AdNews launched the WFH Diaries, in the depths of the pandemic lockdowns, to chronicle the move to working from home.
Now, with agencies returning to the office, we focus on the people who found new ways of working. Meet those who've switched their general physical workplace, including the tree-changers and sea-changers, and those who spend time both in the office and at home.
Flaminia Sapori, National Head of Partnerships & Strategic Investments, Matterkind:
Where have you moved from/to?
I left busy Sydney to move to slower and greener Byron Bay in October 2020. At IPG we started working from home in March that year and what we though was going to be a two-week stint, didn’t show any sign of ending, so with our lease coming to an end my partner and I started thinking about the opportunity of relocating. After months of lockdown, the idea gave both of us a lot of energy. I’m Italian and my partner is American, and we both always loved the idea of experiencing Australian life in a regional town, we both fell in love with Byron Bay whilst travelling (who hasn’t?!), so we thought this was going to be a great place to try a slower life in closer contact with nature.
Your employer?
I’ve been blessed by working for a great business, Matterkind, which throughout COVID has truly put peoples’ wellbeing first. IPG spent months working on a flexible working policy that worked for everyone’s needs, understanding that ‘flexibility’ is subjective, and it can be seen as an opportunity to improve workplace happiness and quality of work. Matterkind gave me the flexibility to embark for this remote adventure with a huge amount of support.
The Challenges?
The main challenge has been onboarding new members of the team remotely. Building a close relationship with my team is extremely important to me, doing that from scratch, remotely whilst expanding the team can be challenging. But with time and working a lot on team culture - which can also be built and nurtured from a distance - we got there.
Another challenge I had was the initial feeling of needing to be online 24/7 and working around the clock to ‘earn’ the opportunity of building a life in such a magical place on my terms, but once again thanks to the support network at IPG I was able to ease into a proper work-life balance and learn to be more present to appreciate what we have at our doorstep every day.
Logistically, the move itself was a huge challenge. When we locked down our rental, neither my partner nor I had a car and in within 10 days had to move into a fully furnished house sight unseen. Thankfully years of project management and spreadsheet training kicked into gear and we sold nearly everything we owned, bought an SUV and waved goodbye to our friends in Bondi.
The rewards?
Countless! Living in Byron made me feel like you can really have it all if you trust yourself. The ability to continue building my career in such a thriving company whilst living a slower life immersed in nature has given me the chance to truly appreciate the important things in life, be more grateful for what we have and therefore simply be much happier.
My work output massively benefited from the move; I’m able to use my time better prioritising what allows me to raise the bar and gets us to achieve our main goals. Also, we all pick up the phone or jump on VC a lot more now instead of hiding behind emails, so all my professional relationships are stronger.
Outside of work, my partner and I have been living the life we imagined when first moving to Australia: sun-drenched beaches and tropical rain forests all included. I can’t say enough about the nature in Northern NSW and having a lush, jungly garden surround our house is the perfect backdrop for feeling more connected to the present moment.
We’ve been able to explore all around the Northern Rivers region including kayaking with dolphins (and sharks), hiking to/through waterfalls, and paddle boarding through mangrove tunnels. Because of Byron’s tourism draw, we’ve had no shortage of visitors (when travel restrictions allow) which helps us feel connected to friends back in Sydney.
Since moving to Byron without the (admittedly self-inflicted) opportunities to grab a drink after work or attend industry events, I’ve significantly reduced my alcohol intake. Add this to the abundance of fresh, organic food we have here and I’m confident my body is also grateful for the move.
Another wellness advantage of the slower pace is having time to recharge my batteries. You don’t realise how exhausting the full social calendar is until you take an extended break and give yourself space to read a book, go for a walk, or whatever you need to do just for yourself.
What does a typical day look like for you now?
Without the need to commute I can now really make the most of my mornings. I wake up at 6:30am, when my alarm goes off my dog Ruth jumps in bed gives me a morning kiss and snuggles up with me – meaning the alarm is snoozed for another 15min. Once I’m up the first thing is always coffee, then I hit the gym or go for a beach run. After the gym we go for a little walk with Ruth where we often make amazing nature encounters, this reminds me how I’m living in a tropical forest, and I’m constantly amazed by it. It is less enchanting when those encounters are in your backyard and in the form of pythons (we had 3 of them cruising around the house) but I guess there has to be a downside, right?
Then it’s breakfast and work time, I usually jump on a call with my team to start the day with a good dose of human interaction, then I get into what needs to be done for the day. Every workday is very different and usually chaotic, but I try to maintain as much balance as possible. Having a dog once again helps with balance, by 1pm Ruth obligates us to take her to the park for her fetch session, which allows us to get some fresh air for our lunch break. Then it’s more work & meetings and by 7pm we always try to end the day with a long walk (or a surf on my partner’s end) in Tallow Beach with the dog, this is her favourite thing to do (and I think it’s also clear now how she rules my life and I am 100% dog obsessed). This is a great way to end the day and sets us up for a quiet evening, usually we alternate the dinner cooking & cleaning chores and after that is either Netflix or a long and fighting filled Monopoli Deal tournament.
What advice would you give to others considering a similar move?
Do it! Ignore the voice in your head saying it’s a career-limiting move (let your hard work do the talking) and pull the trigger. We’re living in unprecedented times of connectivity where remote work is more than possible, it’s necessary to give human beings the chance to be in harmony with their professional and personal lives. Definitely discuss it with your manager and align on expectations (e.g., working hours, travel to HQ, etc.) and ensure you’ll have good wifi from day 1.
Embrace the chaos, don’t expect everything to run smoothly and keep the local snake catcher’s number stored in your phone.
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