Stephanie Davis
Davis, who's in her 40s, has worked for Google for 15 years. Originally from a small town in Georgia in the US, she spent stints working in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dublin, and New Zealand before moving to Singapore in 2017 as the company's Country Director.
Now, she's Google's highest-ranking executive in Southeast Asia, overseeing about 2,000 employees at Google's Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore, as well as teams in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Before the pandemic, Davis said she was typically traveling in the region for work eight to 10 days out of the month.Stephanie Davis
Whenever possible, she would tack on a personal day to a work trip and her husband would join her for a mini-vacation.
"I think it's one of the beauties about this region," Davis told Insider. "You have the organization, the safety, and the beauty of Singapore, a professional place to be in terms of career. But then you step on a boat, step on a plane, and you can just be in some of the most adventurous, amazing spots in the world."
Now, like many office workers, Davis has been working from home for over a year. In April, however, Singapore's loosened restrictions allowed Davis to start going into the office two days per week and to work from home the other three.Stephanie Davis
Davis, who lives in Singapore's Tanjong Pagar neighborhood with her husband, Jack, said she thought she had a sufficient home office setup before the pandemic.
"But I soon realized my desk and my small chair may have worked for weekend work and a few hours at night, but it certainly wasn't cut out for working full days at home," she said. "So I've certainly had to adapt a more ergonomic setup."
Davis got a better chair, a desk that raises and lowers so she can alternate between sitting and standing, and a keyboard and monitor.
Google, which is known for providing lavish amenities to its employees like a free café and on-site massage therapists, is saving more than $1 billion a year while its staffers work from home, Bloomberg recently reported.
7 to 7:30 a.m: As often as her schedule allows, Davis starts her day with a yoga session.Stephanie Davis
"I have found yoga to be so helpful to my well-being during this time that I sometimes manage to squeeze in two sessions a day, with a second one that's a nice wind-down before bed," Davis said.
One of her favorite channels is Boho Beautiful with Juliana Spicoluk, she said. The morning yoga is a new addition to Davis' routine since she started working from home.
"Singapore is an easy city to get around so it's not that I have a really long commute, but that saving of time in the morning has allowed me to do yoga most mornings," she said.
7:30 to 8 a.m: After yoga, it's time for Davis' morning coffee made with Malaysian-grown coffee beans from the local Tiong Bahru market and brewed by her "kind husband," she said.Stephanie Davis
"No fancy coffee machines in our home — we lived on a boat for many years, and it's still a stovetop espresso maker for us," Davis said. "We love the simplicity and low waste."
With her coffee in hand, Davis starts getting ready for her day.
"Another pandemic-driven change: I get ready for WFH much faster than I get ready to work from the office," she said.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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