A Work-From-Home Day in One Pair of Shoes

Breakfast, calls, a standing stretch, lunch, the dog, the post office and the couch. A home workday, hour by hour, without changing shoes once.

By the COOPS team 3 min read

Woman sitting on a bench in a sunlit bedroom wearing Sand COOPS Low Top sock shoes

The short answer

A home workday is rarely just desk time. It’s breakfast, calls, a standing stretch, lunch at the kitchen table, a dog walk, a parcel run and the couch. One comfortable pair that works inside and outside, like COOPS, means you put shoes on once in the morning and take them off once at night.

Ask people who work from home what they wear on their feet and you get a funny list. Socks with a hole in the heel. The slippers a relative gave them. Running shoes laced loosely so they can kick them off. It’s easy to switch three or four times a day without noticing. We think the home workday deserves one good pair, so here’s what a day in COOPS looks like, hour by hour.

7:30 am, getting up

Feet into COOPS before the kettle goes on. The floor is cold first thing, and a cold floor is no way to start the day. No laces, no bending down, and the knit is soft enough to wear without socks if you like.

Parent making breakfast in Ash Gray COOPS Low Tops

8:15 am, school run or coffee run

This is where slippers lose. The real rubber outsole means you can walk the kids to the bus, grab a coffee or move the car without changing. Nobody at the coffee shop will know you’re technically still in your house shoes.

9:00 am, first call

Desk time. Quiet matters here. Hard soles clack on hardwood, and you’d be surprised how much a microphone picks up. A knit upper and a rubber sole are close to silent, which means you can pace on a call without muting.

“No clacking on the hardwood, so I can move around during calls without muting myself.”
A COOPS customer

11:00 am, standing for a while

If you have a standing desk, this is a good time to use it. Not all day, though. Changing position through the day is what helps; standing still for hours brings its own aches.¹ We wrote more about this in what to wear at a standing desk.

Woman on a call with her feet up on the desk in Sand COOPS Low Tops — Late-morning call, then lunch at the kitchen table.

Woman eating lunch at her kitchen table wearing Black COOPS Low Tops — Late-morning call, then lunch at the kitchen table.

12:30 pm, lunch and a walk

The single best thing about working from home might be the lunchtime walk. The World Health Organization recommends cutting down on sitting time and replacing some of it with movement of any intensity,² and a walk around the block counts. If the dog agrees, even better. Leash off the hook, out the door, no shoe change.

Person clipping a leash onto a dog in Black COOPS Low Tops

2:00 pm, the parcel and the post office

A delivery at the door, a return to drop off, a quick errand between meetings. These little trips are where a home workday gets its movement, and where the wrong shoes turn a two-minute job into a ten-minute one.

Man leaving a post office with parcels in Black COOPS Low Tops

4:00 pm, the afternoon slump

Feet up for a bit, or a lap of the garden. If you’ve been on your feet a lot, a few minutes with them raised feels good. One MRI study even found feet swell over a day of sitting and go back down when raised,³ which might explain why your shoes feel tighter by the afternoon. It’s also why we tell people to measure their feet in the evening when choosing a size.

6:00 pm, sign off

Laptop closed. This is where some people kick their COOPS off and some people keep them on through dinner and the couch. Either way, it’s been one pair since the morning.

Feet in Sand COOPS Low Tops resting on an ottoman in front of a television

Saturday, wash day

All that in and out means they get dirty, which is fine. Into the wash bag, into the machine on a cool gentle cycle, then air dry. Here’s the full how-to for washing COOPS.

Which pair for a home workday?

The Low Top is the easiest to slip on and off, which makes it a natural pick for working from home. The High Top covers the ankle and is cozier in a cold house. Same sole, same fit, same price. If you want one of each, two pairs are US$60 each.

For a more practical take on choosing, read the best shoes for working from home, or see the whole home workday on our work-from-home page.

Choose Your COOPS.

High Top More coverage around the ankle for a closer, cozier feel.

$110 CAD

Quick add

Bundle & save Find your size

Free shipping on CA$120 or moreMachine washable

Low Top Easy on. Easy off. The everyday choice for breathable, flexible comfort.

$110 CAD

Quick add

Bundle & save Find your size

Free shipping on CA$120 or moreMachine washable

Find your size

COOPS come in letter sizes, and each letter covers two US sizes, so half sizes are already handled. Find your usual US number below and order that letter.

COOPS size	Women’s US	Men’s US	EU	Foot (cm)	Foot (in)
5XS	5–5.5	—	35–35.5	21.6–22.0	8.5–8.7
4XS	6–6.5	4.5–5	36–37	22.4–22.9	8.8–9.0
3XS	7–7.5	5.5–6	37.5–38	23.3–23.7	9.2–9.3
2XS	8–8.5	6.5–7	38.5–39	24.1–24.6	9.5–9.7
XS	9–9.5	7.5–8	39.5–40	25.0–25.4	9.8–10.0
S	10–10.5	8.5–9	40.5–41	25.8–26.2	10.2–10.3
M	11–11.5	9.5–10	41.5–42	26.7–27.1	10.5–10.7
L	12	10.5–11	42.5–43	27.5–27.9	10.8–11.0
XL	—	11.5–12	44–44.5	28.4–28.8	11.2–11.3
2XL	—	12.5–13	45–46	29.2–29.6	11.5–11.7
3XL	—	13.5–14	46.5–47	30.0–30.5	11.8–12.0
4XL	—	14.5–15	47.5–48	30.9–31.3	12.2–12.3
5XL	—	15.5–16	48.5–49	31.8–32.2	12.5–12.7

Foot length is the measurement that matters, if it falls between two letters, take the larger. A dash means that letter isn’t offered in that fit; wide feet, take the next letter up.

Questions people ask

Can I wear COOPS outside?

Yes. They have a real rubber outsole with tread for pavement and gravel, so the coffee run, dog walk and school pickup don’t need a shoe change. The sole is waterproof, but the knit upper isn’t, so avoid puddles and heavy rain.

Do I wear socks with COOPS?

Either way. The knit lining is soft enough to wear barefoot, and plenty of people do. Others prefer a thin no-show sock. Neither changes the fit.

How do I keep indoor-outdoor shoes clean?

Wash them. COOPS go in the washing machine in the included wash bag on a cool, gentle cycle, then air dry.

Sources

Waters TR, Dick RB (2015). Evidence of health risks associated with prolonged standing at work and intervention effectiveness. Rehabilitation Nursing 40(3):148–165. doi.org/10.1002/rnj.166
Bull FC et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine 54(24):1451–1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
Freund W, Wikstroem P, Wunderlich AP, Schuetz U, Beer M (2024). Sitting foot: posture dependent changes of volume, edema and perfusion of the foot. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 25:858. doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07971-4