Since the pandemic began, more people than ever before are working from home. While this does provide excellent benefits for both businesses and workers, there are some challenges that come with working outside of an office environment.
One challenge of working from home is finding a suitable, comfortable place to work. Your home office can determine everything from how well you work, to how you feel.
If you want to thrive in a work from home environment, follow these 8 tips for creating the ultimate home office…
1. Design your office from the ground up
The first thing to figure out is how you want your office space to look. Ultimately dependant upon your budget, the aesthetics and layout of the office will influence how you work.
Begin by assessing your current flooring. Is it comfortable, practical, and aesthetically pleasing? The ideal flooring for a home office should complement the space and become one of the main focal points in the room.
If you will be using a castor chair, make sure the floor can withstand the pressure from its wheels. You will also want to avoid a floor that scratches easily if you want to minimise maintenance. LVT, engineered wood, and SPC flooring tend to be the best options for home offices.
2. Invest in ergonomic furniture
Once you have the design and layout of the office down, it’s time to focus on comfort. Ergonomic furniture may be a little more expensive, but it can prevent all kinds of issues.
When you are sat at a desk for long periods of time, an uncomfortable chair will play havoc with your back and joints. Over time, this can lead to serious issues which could see you needing to take time off work.
Investing in ergonomic furniture will protect your health, keep you comfortable, and improve productivity.
3. Bring in the light
To improve concentration and focus, ensure there is plenty of natural light getting into your office space. Keep curtains or blinds open and place a mirror strategically to reflect light back into the room.
If you can’t bring in much natural light, make sure you switch to LED bulbs instead of using fluorescent ones. This will reduce the risk of headaches and prevent you from becoming fatigued. You could even invest in a smart bulb as they often come with working settings, producing a daylight style light.
4. Utilise storage space
A cluttered home office is an unproductive one. Utilise clever storage options to keep your working space more organised. This can include having a file cabinet for documents, a desk organiser to keep pens, paper, and office essentials organised, and installing wall shelves to create additional space.
You’ll also want to keep clutter to a minimum. Each day, make time to tidy up the room, making sure it is clean and organised for the start of your working day.
5. Add plants to the office
Plants offer some impressive health and wellbeing benefits. Numerous studies have shown that plants and greenery can enhance the mood, boost productivity, and even improve air quality. You don’t need to turn your office space into a jungle. Just one or two plants will help you to work and feel better.
Some of the best office plants to consider include spider plants, snake plants, aloe vera, devil’s ivy, and peace lilies.
6. Give it a personal touch
If you want to inspire creativity and make your home office a pleasant place to work, give it a personal touch. It could be changing the colour of the walls, placing photos on your desk, or adding soft furnishings to your taste.
The more personal you make the space, the more productive you will be.
7. Check the height of your desk
As well as investing in ergonomic furniture, you’ll also want to ensure you are working at the correct height. According to industry standards, your desk should be 29 inches off the floor. If you are tall, you will likely need a higher desk, whereas shorter workers will need a lower desk.
You should also pay attention to where the mouse and keypad will be placed. Desks with a pull-out drawer just below the work surface are the best ones to purchase. This makes it more comfortable to use the mouse and keyboard for long periods of time.
8. Invest in good broadband
You will struggle to work well from home if you don’t have good broadband. Look to see what the fastest option in your area is. You should also consider paying for business broadband if you can. That way, if something goes wrong you will be considered a priority, getting your broadband back up and running much faster than standard plans.
Though it might seem like a lot of work, following the TIPS above will help you to set up the perfect home office environment. Switching to working from home isn’t always easy, but there are ways to set yourself up for success.
