Two years after the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of workers are continuing to work from home; according to statistics, last year 85% of working adults wanted to use a “hybrid” approach of both home and office working in future. If you’re still working from home – and intend on doing so for the foreseeable future – it’s important that you have a workspace that’s comfortable, quiet, and ensures maximum productivity. In this article, we look at what you should consider when designing a home office that fits these needs.
What a home office should do
As stated above, a home office should be somewhere that encourages you to be the most productive and most motivated that you can be during your work day. That’s why a great place to begin when designing a home workspace is thinking about its purpose.
If you’re going to be working in this area for the majority of your weekday, it’s important that it feels different from the rest of the rooms in your house so you can separate work, from the rest of your life. Ask yourself questions like these to consider what you want your home office to do for you: how much desktop space do you need? How much of your time is spent on the phone and, while on the phone, do you use other equipment? Do you need peace and quiet to work, or can you work with noise in the background?
Choosing a space
Finding a suitable room for your home office where you will be most productive working from home is an important step in designing a home workspace. If you need somewhere quiet with a lot of privacy, a garage conversion or loft space will work well. Equally, if you’re balancing running a business with childcare, consider designing a space near the kitchen or sitting room so you can keep an eye out while you work. It’s also worth thinking about the temperature of the room you choose, so you can make sure you’re neither too hot nor too cold while you go about your working day.
Developing your home office
Once you’ve chosen where you’re going to put your office, the final step is developing it by adding office furniture that suits your working needs. A few things to consider here are:
Lighting
It’s worth investing in a good desk light if you’re working in a particularly dark environment. If you can, making sure your desk can benefit from as much natural daylight as possible will also help boost your mood throughout the day and balance out the harsh glare from your computer screen.
Desk
The desk you choose depends on how much space you have in your room. You’ll need enough space for your laptop or computer, while also saving yourself enough room to take notes or keep files.
Chair
Make sure you invest in a good office chair that’s supportive and comfortable – especially since it’s likely you’ll spend most of your day sitting on it. A swivel chair and other ergonomically designed seats are great for home workers.
IT equipment
If your desk is in the middle of the room, make sure you plan where to run your power cables – extension leads also offer an easy solution for working with multiple IT products at the same time.
Designing a home office that’s comfortable, quiet, and ensures maximum productivity doesn’t have to be difficult if you consider the above – and means you can enjoy (and make the most of) flexible working going forward.
