Home Office Ideas

Figuring out how to make working from home comfortable can be intimidating if your expertise lies in a field other than office space planning. With this in mind, we offer here a few Home Office Ideas to help simplify the challenge of designing your unique home office.

As specialists in the world of corporate office furniture, we appreciate the personal nature of home office design and understand how to make a home office in a small space work for you.

Intending to offer a few of the best work from home desks currently available we present a stylish yet affordable range that is ready to be added to your shopping cart, and soon after, your home!

Working from home is not a novel concept. With continued advancements in internet related communication technologies, decentralized IT infrastructures and data exchange technology, working from a home office continues to broaden its appeal.

Data shows that 3.4% of the US workforce was already working remotely in some form, before the global Covid-19 pandemic hastened a marked increase in the need for a home office room, or at least a dedicated chair at the dining room table.

Covid-19 took working at home online from narrowly deployed to a global phenomenon as 10’s of millions were locked out from their traditional offices with no other option than to work remotely from newly provisioned small home office setups.

Newly minted remote employees had to learn how to setup a home office out of necessity. Naturally, with the rise of the virtual workspace and remote office jobs the demand for work from home desks has been on the rise.

WHY WORK FROM HOME?

A global survey conducted by Gartner, Inc. found that 88% of business organization worldwide encouraged – or in some cases - mandated employees work from home as COVID19 began its persistent spread.

Unsurprisingly when evaluating new career opportunities having a choice over one’s work environment and location is now a consideration for many job seekers searching for a better work-life balance.

Work from Home benefits for Employees

Flexible scheduling

53% of U.S. telecommuters view flexible scheduling as the top benefit. Working from a home office setup or other remote work spaces offer greater control over work schedules and provides the potential for attaining an ideal work-life balance cycle. 

A customizable office

Being able to customize your office to suit your personality or to address specific personal needs has been a daydream for many office staff. A work at home office affords employees the opportunity to create a comfortable office environment with a home office furniture layout uniquely suited to their existing home color scheme and interior design.

17 Office Essentials to Set up an Efficient Home Office

You get to choose your own cool office chair or go mobile a desk on wheels. Create a unique office lighting design with chic home office lighting options (fluorescents – yuck!).

Why not splurge and offer a great office perk with our office massage chair? Seriously, why not? A 10-minute snooze nestled in the cradle of an automatic “masseuse” in the middle of a stress-filled day can revitalize body and mind and have a noticeable boost in productivity.

Less (or no) office commute

No daily commuter needs to be convinced of this benefit. A survey shows that 79% of those compelled to work from a home office during the pandemic voted the lack of commute as one of the best perks. Less commuting means remote workers typically have more time. More time for sleep, more time for personal responsibilities and home life and more time for – you guessed it – more work.

Better work life balance and mental health

Personal and professional responsibilities often pull workers in opposite directions. The added stress when arriving late for work or having to leave early to tend to family matters, are not inconsequential.

A work from home lifestyle offers flexibility that can allow workers to adapt their work to their family and home life and visa-versa. The overwhelming majority of remote workers report feeling less stressed when they work from their own home office zen.

Remote Work and Travel Reductions Save Money

Flexjobs report that the average remote employee saves around $4000 per year. The biggest saving comes from cutting commuting costs, whether it be on public transit or private automobile fuel and insurance costs. A typical worker spends between $2,000 and $5,000 per annum on commutation expenses alone.

Other savings come from spending less on office attire – almost all remote workers have worn sweatpants to work, at least once – not to mention home prepared office meals which are significantly less costly than store bought coffee, meals, or in-restaurant dining.

Full-time employees working remotely may also be entitled to home office expense deductions and some home office tax deductions for qualifying home office equipment. You can find helpful guidance on tax breaks for remote employees here.

Benefits of Work from Home for Employers

Attract and Retain Talent

46% of companies that offer some form of remote working opportunities report reduced attrition.  It is no surprise that many workers do not enjoy time consuming commutes. In fact, 80% of employees consider telework to be a major job perk.

The monetization of the highly sought-after work-life balance can mean employees want to stick around longer. The savings realized from a work from home setup may cause employees to feel less pressure for frequent salary increases. Offering remote work opportunities can be a good way to attract and retain professional talent.

Office Worker Skills & Expansion of Talent Pool

Companies are no longer limited by geography and local resources. Casting a wider net affords a wider pool of professionals, potentially with a more desired skill set than can be found locally. 

Some companies may also benefit from hiring remote workers with foreign language skills to gain popularity and build rapport in foreign markets or with local, non-English speaking customers. 

Improved Office Productivity

75% of people who work from a home office report fewer distractions and unsurprisingly, increased productivity. The majority claim fewer distractions from fellow co-workers. Statistically, remote workers are 35% to 40% more productive than their in-office counterparts.

Is a Home Office Actually More Productive?

Research shows that businesses lose $600 billion a year to workplace distractions. Offering employees, the option to set up home office space can reduce typical distractions at the workplace and potentially increase individual productivity and corporate profitability.

Remote Employees Work More

A 2020 research study conducted by Airtasker provide remote worker statistics that indicate employees work more hours when working remotely. The findings concluded that, on average, remote employees work an extra 1.4 days more every month, answering the question whether remote workers are more productive than their office counterparts.

Companies Who Hire Remote Workers Save Big

If you have staff working remotely, you might benefit from a greatly reduced office space layout, or even no office facility at all.

Global Workplace Analytics calculates that “a typical employer can save about $11,000/year for every person who works remotely half of the time”. Reductions in fixed overhead office expenses such as possession of real property and associated expenditures i.e., taxes, maintenance, equipment, supplies and utilities can fall right to the bottom line.

Remote Work Is Environmentally Friendly

Office equipment energy consumption can be twice that of home office equipment. The 3.9 million employees who worked from home at least half time before the pandemic reduced greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

Disadvantages of working from home

Every silver lining has its cloud. COVID-19 caused working from home, was a boon for many, but not for all. Many companies, and individuals alike have found it challenging to adapt to wide-scale telecommuting to work.

Lack of Community & Office Team Work

While one person finds advantage to work without the inevitable distractions of fellow co-workers, another can struggle to collaborate virtually. The benefits of teamwork, such as group brainstorming sessions tend to flow more naturally when we’re physically in the same room.

Less physical interaction can create a disconnect between teams, which by extension can negatively impact project outcomes. Managers are advised to ensure sufficient facetime between members, if only online, to ensure a virtual work environment that fosters teamwork and nurtures the company’s fundamental ethos.

Unmonitored Job Performance

An office workplace consisting of one lone worker can be hard to manage. Enterprises that are accustomed to having their teams physically positioned in their individual office workstations within an office building have come to rely upon visual monitoring of team progress.
 

Individuals regulating and monitoring their own performance, can pose a challenge. Fortunately, with the business office technology provided by digital time tracking software applications, it is possible for managers to track and measure individual and team outputs, workflows and overall productivity.

Loneliness and a Lack of Workplace Motivation

Research shows that workplace loneliness has a negative influence on performance due to emotional disconnectedness. Managers are advised to conduct online team sessions around the virtual water cooler every so often.

Office Coworkers can provide one another with invaluable information about work projects and company resources.  They are often a source encouragement and motivation. When you are faced with working from a workstation setup that is only built for one, you might long for the watercooler small talk and miss complaining to your colleagues about the bad office coffee. Camaraderie helps build great teams.

If the transition to work from home seems a bit intimidating here are a few home office design ideas to consider.

How to design a home office

Setting up a custom home office is easier than you think. We’ve got you covered with everything from a work at home desk with an ergonomic home office chair, to a variety of great home office storage ideas to suit your personal style and budget.

Many homes lack sufficient space to accommodate traditional large office desks. We recommend a compact desk for small spaces from our small home office desk collection that is available in an array of laminate finishes, including textured wood laminates and metallic laminates.  Glass top office desks might be the design aesthetics of choice for your personal home office interior design.

Our smallest I shaped desk is a surprising 38W x 23D, manufactured to fit even the tiniest of spaces. You might consider a compact desk with drawers to optimize on space saving and help keep your small home desk organized and clutter-free.

Speaking of office clutter - smaller spaces can easily seem messy and need to be well organized.  Using storage solutions for small home office can help minimize office desk clutter. Since no two remote work spaces are the same – we offer home office storage cabinets, filing pedestals, small bookcases and stylish open shelves for home offices.

Another smart space saving solution to free up precious floor area in a small home office is to MOUNT IT! Our office desk hutch storage solution does just that.

Creating a comfortable home office

Office ergonomics is the science of designing a workstation to accommodate both the capabilities and limitations of the user. The goal of office desk ergonomics is to design your office workstation so that it’s a good fit and creates a comfortable working environment, promoting office wellness, productivity and efficiency.

Purchase the best desk chair for home office use that your budget will allow. For example, choose an office chair with lumbar support and safeguard yourself from the lower back pain from an office chair lacking this critical support.
 

An ergonomic office chair with headrest can possibly reduce neck strain and related repetitive stress maladies resulting from spending long hours behind a desk.

An ideal office chair design includes height adjustability so that your feet are flat on the floor and your hips are parallel to the floor. A home office chair with adjustable armrests will aid to support the torso with your arms resting gently and your shoulders relaxed.

The ideal desk height for a stationary desk is 28" to 30" off the floor for those of average height - between 5'8" and 5'10" tall.  This height allows adequate clearance above the knee.

The height of your desktop and monitors plays an integral role in creating a comfortable desk setup. Position your single or desktop multiple monitor set-up about arm’s length (20”-28”) from your body while seated to minimize eye strain. A 20° backwards tilt will help to reduce slouching and ensure Notre Dame won’t be recruiting a new church bell ringer anytime soon!

If your home office budget permits, a sit stand desk for home office enables easy transition from a seated to standing position and can help reduce the unwanted effects of prolonged sitting.  Learn more about the disadvantages of sedentary work and how to prevent Sitting Disease and the steps you can take to mitigate your risk. 

Being able to adjust your work surface height, makes the ergonomics of a standing desk a compelling value proposition. Whether you’re just looking for a desk riser for laptop elevation or a fully electric height adjustable desk, we have a selection of height adjustable office desks to suit your specific needs.

Effective Office Ergonomics Interventions WORK!

Not sure of the right style home office furniture set for your space?

Home work spaces are fun to design, easy to customize and, with a bit of guidance, anyone can be a home office designer!  Be inspired by our innovative home office ideas on Pinterest filled with stylish home office concepts to assist you in creating the perfect layout and color scheme for your personal home workspace.

The Future of Work from Home Offices

While many jobs cannot be done remotely – think truck drivers, astronauts, and hospital staff – working remotely for roles conducive to the arrangement is here to stay.

A 2021 survey conducted by Buffer.com suggests – astonishingly - that 99% of remote workers would prefer to continue doing their work from someplace other than the traditional office, some of the time.

This suggests that when acquiring a home office furniture set consider it an investment and get the best home office furniture your budget can afford.

Cheap office furniture is seldom better office furniture, especially when used over the long run.

Whether working from home fulltime or following a hybrid approach by dividing work between the office and home, it’s safe to say that working from home office spaces is part of the future for many companies and individuals worldwide.