MAKING YOUR HOME STUDY FIT-FOR-PURPOSE
It’s not surprising, with so many working from home during the country’s lockdown, the home study has become a space that households have paid more attention to than ever before. Businesses of all sizes across the globe are now considering the work-from-home model on a more permanent basis.
Despite the Government’s advice encouraging a return to the work environment from 1st August, a study conducted by global research company Gartner found that 74% of business finance leaders plan to move their workforce’s to permanently remote positions after the pandemic. You may be finding yourself in this situation, and working from home will be more commonplace going forward. Given this, it’s important to ensure your home office is still fit for purpose, whether you continue to work from home indefinitely or on a part time basis.
Here are our key suggestions to ensure your work from home setup doesn’t get forgotten as we navigate our way post lockdown.
During the pandemic, so many of us experienced family members at home all using the wifi for varying purposes. The need for a robust bandwidth for online business meetings is still a priority for many. Consider switching to a fibre-optic connection if you have not already done so. It offers a much faster speed than other wired internet connections and will improve download speeds dramatically. It may also be an idea to install a line for the home office only and keep it separate from the rest of the household.
The ergonomics of a workspace is critical. Lighting is an important area in a home office that often gets overlooked, and ensuring you have sufficient indirect lighting is essential to avoid eye strain. Overhead and natural lighting are great, provided they don’t cause any glare on the computer screen. If a desk is positioned next to or in front of a window, consider installing an anti-glare semi-sheer roller blind. They can also be effective in managing heat from windows.
Many of us are guilty of shunning professional office furniture in our homes in favour of style. But at the very least, we still recommend investing in a fully adjustable professional office chair with armrests, as they provide the right lumbar support for the lower back and will ensure you’re sitting at the right height. It is also a good idea to install a laptop stand or moveable arm that will help to adjust the monitor to the right comfortable position. As a guide, monitor height should be eye-level if sitting upright with shoulders level and looking ahead without hunching.
With more than one household member working from home, we’ve all been interrupted at some point by small children, a partner or general background noise! With video-conference calls being taken during different time zones, or sharing spaces with other family members soundproofing has become more of a priority for maintaining a professional working environment from home. Sound and echo issues can be temporarily addressed by installing heavy-duty rugs and carpet, as well as hanging large canvas artwork on the walls.
To find out more and to get in touch with one of the team, please contact us by calling +44 (0) 20 3457 2857 or emailing info@somersetestates.com