“Make a virtue out of necessity” seems to be the general rule in an age turned upside down by an unprecedented pandemic, and even work is no longer, and easily will not return to being, exactly what it used to be. Organisations will find new structures and more and more will go beyond working within the four walls of the office. The smart work* leads a large proportion of workers to resemble, at least in the way they operate, freelancers. 

In photo - Opera Beige Modern Furnishing Rug

At the heart of it all is the idea of flexibility, place and time

In essence, employees also start working from home, i.e. the spaces in which work takes place multiply, far beyond the physical boundaries of the company. A way of harmonising professional activity with the times of personal life, but above all to be more satisfied in what one does, that is, to come a little closer to a certain idea of happiness, a term we use for practicality and without philosophical intent to describe the state of well-being and the feeling of fullness we would like for all our days. 

Smart work, or agile work, puts the person at the centre, in a balancing act between benefits and risks that requires great responsibility from everyone. Fundamental is to create the optimal conditions for working well, and among these we put the context in which the day takes place at the forefront, starting with the space we will be using. The optimum is to be able to structuring an environment by taking the best from the office and the best from being at home. In the office, it is good to recreate concentration, removing the stimuli that would distract us from our goals. The presence of colleagues to collaborate with is certainly a positive thing, as is the setting of schedules and the possibility of giving one's all, but then also to close with work, leaving the office, to devote oneself to something else. The advantages of staying at home, on the other hand, are the chance to be of an environment tailor-made for us, according to our taste, the comfort that we are able to have thanks to private space and personal belongings, the convenience of not wasting time travelling (with traffic) and a certain flexibility of schedule.

In photo - Opera Cipria Modern Furnishing Rug

From the ideal world to concreteness, the basic points to respect when working from home are:

• THE PLACE. Dedicate a room in the house solely to work. A guest room, even a small one, an under-utilised study, a tavern or an attic room to be converted are optimal. If all this cannot be had, one must make sure to carve out a corner for exclusive work use, even a small mobile workstation, to be hidden when the work is finished. The objective remains create a setting that helps us to fully immerse ourselves in the role we are playing. Mixing is forbidden, which has the effect of feeling on loan in the professional capacity, and of being caught between housewife and worker (women traditionally run a greater risk if they are lured by domestic duties, but men will also have to comply with the guidelines). 

Green light for interior design that combines practicality, aesthetics and comfort, because inspiration and motivation can also come from carefully chosen furnishings, creative solutions, a skilful use of colour to define spaces.

Pictured: Ghost Floor Mat - White semi-transparent, protects delicate surfaces from scratches and abrasions.

• THE TIMES. Smart work presupposes flexibility of time, in agreement with the company. But we cannot think of extending working time beyond eight hours, if only because the aim is to work better, certainly not at night or instead of dinner! As with spaces, times must also be well defined. A minimum of flexibility is in order, but the difficulty is precisely to balance the different roles well. So, receiving a courier delivery (even if for a personal order) fits, as does paying a bill online; replacing a coffee break with loading a washing machine is not a good idea, because it distracts too much from work and risks creating overload anxiety. Let's forget the much-hyped multitasking of the 1990s and onwards, now definitely in decline, and stay focused on one topic at a time.
• PEOPLE. Working from home does not mean isolating yourself, on the contrary! Distance from colleagues should be bridged with other kinds of communication, from e-mails to video calls. People who have nothing to do with work should simply be kept out of the professional context. One does not work from home to keep company with children at the same time (who deserve full attention, quality time and not the time off between our other duties), nor to be available for private visits or calls, just as one does not receive the insurer or the heartbroken friend in the company.
•  THE PAUSES. In the homogeneity between the working environment in the company and that in the home, there is the “coffee break”, a healthy moment of relaxation that helps to restart with new momentum. Here the green light is given to an extra pampering, taking advantage of a cosy place like our kitchen and, in many cases, a better coffee. 

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