We’re a good way into 2022, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting the world. The virus is stubbornly hanging around and causing disruptions; from supply chain disruptions, materials shortages, a labour shortage, and more.
However, there’s one positive that has emerged from the pandemic. In this case, the upside is that companies and organisations worldwide quickly realised that their teams could efficiently perform their duties from home. And two years on, many people enjoy their roles from home or split between the office and home.
But what if you’re new to a remote work position? There is a bit to do to set up your space at home to be productive, happy, comfortable and relaxed. In this helpful article, we’ll run you through working from home 101, and you’ll learn how to set up your workstation for remote work.
Consider a Stand-Up Desk
You should seriously consider a stand-up desk for your home office. Sitting for eight or more hours a day is unkind to your body. Humans were designed to alternate between periods of intense activity and periods of rest, and our biological and neurological wiring hasn’t quite caught up to today’s mostly sedentary lifestyles.
A stand-up desk enables you to alternate between sitting and standing, giving your spine, hips and neck a chance to stretch out and decompress. It will also reduce your chances of hurting your back or neck from sitting too long.
Invest in a Printer
The next item to invest in is a decent printer and scanner combination. This is so you can print documents to read, to avoid eye strain from too much screen time. The scanner is also helpful if you need to submit forms as part of your role.
It’s worth asking if your new job can obtain this for you, especially if it’s necessary for your tasks. If not, at least you can claim it back on your tax as a deductible work expense.
Decorate Your Space
No one likes working in a bland, boring and blank environment. Even most offices worldwide have art, plants, sculptures and other decorations and decor.
Make your home workstation a festive splash of colour by hanging up some art prints, growing some house plants, or hanging photos of your loved ones.
It will make the day easier to get through with some decorations that warm your heart and are easy on the eyes.
Shared Space? Noise Cancelling Headphones
What if you share your home office space with a spouse, children, or housemate? In this case, it is wise to grab some noise-cancelling headphones. This serves two purposes. The first is a practical purpose, and that is the headset will cancel out household noise. This way, it doesn’t matter if someone is doing the dishes or on their own calls; you won’t be able to hear them.
The second is for privacy. Some roles require confidentiality and privacy of customers, clients and associates. A headset will ensure that only you can hear what is said about other people.
An Ergonomic Chair
Even with a standing desk, there may be some patches throughout the day during which you’d prefer to sit. In this case, make sure that you have an ergonomic chair available.
Ergonomic furniture is designed to minimise the chances of strain, pain, and injuries acquired while sitting. These chairs are pretty comfortable, so sitting down won’t be an arduous task, leaving you cramped and tense.
External Monitors
If you’ve been assigned a work laptop, you’ll want an external monitor, or even two, to go with it.
This is because sitting and staring at an angle at a laptop screen for an entire shift is a surefire way to hurt your neck and wind up with tension headaches and eye strain.
An external monitor allows an ergonomic set-up. Two monitors are helpful in some roles, too, particularly if you need to cross-reference documents, work off multiple spreadsheets at a time or need email open in one window and a job in the other.
Stationery Supplies
What’s a job without a plentiful supply of stationery? You’ll need pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, staplers, hole punchers, binders, folders and all the rest.
This is important because you’ll need to jot down notes and thoughts as they occur to you, highlight relevant lines in documents and be able to reference things as you work. Since you can’t raid the stationery cupboard at the office, you’ll need your own stash. Again, these are tax-deductible expenses.
A Cruisy Home Workspace Conclusion
In this article, we’ve shared some tips to make your home working experience cruisy, relaxed and efficient, all at once. These tips should help you work well, keep your body feeling free and limber, and up your productivity and work output.
