Do you find yourself working from home more often lately? If you are like many of your peers, you appreciate the short commute and the casual dress code. However, as time passes, you may realize that your office environment has a significant effect on your productivity and professionalism. To help maintain high productivity and a professional image, create a home office that is more office than home.
Separate Space
Keeping your workspace separate from your living space helps to preserve a healthy work-life balance. Maintaining physical separation discourages your family from disturbing you and encourages you to focus on the tasks at hand. An unused bedroom is ideal: it should have all the space you need and you can decorate it as you like. Then, at the end of the workday, you can shut the door and devote your attention to recreational activities and your family.
Office Furniture
When furnishing your office, stick with office furniture as much as possible. To avoid spending a fortune, look for used office furniture Indiana. At a minimum, get a spacious desk and ergonomic office chair. Augment with file cabinets and bookshelves as necessary. Do not underestimate your storage needs, or you may end up with a cluttered, disorganized space. Be sure to install proper task lighting to avoid eye strain and fatigue.
Privacy and Security
You need privacy for two main reasons. First, you do not want your clients to hear children yelling, neighbors mowing the lawn or dogs barking in the background. It is distracting for all parties and may undermine your reputation as a professional.
Second, your family should not be able to listen in on your work calls or video conferences. Depending on your industry, there may be laws protecting the privacy of your clients.
Privacy and cybersecurity go hand in hand. If possible, keep your work files on one computer and do your personal computing on another. Guard both with a robust firewall and keep your security suite updated.