Loughborough Team Gathering Recap
We arrived in Loughborough a day early. The drive was quite pleasant, although Amil and I experienced a bit of confusion regarding the hotel location. I kept quiet, thinking we were heading to the correct place, but it turned out we were slightly off course. Amil said to me, “I saw we were passing the hotel but thought we would come back.” What?
Anyway, we decided to skip the hotel breakfast in favour of a delicious meal at the canteen in the main office, where you can enjoy a bacon rash, sausage, egg, and hash browns for just £2.80.
While in the meeting room downstairs, I spotted Bishu on a call and managed to wave at her. As I was coming out of the room, I also saw Scott Riddley at the reception. He was my former boss and line manager for nearly 20 years, so it was lovely to see his smiling face again. I couldn’t help but wonder how it seems that Bishu and Scott are always present whenever I’m in the London office or the main office in Loughborough. Perhaps Access Evo, the new AI tool, has created holograms of them!
As the rest of the team arrived, Laura was chatting with Bishu, and we joined in. Tyana, who is from Canada, was just a couple of miles away while Bishu was apparently hanging out at Harvest Burger Bar in her teenage years. It seems that all roads lead to Loughborough.
Unfortunately, we missed Paul Firth who was stuck in his bus forever , but it was great to see Dina. We had a lovely time during the big break in Spain; it was nice to catch up with her. Big Andrew Pryimuk safely brought Laura Radcliffe to the meeting once again. Contrary to popular belief, he did not ask her to sit in the trunk to preserve his well-kept leather seats—she was sitting in the front! Tyana joined us from Birmingham, and our dynamic duo, Kathleen and Zara from MK, were also there.
Even before Access Evo was introduced, we had been using tools like ChatGPT and Co-Pilot. However, Access Evo is the new must-have AI tool that will surely make our lives easier.
As usual, we ended the day at the pub. Only team leader Sam Mohan couldn’t join us this time. I tried the fish and chips but ended up only eating the fish, which wasn’t bad at all! My squash soup was excellent, and Amil enjoyed some very tasty crab tacos.
Now it’s back to the office for a team-building experience, as Mama Radcliffe suggested. Managing a team with such diverse ages and skill sets can be a challenge, but Laura was great at handling everyone. Our team’s games officer, Kathleen, did not disappoint us yet again. After each question, Zara stares at me as if to say, 'Don’t you dare answer this time”. Apparently, I am good at pub quizzes, so Tiana and Laura’s invitations will not be missed (you can’t change your minds now!).
It was a wonderful gathering with the team, although it’s bittersweet as it was my last day with this group. I felt like I had one foot in one team and the other in compliance. Transitioning to a new team within Access is challenging, especially when everyone is so friendly and caring. Thank you, Laura, and everyone who was there for me.
- Ajith 24/10/2024 (Co-pilot was used to check grammer)
