How do we present our best selves when working remotely?

Bargaining about outcomes while negotiating a whole new role for ‘place’.

Make working from home a place of harmony, productivity, and regeneration. From a worker’s standpoint, make a point of discussing this as a right rather than a privilege during the interview, or renegotiation.

Become more aware about boundaries between the experience of work and the experience of home and family.

Pay attention to when rest and family commitments can boost creativity and productivity. From an employer’s standpoint, ensure that access to work from home is available to all; not portioned out by age, gender or ethnicity. Focus on respectful communication and nurture employee well-being, over office perks.

One can think about tooling up a place for work only through the lens of very expensive practical items. But it’s not about paying for the most expensive objects. It is all about sending authentic social signals through the clothes we wear and the social presence we create. For example, the virtual background became a practical tool and fun conversational point in this era. There are deeper, more authentic ways to indicate who we are, what ideas we treasure, and what we hope to become.

Design in context: How could we equip the worker with tools to present their best selves while working remotely?