Employees from many industries across the UK, and indeed the world, have had to move to a home office situation in 2020. The move to WFH is arguably the biggest change that was brought about in 2020. While lots of people have welcomed the shift, there is no denying that setting up a workspace in your house or apartment can be challenging in particular if you don’t have much space, for example, or have children to take care of while now at work, or share with housemates who also need to find a workspace. Here, we’ve rounded up our top tips that can help make working from home a little easier.
Office Space
For starters, having some decent technology in your home office can help reduce daily stress. A fast broadband connection and a good laptop will ensure that things run relatively smoothly and you don’t get cut off in the middle of an important Zoom meeting. It may be the case that your employer provides you with office equipment, though most will not supply broadband so investing in a reliable provider for your area will help hugely in your day-to-day work.
Safe & Secure
Similarly, safety is crucial to consider when you’re accessing a company’s network and server externally. Consider how safe your current home office set up is with regards to internet protocols. it may be the case that you need to encrypt business calls or log on to your work network via a VPN – your employer will thank you for it!
Workspace Set-Up
Make sure your workspace is comfortable and well-organised, whether you work at the kitchen table or a dedicated office desk. Depending on your role, the main items you’ll need are:
- Desk & chair
- Laptop
- Extra monitor or two
- Mouse
- Printer
- Desk lamp
Even if your desk is actually the kitchen table, it can be very beneficial to find a way to put your work away at the end of the day. Hide your laptop away in a cupboard or drawer, and clear the workspace to transition into evening time.
Investing in a desk and office chair is ideal and again, your employer may provide these. Whether you need to build a new desk or repair a chair leg, desk lamp or printer, for instance, an epoxy glue can come in extremely handy. There are lots of different epoxies available that provide durable bonding solutions for all your glueing needs – sometimes mending an existing item for your home office is much more economical and practical than investing in something new. Whether you are constructing a brand new piece of office furniture or revamping an old one, a suitable epoxy is your friend.
Daily Tips for WFH
There are some small practical tips that can also help to make the working day a little easier. For instance, be sure to take regular breaks and go outside for fresh air and a brisk walk a couple of times a day. Drink plenty of water – it can be something that falls by the wayside when you’re not sitting close to a water cooler. Keep an eye on your Zoom time, as long days of intensive meetings can be taxing, so avoid or reduce these whenever possible.
Taking a proper lunch break and closing the laptop for an hour is ideal, as is switching off and shutting down at the end of the working day. It can be all too easy to work an extra hour or two when working from home – avoiding this is highly recommended. Similarly, monitor your screen time throughout the week and make sure you have some time offline to read, exercise and relax. Implementing habits like these will help boost your productivity levels when in work mode.
Working from home looks set to stay in the UK, at least for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, there are many things we can do to make it a little more comfortable and productive, even if we are limited in terms of space around the house. Leave a reply below and share your favourite WFH tips with us, we’d love to hear them!