OUT OF OFFICE
FOR MANY OF US, 2020 HAS MEANT A TRANSITION FROM ‘BUSINESS CASUAL’ TO ‘ZOOM COMFORTABLE’. WE SPEAK TO TWO HOUSEMATES ABOUT MAKING IT WORK, FROM HOME
Office life has changed dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. Many of us have swapped the daily commute for a three-second stroll from bed to laptop, our colleagues for housemates, and smart-casual for 50 shades of grey jersey. Friends and housemates of five years Ed Cooper and Simon Hill tell us how they’ve embraced their alternative home office set-up, and model some of the new work-from-home essentials from Very.
Ed Cooper, MH Deputy Digital Editor “There are four of us in the house. I already lived with my girlfriend, and Simon’s girlfriend moved in during lockdown. We’ve all been working from home, but we have desks in our rooms, so it hasn’t been too bad. The kitchen’s where you get the most traffic, with pots and pans everywhere, but we work around each other – and it’s a good excuse for takeaways. There’s been no pass-agg workplace behaviour – yet.
“I dress quite casually for work anyway, but I still like to make an effort at home. My look is comfortable but not sloppy. It’s easy to spiral right now, but putting on something nice can make you feel good. I have a zero-tolerance policy for faff, so my style is simple: nice T-shirt, comfortable trousers, done.”
Simon Hill, animation PR
“I was furloughed for the first part of lockdown, so I was conscious of not distracting the others when they were working. If I was having a PlayStation marathon in the living room, I made sure the door was closed so there was no danger of me interrupting any video calls. “There’s one spot we all use for our Zoom calls. It has a great bookcase and it’s right next to the router. You just request it for important calls. We’re also lucky that we have a small square of patio where we can work out. I have dumbbells and resistance bands, and Ed’s borrowed a 20kg kettlebell from his CrossFit gym. We just have to schedule our workouts around each other. “I like to get properly dressed when I’m working from home, right down to putting my shoes on. It just gets me into more of a work headspace. I quite like wearing jeans as well – my girlfriend says I’m a freak, but I think it helps my productivity.”
“I LIKE TO GET PROPERLY DRESSED WHEN I’M WORKING FROM HOME – RIGHT DOWN TO PUTTING MY SHOES ON” SIMON HILL