Workin' 9 to 5, What a way to make a livin'

Our office hours in Auckland are officially 8:30 to 5 with an hour for lunch.  We are required to work at least 37.5 hours per week.  So far, I have worked almost exactly 37.5 hours per week.  Since I have not had much to do at work, I definitely took advantage of the reduced work schedule!  

I have been involved in a number of engagements most as a result of a senior manager being out on a month long holiday (which is not uncommon).  So I was able to fill in on her engagements while she was gone. I have done many tax accounting reviews in conjunction with the audit teams in both New Zealand and Australia as well as a few tax return reviews and one consulting project.   I have been promised some future engagements and assigned some new clients but so far those have not resulted in many chargeable hours. I am working with a partner and my counselor here to hopefully find a better method of getting me involved.  

In the meantime, I fill my time with studying tax law, attending meetings and trainings, and having lunch and tea with anyone who needs company!    The tax group in Auckland has a lot of meetings and events; the weekly workflow meeting, monthly tax update, monthly BTA training, monthly morning tea, monthly managers meeting, and monthly staff drinks.   I recently volunteered for the charitable giving committee to help organize and execute the charitable giving campaigns in the office throughout the year.  Our first event is a causal day and bake sale to benefit breast cancer awareness and I am baking pink cupcakes for the event.  I am also helping the new grads plan 4 quarterly events and the Christmas party.  So far I have been charged with researching details of hiring a party bus.   

My Commute

In Dallas, I drove 13 miles each way to my office downtown fighting traffic for 25 minutes to an hour depending on the day and time.  In Auckland, I walk 8 blocks to my office on the harbor enjoying the sun shining off the water.  Not a bad trade.  To be fair, the walk is less enjoyable when it rains (which it does often) but a door to door commute of under 10 minutes is hard to beat no matter the weather.  This week has been nothing but sunshine with lows in the upper 40's and highs in the low 60's and I have loved every minute of my morning and afternoon walks!

Just outside our apartment on Princes Wharf this morning

Auckland Day 5

My second day in the office was rather uneventful but I did snap a few shots to show the view.  You can't tell very well from these but it really is a nice view.  You can see the working harbor but beyond that when you are in person, you can see the green islands in the distance.  Our office has open air shopping and restaurants on the first floor and a unique design.  The big news of the day was that we found an apartment!  Hopefully, we get it because we love it!  I'll post more after it is finalized.

View from the 7th floor

Another view from the 7th floor

The open air lobby

Auckland Day 4 - In the Office

Today was my first day in the Auckland EY office.  Justin walked me down to the office which was nice since I was nervous to start work in a new place.  It has been a long 7 years since I have done that.  My computer was ready for me but that was about it.  They did not have my desk, phone, or even my internet password ready.  Everyone I met was very nice although a little different. 

The office is an entirely open plan so no one has an office.  The cubes are set up in a 4 cubes to a "pod" arrangement and in the "pods" by the windows, a partner and/or senior manager sits by the window.  It is a little odd to be sitting in an open 4 cube area with a partner but it also seems to lead to an even more open door policy than we have in the US. 

The office has views of the harbor and surrounding islands on 3 sides which is pretty cool.  The office is decorated with inspirational quotes on the wall and  yellow beams just like home!  As Crazy Uncle said, it is familiar, yet different.  I didn't have much to do today but read up on the history of the NZ tax code. 

I had tea at a nearby cafe with Aaron, the lead people partner, and lunch with my peer buddy, Claire.  I was also introduced to a few of the partners and managers.  I met a woman from the UK, a woman from Scotland, and a woman from Russia today.  They all transferred with EY to the Auckland office.  I also met a guy on rotation from our San Antonio office.  Claire told me that the office is actually about half international and half Kiwi.  That seems to fit the population of the city as whole as it is not uncommon to hear several different accents/languages while walking down the street.