It is a phenomenon that has made its way into our daily conversations – WFH (Work From Home) is a reality that most of us have faced during the Coronavirus pandemic. Though it started out as an unplanned activity for offices, companies have now realised that employees working remotely could contribute as productively without the business having to pay the overheads of maintaining a physical office.
If your company has extended your WFH schedule to the end of 2021, it is time to set up a professional office at home. These are 5 things to do/buy for your WFH setup:
#1 Select the right corner or room.
Though you are setting up your office in your house, it should not intrude on the rest of the house, and vice versa. Use a spare room if you have one, that can hold a work desk and has spare plug points for laptop and mobile charging. A door that you can shut for meetings and Zoom calls is ideal. Or you could create a work niche or nook in your bedroom or drawing room. This space must be out of the household’s way.
#2 A work desk at the right height.
Finding a work desk is all down to your requirements. If you don’t do any printing or scanning work and have no use for office stationery, then you don’t need a desk with several drawers. You should get a work desk or foldable laptop table that is just the right height – a standard is 29 to 30 inches from the top of the desk to the floor. We recommend buying one of our laptop desk online – it could be a foldable laptop table in case of space constraints. Or it could be an adjustable table, or feature a slim pull-out drawer just below the work top to keep your laptop away after use. The best laptop tables for home offices also have wider drawers to put away the keyboard and mouse.
#3 The right chair with lumbar support.
You will need a chair that offers adequate lumbar support, especially if your work entails sitting at your desk for extended periods. A chair with an aerodynamic design to conform to the shape of the spine is a great buy for your WFH setup. Do ensure that the chair has adjustable height, armrests, roll feature, adjustable seat tilt, and movable lateral arm position.
#4 A desk lamp or overhead pendant lamp.
Lighting is most important to create the right ambience for your WFH nook at home. The easiest way to offer a light source is to have a desk lamp, but it should not shine directly into your laptop screen nor cause glare off it. Lower the lamp head to face the table and place it right next to the laptop facing you – this diffuses the light without making it intrusive. An alternative is to have a pendant light above your head, but not close enough that the lamp shade may strike you when you stand up.
#5 Other necessities.
Once you’ve set up the furniture and lighting, it’s time to complete the setup with other miscellaneous essentials. Install a good broadband connection, a new landline phone (if needed), a small coffee table at the side to hold tea cups and a water bottle, new curtains for a nearby window to cut glare off your screen, and a small footstool to rest your feet while you work.
There, your WFH setup is now complete and ready to use. Crafted with love and creativity, it’s an office you can make happen with your own Story@Home.