Hazel Byrne

6.00 AM

Wake up. I’m a morning person, so luckily I don’t usually have trouble getting out of bed. I like to start my day with some yoga to get energised and think clearly for the day ahead. After this, it’s time to put on a podcast while I do my makeup and get ready for the day. I always leave my clothes, a breakfast smoothie, and my lunch readies the night before so I can avoid rushing in the morning.

7.20 AM

Time to head to the bus stop. The walk is cold during winter, but it is a great way to get rid of the last bits of sleep. The bus trip is a good time for me to catch up on personal admin and decompress before starting the workday, making sure I’m ready to hit the ground running when I arrive at the office.

8.15 AM

Arrive at the office. I head up to level eight to grab a desk. We hot desk, so each day is a chance to sit somewhere new; it’s a great way to meet and chat with people I might not interact with in my work. I always try to arrive before 8:30 am as this is when it starts to fill up, and it can be harder to get a good desk! I spend my first 45 minutes to an hour of the day getting through any emails that have come through overnight and making a to-do list.

9.00 AM

Time for coffee! My favourite way to start the workday is having a coffee with friends. It’s a great way to connect, see how everyone’s doing and get an idea of what’s going on in everyone’s lives. We get coffee cards that have 12 for $10, and the money goes towards Wellington Free Ambulance – it’s nice to feel like your money is going to a good cause!  

10.00 AM

Time to start the work day. This could include any number of things depending on the day – sorting out resourcing on upcoming jobs, meetings/interviews with clients, document review, planning for team days/social events or putting together or reviewing reports for clients. The work we do changes day to day which I love – it keeps me engaged and means each day is fresh and exciting. Today I’m planning for an upcoming team meeting to discuss progress on a  programme of work we’re doing reviewing information management maturity at public offices around the country. Meetings like this are a great way to stay connected with the team, raise any issues and let everyone know of any upcoming changes.

10.30 AM

Time to catch up with an old client. One of my favourite things about my job is that I get to meet, work and build connections with such a diverse and interesting range of people. I’ve been meaning to catch up with a client I worked with when I was on secondment and we’ve finally found a time that works, so I’m off to The Lab for another coffee and a chat.

11.30 AM

Next up I have a call with a colleague who’s working from home – we have great flexibility which allows us to choose where we work from, whether this is from home, in the office or on the client site. We recently sent a report to our team's partner for review and just received her feedback. Today we’re updating the report based on this feedback, then we’ll send it off to our clients for their management actions and any feedback they have.

12.30 PM

Time for lunch! This is another favourite part of my day, it’s a great chance to take a break and connect with colleagues. We have a great lunch space we can use to eat, chat, and do the quiz – answering questions is not my forte but it's fun to do regardless. 

1.30 PM

After lunch, it’s time to do some planning for some upcoming work, phase two out of three of building an assurance framework for a client. All the team involved are in the office, so we meet at one of the whiteboards to have a chat and brainstorm some ideas.  We have a mix of bookable rooms and places you can just jump in and use which is super handy for last-minute catch-ups, or if you forget to book something!

3.00 PM

Meeting with the client. After our planning session for phase two, we have a catch-up with the client to check in with them and get any feedback on our planning to date. We do a mix of virtual and in-person meetings, sometimes heading to the client site or inviting the clients to come to us – we work this out depending on the engagement and the team and clients’ preferences. These meetings are important to make sure we’re on the right track, not missing anything and that what we’re planning is in line with our client's expectations.

5.30 PM

Packing up. After finishing up our meeting, going through my emails and finalising some monthly billing and reporting it's time to head home. Before I head off, I always try to update my to-do list with what needs to be done in what priority so that when I start work in the morning, I can get straight into it. After packing up it's off to the bus stop to go home.

6.00 PM

Arriving home. My evening routine varies depending on the day – sometimes I’ll go out for dinner with friends or teammates, sometimes I’ll head to the sauna, or I’ll just head home. Tonight, since I’m a little tired, I’ve decided to head straight home, make some dinner, and read my book or watch a movie with my flatmates. I’m also going to work from home tomorrow which means I can relax straight away and don’t have to prep my smoothie or lunch. By the time I’ve done this and had a shower, it's around 10:30/11 pm - time for bed.

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