#WFH Diaries: Dan Kenger of Hims & Hers
As the pandemic continues, and with most folks still working from home, we're continuing to check in with industry pros to see how they're faring. Below, we chat with Dan Kenger, vp of design at telehealth service Hims & Hers.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself.
I'm Dan, the vp of design at Hims & Hers and a newly appointed #girldad.
Where are you living right now, and who's with you?
I live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, with my wife and daughter.
What's your work situation like at the moment, and how is it evolving?
I work from home at the moment, which entails working from my daughter's room and the kitchen. I basically alternate rooms based on her nap schedule.
If you generally work in an office, when you do you expect to return to it?
Hims & Hers has moved to a remote-first company, so I don't anticipate returning to any office any time soon. I do think we might have some sort of outpost in New York eventually, but for the short term I'm just trying to get a comfy set-up at home as we head into the winter.
Describe your socializing strategy.
New York has really been quite amazing in how the outdoor dining has emerged—it feels like Europe in certain parts of the city. So, my main way to socialize has been mainly at outdoor restaurants having drinks in a socially distant, responsible way.
How are you dealing with childcare?
I'm from Long Island, so I have a lot of family all around us—specifically, my mother has been a huge help as she watches our daughter during the day so my wife and I can work. We are basically living in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where my mother just shows up and tells me to wash my hands every 60 minutes, even though she sees I haven't left the house.
What are you reading?
A science-fiction book called The Three-Body Problem. I heard Netflix was making this into a show and have been looking forward to a good sci-fi book to dig into.
What are you watching?
Lovecraft Country on HBO. It's a horror/sci-fi show that feels fresh in a sea of same-same.
What are you listening to?
I just have baby songs on repeat ... is that not music?
How are you staying fit?
I have converted our garage to a "home gym." What this has entailed is getting a pull-up rig built out of piping and accruing weights from the local gyms on lease.
Have you taken up a hobby?
Does trying to sleep standing up while rocking a baby count?
An awkward moment since all this started.
Realizing there is no such thing "constructive feedback" to your mother about how she takes care of your child.
An aha! moment since all this started.
My daughter has gone through her first year of life and has not met any other baby.
What's your theory on how this is going to play out?
I think we are experiencing a rubber-band snap effect, where the pandemic has accelerated a lot of new ways of working … but I do think we are going to end up somewhere in the middle of where we are now and where we were. Humans are innately social creatures, and I feel we need that to flourish and be inspired. I think a healthy mix of working from home and being around people is more and more what the future will look like.
