Project Context
In 2025, the company DAILY launched a monitoring program on work-related stress in digital workers, with the aim of analyzing and preventing cognitive overload in remote working environments.
Among the various groups analyzed, a recurring cluster stood out: workers with digital technical roles, active in the afternoon time slot (2:00 PM–6:00 PM), involved in support, onboarding, or development activities.
Profile of the Analyzed Cluster
- Prevalent role: developer, systems administrator, data analyst.
- Environment: home-based remote working, quiet and correctly lit.
- Context: favorable, no external disturbances.
- Posture: Stationary, sitting/standing, focused work, no physical activity.
- Recurring activity: technical support for a new resource or tasks of cognitive complexity.
- Interruptions: none
- Stated emotion: satisfaction
- Perceived stress (self-assessment): medium → 6 out of 10
- WIDIU physiological stress: 10 out of 10 – Maximum peak on a normalized scale
Comparison Between Perception and Physiological Reality
| Source | Value | Meaning |
| Self-assessment | 6/10 | Positive emotional engagement, sense of efficacy |
| WIDIU Stress | 10/10 | Extreme bodily activation, typical of high commitment |
Key interpretation:
This cluster represents a situation of eustress, i.e., “positive” stress experienced as a stimulating challenge. However, the difference between what is perceived and what the body records is substantial.
What Does Body Temperature Tell Us?
The WIDIU system recorded a recurring increase in body temperature above 38 °C, well beyond the physiological resting threshold (36.5–37.2 °C).
This value indicates deep metabolic involvement, often not perceived as “fatigue” but which, if not managed, can:
- Delay recovery
- Worsen sleep quality
- Cause latent stress accumulation
Proposed Solutions: Guided Cognitive Decompression
For this cluster, DAILY has activated a post-work protocol integrated into the WIDIU system, featuring automatic notifications and guidance from the conversational avatar Salvatore.
Recommended Protocol (30 minutes total):
- Digital cool-down (10’)
- Coherent breathing (5’)
- Guided journaling (10’)
- Light movement or stretching (5’)
The avatar Salvatore accompanies the user step-by-step, also suggesting personalized variations.
Integration into the WIDIU System
Monitoring is based on intelligent activation thresholds:
| Level | Condition | Automatic Action |
| L1 | Physiological stress ≥ 8 | Decompression suggestion |
| L2 | Stress ≥ 8 + EMA ≥ 6 | Mandatory decompression |
| L3 | 3 consecutive days with high stress | Supervisor notification (configurable) |
All data is integrated into the dailyplatform, with weekly reports, a digital diary, and automatic tags (satisfaction, fatigue, tension).
Project Impact
The project has made it possible to:
- Identify specific clusters of positive stress with high physiological impact
- Propose targeted interventions, even when the subject does not perceive any discomfort
- Validate the role of conversational AI in prevention (Salvatore)
- Offer companies a concrete tool for prevention and digital well-being
Conclusions
The study on the afternoon technical remote working cluster demonstrates that:
- Positive stress can be physiologically taxing
- The body speaks, even when the mind says “I’m fine”
- Technology can help recognize and manage what is not visible
Preventing stress does not mean eliminating it. It means recognizing it in time, understanding it, and supporting it in an intelligent way.