The recent Pandemic of COVID-19 has forced us to revise the way we look at work. If teleworking was a novelty to the labour market the only couple of years ago, it becomes a mainstream trend today. And this tendency only seems to grow and gain momentum.
According to recent research, 20% of companies that have sent their employees to work from home due to quarantine restrictions have noticed a significant improvement in their engagement and productivity. Moreover, at least 40% of people who had to change habitual offices to working from home, asked their employers to allow them to continue this practice regardless of the lift of quarantine restrictions.
No wonder home office setup has become the same essential part of the residential interior as bedrooms, living rooms or nurseries. In this article, we shall highlight the main points you should consider while picking home office furniture. These tips will help you arrange a comfortable, functional and safe workspace in your own house.
What is so special about home offices?
Of course, a home office is different from your habitual workspace. There are certain perks of working from homes such as spending the day in a safe environment, eliminating the stress of road traffic or social anxiety.
However, there are certain pitfalls also. Working from home, you may easily get distracted by your family members or chores. It may be harder to focus and set your self at a proper mood when your kids are watching cartoons in the living room. However, proper office furniture and setup will help you eliminate most of those irritators.
Room layout and its potential
Before deciding on the office furniture set up in your house, take a close look at the room you plan to work at. Many people tend to miss various storage and placement options, ending up with a simple office desk and a chair. However, various niches, corners, windowsills and other surfaces may become perfect, storing seating solutions, which will help you save space and even money. For example, putting an office desk in front of a window will let you save a lot of energy during the workday.
What do you do and how long does it take you?
Your profession will become a decisive factor once you choose office furniture. Once you are an accountant who has to keep track of numerous records and files, you will need office furniture with advanced storage capacities. An architect or an engineer will benefit from a spacious deck, where he can roll out the blueprints and graphics.
At the same time, once you have to spend only an hour or two at a computer checking and answering messages and e-mails and the rest of your work happens on-the-go, there is no point in getting massive advanced office equipment. A bench desk and an office chair will be just enough.
It is still office furniture.
Many people tend to fall into extremes, treating home office furniture as a part of a residential interior. In this case, you may start paying more attention to the looks and design of furniture pieces than their functionality and comfort.
Home office furniture is still office furniture. And while there is nothing bad in wanting it to correspond your taste, you should remember to choose desks, chairs and cabinets that will be comfortable, functional and safe for your and the rest of your family. You will spend more or less the same amount of time at an office desk at your home as you would have in a regular workspace. That is why the position of your legs, wrists and spine, lighting as well as easy accessibility of all cabinets and drawers will help you get the most from your teleworking experience.