Working from home and bid life
I am an unapologetic homebody and introvert. I’m the person who turns back when I see my neighbour waiting for the lift. I’ll skip the café coffee if it means running into colleagues. Not because I’m unfriendly. Actually, quite the opposite. I just despise small talk. I’m just awkward. Weather? Sport? No thanks. And please don’t ask me about what’s happening in America. I’ve been saying I’m Canadian since 2024.
Lockdowns felt like my Olympics. Finally, my anti-small-talk training came into its own. We delivered multi-billion-dollar bids from our kitchen tables, and somehow still won work. COVID be damned.
Fast-forward to 2025: WFH is still a thing, and yes, I still love it. But here’s the rub. In bid land, connection matters. At the start of a project, I usually travel - kick-off workshops, alignment sessions, strategy huddles - so people can put a face (and personality) to the name. Then I retreat back to my lounge-room office. Lately though, that retreat has been harder. Maybe because the teams are new and don’t know the drill or my way of working. Maybe because some people just need me sitting beside them, throwing them my “get it done” look until they actually, well, get it done.
Can you run a bid 100% from home? Maybe. But the monster ones? Not a chance. Even I’ll admit it. I used to groan when a bid director told me I had to be in the office. Now I get it. For the past eight months I’ve been flying to whichever city my bid office is in. (Melbourne gets bonus points because I can skip the airport roulette.) Flying is draining. My dogs forget my face. I eat too much plane food. But, here’s the kicker, it’s worth it.
Do I get more actual work done at home? Absolutely. No distractions. No dodgy airport Wi-Fi. Meetings on Teams are fine. But sometimes my disapproving look doesn’t land over Zoom, and everyone just carries on. Sometimes the dog barks at a trespassing bird and I miss half the conversation. And sometimes, seeing someone in the flesh just cuts through the noise.
So what’s the answer? Balance. Find the rhythm that works. WFH is glorious, but even introverts like me know that humans thrive on connection. And sometimes, the only way to win a bid is to show up, in person, mean looks and all.
