All my life, I believed there was only one side to my dad. The side of a fun, relaxed (unless there is a cushion on the floor) nice but seemingly not incredibly hard-working man. But after doing a week’s work experience with him and his PR company Haggie Partners, I have not only learned about the incredible field of PR and the importance of teamwork in a company, but also the other side to my dad.
For five days I have been working with the whole team in the office, and in that time, he has shown me that there is another side to him.
The dad that I’ve seen for the past 15 years was a very up and outwards person who had loads of friends and had a lot of fun, but this week I saw a much more calm and focused side of him where he put work before anything else.
I tried to think of reasons why I had never seen or even considered the idea that there was another side to him. It could be because I didn’t understand his job or that I didn’t care. Maybe it was because I didn’t have any evidence that he had a work side to him, given that the only time I had seen him work was from home when he was on a computer, and I had no sense of what was going on.
But this week, I plopped on my fresh Zara suit and my dad’s old loafers and went into the office where my immediate thought that he was the same as he was at home, given his rapport with the team and the friendly atmosphere.
However, when I sat down and started work, I was taken aback by how quiet and industrious everyone was. It was almost as if we had switched from Vegas to Valhalla. The shift was unbelievable. No matter how boring this side of him was, I did respect the fact that this was how important his job was. And don’t get me wrong he was still an intolerable nut but more so an office one rather than a social one.
What I was also surprised by was how amazing the team at Haggie Partners was. They are all incredibly hard working and extremely nice to be around. But what stood out most was how they worked together; my only experience of an office team was from the TV show, The Office, where everyone hates each other. However, this was not the case. They were all chatty, busy, interactive, and worked together to make up an incredible team
For my first experience of an office, it was a revelation. Not just to learn about the finer details of PR and looking after clients, but the importance of a brilliant team, working hard together, in a friendly and positive environment. I loved it. Thank you, Haggie Partners. I can now look at my dad in a slightly different light.
Bertie Beeley