El teletrabajo, impulsado exponencialmente por la aparición de la pandemia ocasionada por la Covid-19, ha venido para quedarse. De hecho, cada vez son más los profesionales que, por obligación o por elección, terminan desarrollando sus actividades laborales de forma remota. Por ello, contar con una oficina en casa es ya prácticamente una necesidad para la mayoría de las personas.
In today’s article, we’ll share some tips for setting up a home office where you can work remotely. Will you join us?
The Importance of Telework
As we’ve been noting, we currently live in a digital world where many administrative procedures, tasks, and activities require a computer with an Internet connection. So telework— or remote work—is also a solution that more and more companies and employees are exploring.
What’s more, now that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, forecasts have emerged that seem to suggest this form of online work will not be a passing fad. This has led many of these companies—and their employees—to prepare and take the definitive leap toward remote work, as they have seen firsthand its advantages in fulfilling their work and business commitments with the same guarantees of success as with in-person work.
Location of the home office
Before we start looking for good desks to set up our computer and its accessories, we need to realize that location is extremely important for working from home.
As is well known, this type of remote work requires an Internet connection, so setting up our small home office requires a good home Internet connection to ensure success . At Culmia, we recommend that, whenever possible, you set up this space in one of the rooms closest to your home’s wireless access point —as close as possible to the router.
Also, keep in mind that the size of the room available for setting up your home office is secondary. Often, even having just a small space helps isolate the room from the rest of the house and makes it much easier to work from home; plus, under normal circumstances, all you’ll need is a good computer with an internet connection, a desk, and a comfortable chair to sit in during your workday.
Good options for setting up your remote work space include the guest room or the living room, since they usually offer enough space and are quiet. In this regard, it’s important to choose a quiet spot away from distractions like the TV or radio; the goal is for you to be able to concentrate without any problems and to be just as efficient—or even more so—than you would be at the office or workplace.
Good natural light
Once you’ve decided where to set up your home office, you need to consider the lighting in that room. If the chosen location doesn’t have a large window, it’s highly recommended to use artificial lighting in the small office—whether through small desk lamps or by installing a good LED lighting system—because these solutions provide adequate visibility without consuming a lot of electricity.
And if you have a good source of natural light in the room, try to avoid working with the light behind you. Shadows are the enemy of good visibility, as is direct light. That’s why it’s best not to place your desk too close to the window and, if possible, to have blinds and/or curtains to help you control the amount of sunlight entering the room.
And remember to measure carefully! If you have no choice but to place your desk near the window due to lack of space, be mindful of how the window opens so you don’t hit the monitor on your desk when you need to open it. In these cases, the best option is to install sliding windows, which will make opening the windows much easier.
The Desk
Once we’ve chosen the layout and location of our office, it’s time to pick the desk that best suits both our needs and our budget.
Whether we’re working with small laptops or large monitors paired with a printer and a keyboard, our desk should be at least 150 x 60 cm. This will give you more than enough space to accommodate external items, such as notebooks, hard drives, pencil holders, or small desk lamps, which will help you get your work done.
In any case, if you’re unable to fit a good desk into your space, there are several cost-effective alternatives on the market for setting up your own home office, such as fold-down desks, which will help you save a lot of space in the room.
Oh! And don’t forget to install several outlets near the desk so you can keep all your equipment plugged in at all times. Adding a couple of extra outlets above the desk will enhance the office’s functionality.
In conclusion: it’s clear that having a dedicated space for working from home is a plus for the functionality of your home. This is especially true these days, as more and more companies are embracing remote work and need their employees to adapt to this arrangement as quickly as possible.
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