Field Notes: Work From Your Happy Place

Navigating the Paradox of Remote Work.

Too often we see and hear about the ongoing debate surrounding remote work. Employers want people back in the office, employees don't want to come back to the office. Who's right? Are you #TeamWFH or #Office4Life

Here's something for companies to think about: if an employee is meeting your standards, delivering the work on time, being a good team player, and an effective communicator, does it matter if that person is sitting for 8 hours at the office? Would you care if they worked from home every day? Would it be a deal breaker if they’re in a different city than you? Or in another country?

After 2020 and the unavoidable rise of the work-from-home situation, the marketing landscape got divided into two camps: the office diehards and the work-from-home fans. We're not picking sides. Instead, let's explore a concept that I like to call "work from your happy place," which sits outside the "office vs. home" conversation and focuses on employee satisfaction and productivity.

And let's be clear: We're strictly talking about the marketing industry, specifically workers at creative departments, because it's clear that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma.??

The work-from-home phenomenon of 2020 left us with a lot of anecdotal evidence from which we can extract lots of valuable insights. It was the first time in the modern era that most people worked from home or remotely, and that tested everyone's commitment to the work. On one hand, employers had to trust their teams fully; they weren't there to micromanage everyone’s days and ensure they were "working" the entire day. On the other hand, employees discovered a new sense of autonomy and were driven to improve their time management abilities.

Suddenly, the employees were the owners of their own time. However, the pressure to deliver on time and within high standards skyrocketed because when you work from home, the only metric you can show for your work is the work itself.

Something very interesting happened during the work-from-home boom: some creatives excelled and became the superstars they never were at the office. Others caved under the pressure of managing their own time and yearned for a return to the office, where they could be more productive.

This paradox is what sparked the idea of working from your happy place. If you ignore the lofty life of the "digital nomads" of Instagram, you're left with a diverse pool of people who describe their ideal place of work very differently. We have worked with creatives who prefer the constant hum of people in a coffee shop; others feel creatively energized if they work in a different place every week; others thrive in the chaos of working at home in the dining room with their kids and dogs running around. Some had the opportunity of creating their dream home office in a spare bedroom or garage. We've worked with creatives who rushed back to the office when they reopened because their morning ritual of taking a shower, dressing nicely, and commuting to the office was their "On/Off" switch. Some people need to separate themselves from home and go into an office to get their creative juices going.

What working from your happy place really means is not about working from home or moving to Bali. It's about flexibility, having the freedom to choose where to work from. It's about autonomy, something creatives need to keep our minds fresh and productive. It's about being able to go out into the world to be inspired and come back to an office or home office to grind and churn out a usable product.

Working from your happy place is the best way to serve the work because it's the setting that allows you to be more creative, more productive, and a better team member. Employers often think that creatives want freedom of movement to take a permanent paid vacation, but in my experience, creatives who feel autonomous tend to be more responsible and productive than those who feel trapped in a work environment that doesn't inspire them.

Our invitation to you is to stop thinking of remote work and office work as irreconcilable opposites. Instead, let's think in terms of the individuality of a creative mind. What do we need to provide as an employer to put our creatives in the best position for them to deliver inspired work? Is it an office? Is it a hybrid work policy? Is it total freedom of movement?

That's up for you to decide, but let's be clear: creative work is an individual phenomenon deeply dependent on the setting and the creative's mindset. Creative people may look scattered, but usually aren’t lazy. Our brains are constantly looking for solutions to the challenges we are faced with. And that search often leads us outside the office and into the world.

And yes, we have responsibilities and deadlines to meet. But the fact remains that most of us strike creative gold in the most random situations. Some find what they're looking for while hiking in the forest; others have their best ideas while they cook. We've even worked with someone who came up with his best work while playing video games. Weird? Yes. Effective? Very.

Lastly, for us at Fortunato, "working from your happy place" is a by-product of our philosophy: Serving The Work*. It means that work should be the thing one lives to do, the full expression of our faculties through Beauty, Craftsmanship, and Purpose.

Working from our happy place allows us to serve the work fully because it frees us from the constraints that may stop us from surrendering wholly to what we live for: our creative work. And when the worker is happy, the work is good When the work is good, the clients are happy. When the clients are happy, your business will be happy too.

*You can read more about our philosophy here: https://www.fortunato.work/about/