Home Office Setups: Lessons Learned

Working from home has taught us a lot about our office setups. It's important to separate your work and personal life, and to create a designated workspace that promotes comfort and functionality. This can include investing in ergonomic furniture, improving lighting, and adding personal touches to your space. Here are some key takeaways:

- Find an ideal work area: Choose a quiet spot with a pleasing view, and set up your office to create a tidy, neutral background for video calls. Soundproof your space if needed.

- Choose the right equipment: Opt for noise-canceling headphones, an ergonomic mouse and keyboard, an external webcam, and an additional screen for improved efficiency.

- Get reliable internet: Ensure fast and reliable internet by upgrading your service or reconsidering router placement. Use Wi-Fi extenders if your office is far from the router.

- Use the right communication tools: Invest in software solutions for project management, messaging, and video conferencing to stay connected and collaborate effectively.

- Invest in ergonomic furniture: Prioritize comfort with adjustable chairs, height-adjustable desks, footrests, and laptop stands.

- Optimize lighting: Maximize natural lighting and use lamp shades or task lighting to create a diffused, eye-friendly environment.

- Personalize your space: Pick colours that enhance productivity and incorporate greenery to relieve stress and improve concentration.

- Keep the work area tidy: Use filing cabinets, floating shelves, bins, desk organizers, and pegboards to maintain a clutter-free workspace.

Invest in ergonomic furniture to promote comfort and functionality

Investing in ergonomic furniture is a great way to promote comfort and functionality in your home office setup. Here are some tips and recommendations to help you create a comfortable and efficient workspace:

Choose the Right Furniture:

Select furniture that provides comfort and supports your body. This includes an ergonomic chair with proper lumbar support and armrests, as well as a desk with an adjustable height. Standing desks are also a great option to improve your posture and reduce back pain. Don't forget to add a cushioned floor mat if you opt for a standing desk, and a footrest to elevate your feet while sitting.

Improve Your Lighting:

Ensure your workspace has adequate lighting to reduce eye strain. Consider investing in a desk lamp to bring more light to your space, and try to maximize natural lighting by placing your desk near a window.

Create a Dedicated Workspace:

Designate a specific area in your home for work. This helps create a boundary between your work and personal life, improving your work-life balance. Make sure your workspace is separate from busy areas like the kitchen or living room, and consider using room dividers or partitions to create a sense of privacy.

Invest in a Good Office Chair:

A good office chair is crucial for your comfort and posture. Look for chairs with adjustable height, lumbar support, and armrests. Additionally, consider chairs made with comfortable and breathable materials, such as mesh or fabric.

Utilize a Laptop Stand:

If you use a laptop, consider getting a laptop stand to raise it to eye level and improve your posture. This is especially useful if you move around a lot during the day or work from different locations.

Enhance Your Video Call Setup:

With remote work, video calls are a regular part of our work lives. Invest in a good webcam, a ring light, and a sturdy phone stand or tripod to ensure you look and sound your best during meetings.

Improve Your Acoustics:

If you work in a noisy environment or need to block out distractions, consider using noise-canceling headphones or investing in soundproofing for your office. You can also create a more peaceful environment by adding plants or other sound-absorbing materials to your space.

Stay Organized:

A tidy workspace is essential for maintaining productivity and focus. Use shelves, drawers, and desk organizers to keep your space clutter-free. You can also use vertical space by installing floating shelves or a pegboard to hold items like headphones, pens, and other office supplies.

Personalize Your Space:

Add personal touches to your workspace to make it more inviting and inspiring. This can include artwork, plants, or photos that motivate and inspire you. Remember to keep the overall design simple and streamlined to avoid clutter.

Take Care of Your Body:

Invest in a good seat cushion or lumbar support attachment for your chair to improve your posture and comfort. Additionally, consider using a wrist rest or ergonomic keyboard to reduce wrist strain. Take regular breaks to stretch and move your body, and stay hydrated by keeping a water bottle on your desk.

Choose the right equipment for your workflow, such as noise-cancelling headphones, an ergonomic mouse/keyboard, and an external webcam

When working from home, it's important to have the right equipment to ensure comfort and efficiency. Here are some suggestions for choosing the right equipment for your workflow:

Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones can help you focus on your work by blocking out background noise and distractions. They can also improve the quality of your video calls by reducing the amount of ambient noise. When choosing noise-cancelling headphones, consider factors such as comfort, sound quality, noise-cancelling performance, and price. Some recommended options include:

• Sony WH-1000XM5: These headphones offer excellent sound, noise cancellation, and voice-calling performance. They are lightweight and comfortable but come with a high price tag.
• Beats Fit Pro: These wireless earbuds work with both Android and Apple devices and offer great sound, noise cancellation, and battery life. They also have built-in ear fins for a secure fit.
• Panasonic ErgoFit: If you're on a budget, these corded earbuds provide decent sound quality and come in a range of fun colors.

Ergonomic Mouse and Keyboard

An ergonomic mouse and keyboard can help improve your posture, reduce wrist strain, and increase comfort during long work hours. Look for features such as adjustable height, wrist support, and curved or split designs that allow for a more natural hand and arm position. Some recommended options include:

• Logitech Ergo K860: This split-layout keyboard has a curved, ergonomic shape and a comfortable wrist rest. It is easy to adapt to for newcomers and helps prevent stiffness from everyday office work.
• Keychron Q1 Pro: This wireless mechanical keyboard offers a slim design, RGB lighting, and hot-swappable keys. It is highly customizable and provides a tactile click while remaining relatively quiet.
• Logitech G305 Wireless Mouse: This affordable wireless mouse has a smooth scroll wheel and long battery life, usually requiring a battery change only once every three to four months.

External Webcam

An external webcam can significantly improve the video quality of your video calls and meetings. Look for features such as high resolution, autofocus, and built-in noise-cancelling microphones. Some recommended options include:

• Razer Kiyo X: This webcam offers sharp image quality, quick autofocus, and excellent automatic white balance and color saturation. It is easy to set up and use.
• Logitech C920 Pro HD Webcam: This webcam provides 1080p video quality at 30 frames per second and has solid autofocus and white balance. It is a great option if you're looking for a runner-up to the Razer Kiyo X.
• AnkerWork B600: If you work in a dimly lit environment, this premium 2K webcam is a great choice. It is built around a soft light that is large enough to make video calls practical even in low light conditions.

Get reliable internet service to ensure efficient work completion

Working from home has become the new normal for many, and a good work setup is essential to staying productive and efficient. Here are some tips to get reliable internet service and ensure efficient work completion:

• Upgrade your internet service: If you frequently collaborate with colleagues or use high bandwidth, a fast and reliable internet connection is crucial. Upgrade your internet plan to a higher speed tier if possible. This will ensure that you can work seamlessly without frustrating lags or buffering.
• Reconsider router placement: If your home office is far from the router or separated by walls, you may experience internet connectivity issues. Move your router closer to your workspace or use Wi-Fi extenders or repeaters to boost the signal strength in your work area.
• Invest in a good modem and router: Ensure you have a high-quality modem and router that can handle multiple devices and provide a stable connection. This is especially important if you have a large household or multiple people working from home simultaneously.
• Use a wired connection: Whenever possible, connect your work devices directly to your router using an Ethernet cable. This can provide a faster and more stable connection than Wi-Fi, reducing the risk of dropped calls or slow upload and download speeds.
• Improve wireless connectivity: If you rely on Wi-Fi, consider upgrading to a mesh Wi-Fi system or a new router with better range and performance. This is especially beneficial if you work in an area of your home that is far from the router or has spotty coverage.
• Use powerline adapters: If you cannot run an Ethernet cable directly to your work area, consider using powerline adapters. These devices use your home's electrical wiring to transmit an internet connection, providing a more stable and faster alternative to Wi-Fi.
• Get a signal booster: In areas of your home with weak Wi-Fi coverage, a Wi-Fi signal booster or range extender can help enhance the signal and improve your internet speed. This is ideal for larger homes or spaces with many obstacles or interference sources.
• Limit bandwidth-heavy activities: While working, avoid activities that consume large amounts of bandwidth, such as streaming high-definition videos, downloading large files, or playing online games. These activities can slow down your internet speed and impact your work efficiency.
• Use a VPN: If you handle sensitive information or work with confidential data, consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to secure your internet connection and protect your data. This is especially important if you frequently connect to public Wi-Fi networks or work in unsecured locations.
• Password protection: Ensure your Wi-Fi network is password-protected to prevent unauthorized access. A strong password will make it difficult for others to access your network and potentially slow down your connection or compromise your data.
• Use a business phone number: Separate your personal and work-related calls by signing up for a dedicated business phone number. This will help you stay organized and maintain a professional image. Services like Ooma offer affordable VoIP solutions, allowing you to make and receive calls over the internet.
• Use unified communication tools: Invest in unified communication platforms that integrate voice, chat, and video capabilities into a single interface. This will reduce the need to switch between multiple apps and streamline your collaboration and communication with colleagues.

Use the right communication tools, such as unified communications platforms, to stay connected and collaborate effectively

Unified communications platforms are essential for remote workers to stay connected and collaborate effectively. These tools bundle voice, chat, and video capabilities into one platform, providing a single workspace for teams to discuss projects and share files within a single screen. This reduces the amount of app-switching and enables distributed teams to synchronize work and stay connected despite geographical constraints.

There are several unified communication providers to choose from, including:

• RingCentral: Advanced call management, calendar integration, shared interaction history, and unlimited domestic calling.
• Dialpad: Interaction insights, business phone numbers, and shareable video clips.
• Microsoft Teams: This platform is ideal for companies that use other Microsoft products, as it integrates with Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Teams also offers chat, video conferencing, and file-sharing capabilities.
• Google Meet: This platform is ideal for companies that use G Suite, as it integrates with Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Google Meet also offers chat, video conferencing, and file-sharing capabilities.
• Zoom: In addition to video conferencing, Zoom offers features such as chat, whiteboarding, breakout rooms, and screen sharing.
• Skype: This platform offers video conferencing, chat, and screen sharing capabilities, as well as integration with Microsoft products.
• Slack: This platform offers chat, file sharing, and integration with various third-party apps and services. Slack also offers a variety of bots that can automate tasks and enhance productivity.

When selecting a unified communications platform, it is important to consider the specific needs and requirements of your team. Factors to consider include the level of integration with existing tools, the range of features offered, ease of use, and cost.

Optimise lighting by maximising natural lighting and using lamp shades to create diffused lighting

Lighting is an important aspect of your home office setup. If your home office doesn’t have access to natural light, use lamp shades to create a diffused type of lighting that’s easy on the eyes. Task lighting is ideal if you’re working on documents.

Bring natural light into your home office to improve the ambiance and aesthetics of the space. As much as possible, maximise natural lighting. Aside from keeping you more productive at work, natural light drastically enhances your appearance on video calls, especially when facing a window. The light fills the sides and helps project accurate skin tones during video meetings.

If your home office doesn’t have access to natural light, you can still optimise your lighting setup. Use lamp shades to create a diffused type of lighting that’s easy on the eyes. Task lighting is ideal if you’re working on documents.

If you’re looking to upgrade your lighting setup, you can invest in a desk lamp. The Ikea Forsa Classic Work Lamp is a classic (but pricey) option, while the Ikea Micke Desk is a more affordable alternative. If you’re looking for something more modern, the Lite Source Halotech Desk Lamp is a good choice, and has been used by a New York City-based architect for over 30 years.

You can also find lamps that clamp onto your desk, like the Ikea Forsa Classic Work Lamp, or the Lite Source Halotech Desk Lamp. Clamping a few of these inexpensive lamps around your workspace can create more balanced lighting.

Frequently asked questions