Working at home: creating a ritualised process to get into “work mode”
When I work from home, I definitely will have my face washed, hair combed, and change my pyjamas, to give myself a ritualised sense of ‘getting to work’.
Of course we don’t need to suit-up while working from home…a comfortable tee or sweater will do – at least you don’t look like a countryside girl in video conferences…”
-Miss Ant, freelance consultant sharing tips on working from home
As the popular Chinese meme “be at work within one second” (一秒到岗) highlights, the lines between the private and work spheres have become totally blurred, Chinese consumers are experiencing the challenges of “cloud working” (云办公), often finding themselves feeling easily distracted and feeling unproductive. As a result, people are experimenting with new ways of working and discussing the “right” way to work from home.
In order to combat laziness and distraction when working at home, some Chinese consumers are carving out dedicated work-spaces within the home. But perhaps more interestingly, they are also experimenting with a ritualised transitional process of entering “work mode”. Across China people are adopting and sharing new practices which help them to transition into their role as a productive working professional while remaining in the home space.
Posts of confinement work stations sharing organisation and productivity tips (left) .
UNIQLO’s latest communication on casual apparels related to working from home (right)
Grooming has become a major “marker” of this ritualised process. Balancing comfort and decency – smart casual and sporty- chic outfits are gaining popularity as appropriate “cloud working” attire. While skincare and make-up routines are reportedly also helping people transition from their unpolished and lazy “home-self “into a refreshed and polished “working-self”.
In this context, there is an opportunity for apparel and beauty brands to engage with consumers who are seeking out new ways to boost their working productivity at home. In both beauty and apparel industries, balancing comfort with visual cues which signify vitality and energy is key.
By Yu-rong Chang, Senior Researcher/ethnographer at Metis International