The ideal work from home setup
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Read this post if you need help in creating a solid work from home setup.
Many businesses are trying to come to terms with the majority of their employees forced to work from home due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Most businesses, whether big or small, are struggling to set up systems and processes for managing employees working from home. On the other hand, many employees are also struggling with their home office setup and routine.
I have been working from home for almost four years. I am a marketer living and working from India for companies in India and the US. I work with teams and clients spread across the world. So I think I am well qualified to talk about the work from home setup – what works and what doesn’t.
I hope this post helps you in managing your own home office setup and for your team. Let’s dig in.
The right work from home mindset
Working from home is very different from working in an office. There is no manager looking over your shoulder. But it also means that you can’t watch people reporting to you. There are no colleagues to talk to and have lunch with. While work is the same, the work environment is fundamentally different. You need a very different mindset and thought process when working from home.
There is both time and peer pressure when you work in an office. When you see others working, it both motivates and pressurizes you to work harder. It’s very easy for someone to fall off the pace when working from home as there is no one around to set the pace.
When you work in an office, you follow a routine that’s set by office timings. In a work from home setup, there is no time pressure to get ready and do things at a specific time. You can create a work from home schedule, but there is no one around to enforce it. You need a lot more discipline and commitment when working from home.
You also need to change the way you communicate with your team. You need to become comfortable talking to people over the phone and computer. When you work in an office, you spend more time meeting people at work than your family or neighbors. But it’s the reverse when you work from home. It takes some time to get used to it, but it’s easier than developing the discipline to complete your work.
One area where I have experienced a lot of difference is in the ideation and problem-solving process. When you are in the office, you can just walk up to someone and bounce things off them. You get many ideas during a casual chat with co-workers. But when you are working from home, you don’t have that luxury. Of course, you can call people to talk, but they may be busy and not answer the call. So you need to think through issues a lot more yourself instead of relying on others for help.
Ideal work from home office setup
You may think that setting up the home office is a straight forward thing. Just push the table against a wall or window, get a chair, hook up a computer, and you are done. But if you really want to be productive and effective, you need to put a lot more thought into your work from home setup.
Location
The location of your workspace in your home is critical to your work. You need a space that’s relatively quiet and has enough space for a comfortable setup. A room that has enough space and a door to close off the noise can be used for the home office.
Set up your desk where you can plug your computer and have access to the internet. Test your wifi signal to make sure it’s strong enough for video calls. If not, install a booster or get a LAN cable from the router to the desk.
Many people prefer to set up their desk against a window because it gives a nice view. But the movement outside the window can be distracting for many. If you set your desk against a wall, your voice may reflect off the wall and create an echo during conference calls. An easy way to stop that is to put a foam sheet against the wall.
Furniture
Use a chair that has an adjustable height, good back support, and adjustable armrests. It’s important to keep your feet flat on the ground and your hands rested on the armchair or table to avoid injuries. Your office furniture is designed for work, so it has all these features. When setting up the home office, you will need to take care that table height is just right and the chair is adjusted for your feet and arms.
Hardware
Ideally, you should use a laptop, not a desktop. A laptop gives you the flexibility to work from another room or desk in should the need arise. A laptop has a built-in camera, so it’s less messy for video calls.
While your computer may have an in-built microphone and speaker, I recommend you use an external mic and speaker. If you can, buy a Bluetooth mic and speaker combo. The built-in mic and speakers are not good enough for calls.
Your computer screen should be level with your eyes. If you have to look up or down on the screen, you will hurt your neck in a few months. If you are using a laptop, consider buying a tilt stand. You can adjust the height of the stand to ensure you look straight at the screen. You may have to use an external mouse and keyboard if you use a laptop stand.
Internet connection
It goes without saying that you need a fast, at least 16 MBPS dedicated, internet connection. Ideally, you should have a 50 MBPS connection. In addition to that, you also need a backup connection just in case your primary connection goes down. You can’t work from home if you don’t have access to the internet. So you need a backup connection also.
The backup connection must be from a different telecom company than the one that gives you the primary connection. It could be cable, wireless internet, or something else. Whatever it’s, it must be fast enough to support video calling.
Software
You will obviously need access to all software and tools you need to do your work. If you are using a company-issued computer, it will probably have all the software you need. If you use a SaaS product, then you should have no issues.
If you need to access company’s server for storage, then you may need secure access to the company’s network. Your IT team should be able to help you with remote access to company servers and data.
In addition to regular tools and software, you will also need the following for communicating with your team, managing your time and work:
- A video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype. I prefer Zoom because of its better quality and ease of use. You don’t need to connect with anyone before joining a call with them. There is no latency, even in the free plan. You can also use an image as your custom background during Zoom calls. It’s really nice if you work from home because you don’t need to worry about the mess behind you.
- A task management tool like Trello or Asana to organize your work if your office does not use a project or task management tool. When you work from home, you need to be extra careful about your output. A task tracking tool is just the thing to get your work organized and stay on top of everything.
- Time tracking software like HiveDesk can help you keep track of the time you spend at work. Even if your company does not require you to keep time, you will immensely benefit from using one. You can see how much time you are working and how you are spending that time. It will help you become more organized and make better use of your time.
Summary
When you work from home, you need a setup that helps you stay productive and effective. This includes not just the physical infrastructure like computer, internet and software but also softer aspects such as having the right mindset and processes.