It’s been 30 days since my first day at Amiqus — and it feels like the right time to talk some truth about my time here so far.
Anyone that knows me and watches my Instagram stories will have come to the conclusion that my new job title is Chief of Dogs, or Dog Sitting Executive. And yes, we regularly have a gathering of pet pups in the office, because our CEO recognises that giving the occasional dog-belly-rub is good for morale (it really is). However, I’m pleased to report that’s probably only 10% of the reason that I feel very happy in my new role.
Here’s the other 90%:
Actual, genuine, flexible working
With a little help from our fantastic Operations Manager, Rachel, Amiqus allows for complete and utter flexibility in working hours and location. We use Slack, Zoom, Google Drive and Notion like pros and the level of communication between teams is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. This means that if I wanted to work from Bora Bora for a few weeks, I totally could. This is such a smart move by our CEO, Callum, because I know that whatever circumstances life throws up, I can keep my job (I’m sure it’s no coincidence that staff turnover is incredibly low here).
Working with purpose
I’m not sure I ever thought I’d be lucky enough to work for a company with such strong values and sense of purpose. Amiqus is on a journey to make civil justice accessible to all and there’s so many incredible projects that I’ll be part of in the coming months and years. For example, we’re partnering with ProxyAddress, Monzo and Big Issue (among many others) to give Big Issue vendors access to bank accounts without the need for a proof of address, meaning they’ll be able to accept contactless payments. What an amazing story to be a part of.
Freedom to be myself
This is something that’s really hard to find, but I’ve been lucky enough to be able to choose this for the past few years of my career and it’s become so important to me. If I can’t be myself, I feel uncomfortable and anxious. At Amiqus, I can wear what I want, speak freely and utilise my creativity as I please.
A smart, passionate and friendly team
One of the things I first noticed about Amiqus was how switched on the team are — I know I’m going to learn an awful lot from them. They’re also incredibly kind and respectful and I’m not sure I’ve ever worked for a company where everyone turns up for meetings on time. More to the point, our meetings always feel productive. There’s no dead weight whatsoever and the passion of the team is completely infectious.
Focus on self-development
I am a massive self-development nerd, pretty much always consuming some kind of podcast, book or YouTube video in order to be a better me than the day before. As part of the Amiqus team, I get to enjoy one whole day per month to focus completely on my self-development. This could be anything from creative writing, attending a conference or hiking a munro. You get the idea.
The perfect commute
Thanks to the Amiqus headquarters’ proximity to the Water of Leith cycle path in Edinburgh, I enjoy a glorious 15 minute canal-side cycle into work. I can’t tell you how much I love this — it’s the best possible way to start my day and decompress on my way home.
I feel really lucky to be working at Amiqus — so much so, it was my own idea to write this blog.
