Making Office in Ukraine
Or how and who decide to open offices in Kharkiv (Ukraine) during the war
We never thought Piarnaya would have an office. Until we got bored. That is how it works. Writing to you in the face of the CEO of Piaranya — Kseniya. “I was working in an office for 3,5 years. All this time I was only dreaming of stopping working in the office since working there I could not travel, could not do completely what I wanted, and felt absolutely not free”.
Who knew many people will miss offices and workplaces when we will finally lose a chance to visit them? When the pandemic started numerous businesses could not proceed to work in offices since it was simply forbidden to gather together to avoid the possibility of getting infected. However, we all knew one day or another it will end and we will become able to go to the workplace again. However when the war in Ukraine occurred and many offices were simply burnt down to the ground with bombs, such an opportunity was killed. Оnce and forever.
“I was working at home since the first days of the war. The first months I loved it — you don’t have to waste any time on getting to work, getting ready for work, etc. Just get to the table and that’s it. All my life I was working in a separate room and believed I was not social enough to miss working with people. Who could even imagine I would start missing people from the third month at home?”
Working from home gives a feeling of comfort, but at the same time, it also gives a distraction, an anti-social mood and a lack of communication. Thus, a person may start losing track of time, become less organized and lose time and a list of work tasks. Many psychologists advise organizing a workplace with chairs and tables, making a strict agenda and organizing tasks. At the same time, many psychologists suggest making a special place for work in the flat, so you will be coming in and leaving it when the work is finished, and that’s how a home-work balance will get back to your life.
“Even after I brought a table and a bunch of furniture from the office back home it was not enough for me to start feeling the same positive. I noticed how I was losing my willing to work and became less organized and more irritated. Depression was slowly getting back to me. That very moment by occasion I saw that one of the most famous coffee houses in Kharkiv (Ukraine) was given to rent”.
A lot of small offline businesses fled the town when the invasion in 2022 started. “I decided to turn a modular half-glass box with 2 terraces in my office. I called the owner of the place and you know no one understood how I even see this event — how an ex-coffee shop can become an office. However, I had an idea. I liked the place and its atmosphere, I liked the vibe and look. I wanted it. So I just moved odd furniture out, bought a lot of flowers and cozy carpet, brought something from my ex-office, and voila — perfect creative space is here”.
Piarnaya got home. And only that very moment we realized how important it was since the office allows us to meet clients, today the owner of Vsimdim came to meet us before tomorrow’s event, also our new clients like stopping for a cup of coffee and small talk and our colleagues come over to discuss some ideas. Having an office for those who work in PR is important. Since people should know how you feel and what is your vibe. The office is a place that may share it.
