levins, Managing Director, Talent & Organisation, Accenture

Your “new” working day?

I am a total lark and for me, “fitness is life” so I get up early while my kids are still asleep to train at my local gym, go running or practice yoga. I spend the day in virtual meetings; either one-to-one catch-ups with my team or in larger virtual meetings with clients. I try to plan a walking meeting using my phone in the afternoon to get moving again in the fresh air to avoid the afternoon slump. As soon as the workday is done, I love to get outside to the park or by the sea with my family.

In relation to your day-to-day responsibilities, what challenges did you face when Covid-19 struck? What struggles, if any, are there now?

In my role, the biggest hurdle initially was to understand the variety of individual remote working circumstances our employees, at every life stage, were in so that we could support our people in the right way. Some people were juggling childminding or caring responsibilities, others were in shared accommodation where suddenly three or four adults were working in a shared living space. Accenture, as a global tech organisation already had the tools and technology in place to facilitate collaboration and support remote working for our people but there is so much more to remote working than having the right technology, you truly need to understand the needs of the individual.

WFH real estate?

I do have a desk in my bedroom but now that my three kids are back to school in the mornings, there is much more freedom to move around the house and work at the kitchen table or at the garden table, if the weather permits. Being closer to the coffee-making facilities is an added bonus!

What helps you maintain perspective?

My three young children keep me very grounded and help me to live in the moment. The sea is a constant source of perspective – we are really lucky to live near it and enjoy daily walks and swims together.

One or two goals to achieve before the end of 2020? 

I am particularly passionate about nurturing our recent graduates who are experiencing work for the first time, and want to make sure they have the right support and connections in place to grow and learn.

Photograph by Simon Watson