Contingent Workers: Suyin

Suyin Haynes was used to reporting on global events for TIME magazine at her office in central London and in the field. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, that all changed. Now, she works remotely, often interviewing people via Zoom while working in Contingent Works. Like many people we’ve spoken to, Suyin didn’t realise that there was a space like Contingent Works in Bromley. 

At a Glance:

On the web: https://time.com/author/suyin-haynes/ 

Sounds: So I Got to Thinking - The Sex and the City Podcast by Juno Dawson and Dylan B Jones and Keep It podcast, which is all about politics and pop culture

Reading: African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele and Luster by Raven Leilani. 

I can’t work without: I can work from anywhere as long as there isn’t any noise, and I love a loose leaf tea in the morning (even if that sounds pretentious!)

Contingent Works: Tell us about what you’re doing at the moment.

Suyin Haynes: I'm currently a senior reporter at TIME magazine. I cover gender, culture, and underrepresented communities, and stories of the intersections between all three. I interviewed Greta Thunberg for TIME's Person of the Year 2019, and I’ve written stories on protests in Nigeria, Russian feminists, comedians, actors, artists, and all sorts. 

CW: Why did you choose this career path?

SH:  I graduated with a degree in politics and history in 2016, but I realised I hadn’t done any preparation when it came to getting a job. I always liked words and writing, so I started firing off applications anywhere and everywhere. I got rejected a lot. I had also made a commitment to myself that I wouldn't go for jobs that were not paid, which is difficult, especially in the media industry where so many bigger outlets can be quite exploitative of young people who just want to get experience.

CW: How did you end up at TIME magazine?

The application was actually very straightforward. I had to upload a CV and fill in a paragraph about myself. I tried to pack a punch in that paragraph. I thought the internship sounded too good to be true, but I got the assignment.  

At the end of the three months, my manager said, “oh, have you ever been to Hong Kong before?” I hadn’t! I planned to go traveling for a bit, and have a kind of gap year after university. I applied for the job, got it, and moved to Hong Kong six weeks later. That was in February 2017 and then I moved back here in March 2019, which was just before the protests started there.

CW: What advice would you give someone who’s considering a similar role?

SH: You deserve some sort of compensation for your work. It’s hard to get into the industry, and many people just expect your labor for free, which is grossly unacceptable to me. There are other ways to get there. Create a portfolio, start a blog, set up a Twitter or Instagram account, and build your online presence. It shows employers that you are interested and you know how to tell stories. 

Also, don't be discouraged by rejection. Persevere. Don't feel that you need to go to journalism school. I've learned as I've gone along and having that real-world experience is important. I'd also say learn a language. I wish that I had invested more time in it when I was younger. I’m conversational in Cantonese, but I wish that I had studied languages such as Russian and Arabic as they are really in demand. 

CW: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Building trust with people and having the privilege to hear their stories. Hearing the lived experiences of people in dangerous situations, who could face many repercussions for speaking out, has been most rewarding.  And to be able to share that with TIME’s global audience. I can write a story about a protest in Nigeria and it will reach a reader in urban New York.

CW: What would an average day look like if that sort of thing even exists for you? 

SH: It could be a range of things from setting up and conducting interviews, to doing research, to putting together story ideas and pitches, to preparing for an interview, which takes a lot of time. I want the person I'm speaking with to feel embodied in that conversation, to feel like the questions are tailored and not generic, and to know that I'm asking them something that only they can answer. And then admin tasks, like transcribing.

CW: Talking of the pandemic, how has that changed how you've been working or reporting?

SH: It’s changed quite a lot. I’m not going out there and meeting people. I’d also never done Zoom interviews before. I was interviewing people in different countries, but it was usually on the phone. I have mixed feelings about Zoom. Compared to real-life, in-person interviews, it's hard to gauge the character of the person through a screen. I’m also working from home. I used to be in the office in central London five days a week. I used to get on the train every day, and I didn’t realise I’d miss commuting, but it does make a difference to your day. 

CW: What made you choose to work from a coworking space? 

SH: My office is in a network so I could have gone to one of those locations, but the nearest is in London Bridge and I don’t feel comfortable getting on a train yet. Joining a co-working space is a good reason to get up and get dressed and it separates work from home.

I think the world of work has changed, anyway. We're now producing a magazine remotely, which I couldn’t even conceptualise before. It has shown that the future of work could and should be so much more flexible than we had previously thought. Of course, being in an office is nice as you get the social aspects, but it’s good to have the flexibility to spend time with your family and friends. 

CW: Why did you decide to join Contingent Works?

I didn’t realise that somewhere like Contingent Works existed in Bromley. It’s only 15 minutes walk from home and it’s a nice space to be in; I like the aesthetic. It’s also good to get a change of scenery and feel stimulated in a different way. 

CW: Outside of the coworking space, outside of work, is there anything you like to do when you go home to unwind? 

SH: My mum is a complementary health therapist and she makes natural bath and body products. I help her with that. I don't know if I would say it's relaxing, but it’s been nice to showcase her work. I helped her with her social media and building the website. 

I also really enjoy reading; that got me through the lockdowns. After I moved back from Hong Kong, I’d been so busy meeting people and catching up, that it had been a long time since I had sat down and read a novel. But then there was nothing else to do and only so much Netflix I could watch.