How to get the best out of working from home
26 Jan, 2021
The Pandemic has caused many people to change the way they work and that has had a huge impact on their lives. Last March we entered into a scenario that no-one had encountered before. A total lockdown of business except for essential services. Whereas some people had already experienced working from home, to the vast majority of the working population this was an entirely new concept.
As a nation we witnessed MP’s, celebrities, pundits being interviewed on the television using Zoom, often at the kitchen or dining table being used as a makeshift office desk.
A year later we are still being encouraged to work from home if we can and for the foreseeable future. This has meant rethinking our working / domestic life from a different view point and trying to find a balance that works for both.
Is your home properly set up as your new office?
Despite two previous lockdown’s many are not properly geared up for working from home but it could be a more permanent measure for many businesses / employees - here are our top tips:
1. The first thing to do is find a quiet space that you can dedicate to work at during the day and or the evening.
2. Set up a longer-term solution - perhaps you have previously used the dining table and had to clear your work away every evening. Set yourself up with a more permanent base to maximise your time and reduce stress. Maybe a standing desk (to which there are many health benefits) i.e an existing counter / breakfast bar area.
3. If you don’t have space for a desk consider looking for an alternative option - like a small corner desk that could fit into a living space to a wall mounted fold down table that you could easily fold away at the end of your working day
4. Try to create a stylish / functional area to fit in with your home - this could be a more permanent arrangement and make your feel more motivated about your working day.
5. Posture is important so look to invest in a proper chair - have you been using a dining chair? speak with your employer who may be able to provide a budget for some more suitable working equipment if this is going to be a longer term situation.
6. It is important to have good natural lighting and ventilation at your workspace.
7. Ensure you are taking regular breaks away from your desk to stretch and take some time out from your screen.
8. Avoid distractions from television and the internet. Ensure you are logging off at the same time each day, not carrying your work on until the evenings.
9. Your home is now your office so it is important that at the end of the working day you can walk away, leave your work station, relax and enjoy the rest of your day and your home.
10. Don’t forget if you have been working from home since the lockdown started you can claim £6 a week from HMRC on your tax return for heating and lighting.
The impact of this new way of working is filtering into the housing market in several ways; to accommodate working from home, many are looking to increase space within the home to incorporate a dedicated office. At the same time the burden of looking after and maintaining a larger property both internally and externally is leading many O.A.P’s to look at downsizing to minimise the need for their reliance of external help.
Another consequence of working from home has prompted many companies and employers to review their need for office space which incurs expensive rent and rates.
The lockdown has also influenced people’s shopping habits with many retailers seeing an increase in online shopping again reducing the need for expensive stores in town centre locations.
In recent years Worthing has seen a shift in large office blocks and in some cases pubs being renovated into housing space. Lloyds Registrars in Durrington was converted into modern apartments, a perfect location next to Durrington station for commuters. The MGM Insurance site in Heene Road has recently been redeveloped into Luxury Retirement Flats, an ideal location just a short walk to the seafront and the Town Centre.
The beautiful Georgian Building that was the Central Post Office and the premises above the retail outlets that made up Beales have been earmarked for development into flats.
Bunces’ corner has been re-developed as flats, so giving the Town Centre a new flavour of residential, entertainment and retail. Worthing is thus changing to accommodate the new demands of the way we are living and working.