case study bring home office goodies

The Business Case For Remote Work

Global Workplace Analytics published a comprehensive report on the benefits to employers, employees, the environment, and society. The findings are crystal clear: remote work is here to stay.

Learning from the pandemic

The report , titled 'The business case for remote work', draws from a wide range of research papers and surveys and provides an interesting insight into the potential benefits of sustained remote work.

Many like to make the conversation about remote work black or white— either everyone is in the office, or everyone is remote. This is both shortsighted and unwise.

Why? Because as with many things in life, beauty lies in the balance.

Consider this: Roughly 95 percent of U.S. office workers worked from their homes for three or more days a week during the pandemic. Ninety-five freaking percent. That’s basically one big test case that most everyone was forced to participate in, to an extent.

And guess what? 82 percent of the workers surveyed said they’d like to keep working remotely at least once per week after the pandemic is over. On the other hand, a slightly insignificant (and probably robotic) three percent said they’d rather forgo working remotely post-pandemic. Okay.

Anyway, at the same time, less than a fifth (19 percent) say they want to work fully remote. The majority prefer a mix of both. In the U.S., the preference averages out to be 2.5 days a week.

Why? Because they are fearful that a fully remote approach would likely lead to the erosion of the established work culture at that business. This notion seems a bit blah at first, but moving from fully on-premises to fully remote can actually make it more difficult for these companies to onboard new employees, make things harder for parents who have young children running all over the place and screaming at home, and even deprive young employees of the subtle mentorship and guidance that happens when they are physically around more experienced colleagues.

Luckily, remote work shouldn't be a problem for many. The benefits for those with remote-compatible jobs (45 percent) are omnipresent and can be summarized into three categories: those for employees, employers, and environment & society.

Employee benefits

Employees who can work remotely at least a few times a week—and actually want to—can preserve three valuable commodities: time, money, and their health.

1. More time

Aside from being liberated from the need to wear pants, the first thing most people think about when toying with the idea of working from home is the elimination of the daily commute—which is potentially a massive time-saver for many.

Think about it. U.S. workers spend the equivalent of 28 days a year commuting. Imagine spending the entire month of a non-leap year February stuck in a perpetual commute. Working remotely even half the time would shave off 14 of those days, leaving you with just a half of a February spent commuting.

Roughly 20 percent of non-remote workers have it even worse: their one-way commutes exceed an hour a day, equating to 60 days a year. Half-time remote work would lop off a full 30 days of being stuck in traffic, which most would surely take unless they have an inherent affinity for red lights, subways, and bus stops.

What would you do with an extra 14-30 days’ worth of hours each year? Well, you can do whatever you want, obviously, but it definitely won’t be spent in traffic.

2. More money

Yes, reducing the commute also means having more money in the bank.

By working from home half the time, a typical worker can save anywhere from $640 to $6,400 a year by reducing their spending on things like transportation, parking, gas, work clothes (and dry cleaning), food, and serendipity spending on stuff like gifts, impulsive lunchtime shopping, etc. Just whatever you spend by going into work, cut it in half in this scenario; that’s the point.

Oh, and these hypothetical figures account for increased utility bills and food at home, in case you were about to bust out a “well, actually” in response.

Depending on their situations, some workers could further reduce costs by:

• Selling their car
• Negotiating a new auto insurance premium (since they won’t be commuting as much)
• Moving to a different, less expensive area that’s not as close to their physical workplace
• Lowering any daycare, after-school, or eldercare costs

Whatever your work situation is, staying home half the time presents multiple opportunities to save some cash.

3. Better health

More remote work doesn't just bring in more time and money, it also benefits the health of employees.

Not that you need a study to really prove this, but long commutes have been linked to higher levels of stress (surprise), increased anxiety and depression, higher risks of heart issues like hypertension, increased obesity, and really just poor heart health in general. All of this, simply from long commutes.

Here are some stats gleaned from what surveyed remote workers say:

• 77% report having a better work/life balance between
• 69% report an improvement to their well-being—due to factors like more sleep and less stress
• 54% report eating healthier
• 48% report exercising more often

Employer benefits

The fact that employees benefit from policy change is, in most companies, not enough to actually make a change happen. However, when employers benefit from more money, more time, and more productivity, all of a sudden, an interest to change is sparked.

Luckily, for remote work, that's the case. So let’s discuss three of the most important ones.

1. Reduced office costs

Let's start with the three biggest reasons as to why company leaders enact change: money, money, money.

An employer that shells out $7,700 per employee, per year for their hallowed office space would save nearly $2k per half-time remote worker per year. How? By simply reducing their real estate footprint by a measly 25 percent for each half-time remote worker on staff. And as for the most expensive cities in the U.S.? The savings would increase by a factor of nearly five times that amount.

While there's some extra cost involved for giving stipends to purchase home office equipment, better tools, and stuff like that (around $666 per remote worker per year), there's still quite a lot to be saved.

So yes, it’s true that employers may implement remote work as a strategy to cut costs, but many see that the true value of remote work centers on human capital benefits.

You’re clearly intrigued, so let's look at some of those.

2. Increased productivity

Another one of those favorite yardsticks for success: productivity. Even in those terms, remote work gets shit done. Again, let’s turn to those who were surveyed:

• Remote workers said they gained an average of 35 working minutes a day due to fewer interruptions at their home (as opposed to constant interruptions at an office).
• Remote workers also reported voluntarily working an average of 47 percent of the time they would have otherwise spent stuck in their typical commute. That’s an additional seven days per year of good ‘ol productivity.

When considering these two factors, a half-time remote worker increases their productivity by the equivalent of 16 workdays a year.

Productivity, productivity, productivity. Every employer and C-suite type just loves increased productivity. And remote work increases it—which means they should love remote work.

Because productivity.

3. Reduced absenteeism

Here’s a fact: Most workers who call in sick are extremely not sick. Statistics show that nearly 70 percent of unplanned work absences are actually due to personal situations, family issues, stress, or being literally sick of work. Sick of work to the point of calling in sick to work.

That’s an astounding number. Depressing, even.

Fortunately, remote work reduces absenteeism because remote workers:

• Are not as exposed to sick coworkers who still come into work
• Limit their exposure to occupational and environmental risks
• Are still capable of working—even if they don’t feel well enough to physically show up at work
• Can handle personal appointments without the need to take the entire day or half-day off
• Lessen the stresses that come from commuting, interruptions, and all the standard office politics bullshit
• Tend to sleep better (and longer), eat healthier, and exercise more

Plenty of case studies have shown that the option to work remotely can reduce absenteeism anywhere from 26 percent to 88 percent. That’s actually kind of a hilarious window between two figures, but even the bottom number of 26 percent is a vast improvement.

When adding and subtracting some more numbers (details here ), the report concludes as follows:

"[A] typical U.S. employer can save $11,000 a year for each half-time (2 to 3 day a week) remote worker. That’s over $1M for every thousand employees!"

What's not to love?!

Environmental & societal benefits

But wait, there's more! We do, as they say, live in a society. Thankfully, the potential benefits of remote work for the environment—and society in general—are just as abundant.

Let’s examine a few. Remote work might help to:

• Decrease the risks stemming from human congestion
• Decrease wear and tear on a city’s transportation infrastructure
• Increase productivity among even non-remote workers by cutting down their travel times (and shortening their commutes)
• Reduce travel, even more, thanks to the widespread use of virtual-based tech
• Encourage a fuller, more robust employment for the disabled who can work from home
• Increase the standard of living in rural and economically disadvantaged areas
• Revitalize cities by reducing congestion and traffic and all the problems that come from them—such as dissuading visitors and tourists
• Make a bigger dent in the housing crisis by repurposing unneeded office spaces into residential buildings

We rest our case

The case is clear: let's make the option of remote work available to any and all remote-compatible jobs out there. All of the associated myths and concerns people had with the prospect of an increase of remote work has proven to be typical hysteria about nothing.

The bottom line is this: we can improve the lives of employees while benefiting employers. This is an actual thing that can happen and IS happening already. Oh, and don’t forget, both the environment and society benefit too. No big deal.

This is not hard. Everyone wins with remote work. Literally, everyone.

And with that, we rest our case.

Download: New Ways Of Working Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide spotlighting trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Download: Free Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide on trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

Subscribe below and receive it directly in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

So Your Employees Are Taking Home Office Supplies

Practically Speaking is a weekly column that addresses your most pressing business dilemmas. The advice is the opinion of long-time business owner Gene Marks. Send your questions to [email protected] .

I’m aware that a few of my employees are bringing home office supplies. To me this is out – and – out stealing. What do I do?

There is a long, storied history of employees who have stolen office supplies, and you’re going to fool with tradition? You’re not the first business owner to go through this and you certainly won’t be the last. Taking home a few extra sticky pads isn’t exactly a capital crime.So unless you’ve got someone walking out the door every week with a MacBook or a copy machine, I wouldn’t let it trouble you.

Still, I do recognize that leaking this stuff is an expense and the expense can mount up over the year. And yes, technically it’s stealing. But there are two simple ways to combat this.

The first step is to lock up your supplies. Find a closet, stick a padlock on the door and give the combination to your office manager or someone else entrusted with the security of the inventory. It may seem draconian, but locking up these supplies will take away any motivation someone may have to walk away with them. You don’t have to make this a formal announcement. Just quietly do it. The less temptation, the better.

Secondly, put someone in charge and have a requisition process. Without adding too much bureaucracy to your business, just come up with a procedure for requesting supplies. It may be a simple knock on the door of the office manager or it may be a requirement to fill out a form. In either case, make the employee go through a step or two to ask for what they need and put someone in charge of do l ing out the inventory. This now creates a transaction where two people are involved , and unless there’s an office-supply plot to destroy your company , you’ll find that the extra pair of eyes to add a new level of internal control.

Related: The Risky Business of Hiring a Family Member

I run a privately held company and don’t like anyone to know my business. And that includes my employees. How much financial information should I be sharing with my staff ?

I have a client, a roofing company, whose owner believes in full disclosure and transparency. He distributes his company’s sales and profit information monthly to his managers. He posts sales numbers by product lines on a big whiteboard in the employee lunchroom. He talks about how well, or not well, the company is doing. He freely shares the costs of his products and sales prices. He believes that to run a good organization, the entire organization must know the data. And he pays bonuses based on this data. Does this work?

In some ways, it does. His employees do feel more involved. They know their financial goals and what they need to do to achieve them. Their results are more quantifiably measured. They know where they stand amongst their peers. They’re aware of how well the company is doing and also sensitive to when things aren’t so great. They appreciate the trust given to them by the owner.

But there are also drawbacks . My friend has experienced some resentment, particularly when the company is doing well and people start thinking “hey, he’s making a lot of money here and I deserve more.” He has also suffered when employees leave his company and go to a competitor knowing full well his selling prices and margins. A few times, he told me there are heated debates about how overhead costs are applied to sales because they reduce margins and their commissions. H e’s even been accused of deception – “I don’t think you’re not showing all your profits so you can avoid more bonuses,” one employee once told him.

So what’s the answer? Full disclosure or no disclosure? It’s a compromise. Sharing your full, detailed income statement with your employees is too much information. But sharing sales data is important. And using margin percentages is also helpful so people know how profitable it is to sell a product or provide a service. Base your bonus calculations on these top line numbers and avoid disclosing the bottom line income you’re making as much as possible. You’re not a public company and there’s no reason for your employees to know just how well (or not well) you’re doing. That’s one of the perks of running your own shop.

• 0 minutes ago

Nelly Korda’s historic winning streak gives women’s golf its ‘Caitlin Clark moment’

Maximize your earnings: discover the highest rates for 2-year CDs available now

Employees are using up their vacation and sick days to avoid their toxic workplace

Short-term investments, low risks, and high rewards: the best 9-month CD rates

Alaska Airlines, Hilton hotels top travel Customer Satisfaction Index

Exclusive: Behind Genius Ventures raises its second fund at $8.9 million

Most popular.

The outlook for home prices has changed drastically in just the past month as Fed rate cuts look more and more distant

Your reusable water bottle may be a breeding ground for strep and fecal bacteria. Here’s how to keep it clean

3 big changes coming to Medicare in 2025—and what they’ll mean for you

Construction starts on America’s first true high-speed passenger train, between Los Angeles and Las Vegas

How to fix Boeing, according to a former Airbus technology chief

Former HGTV star slapped with $10 million fine and jail time for real estate fraud

What are the pros and cons of bringing home goodies from the office?  

Bringing home goodies from the office has both pros and cons. On the positive side, it can be a way to enjoy the perks of the workplace outside of working hours, providing a sense of satisfaction and reward for one's efforts . It can also be a way to share the benefits of the workplace with family and friends, fostering a sense of community and connection . However, there are also potential drawbacks to consider. Bringing home goodies may contribute to an overwork culture, blurring the boundaries between work and personal life and potentially leading to burnout . Additionally, it may create an expectation of constant availability and productivity, making it difficult to truly disconnect from work and relax . Overall, while bringing home goodies can have its benefits, it is important to strike a balance and be mindful of the potential negative impacts .

Answers from top 5 papers

Citation Count

Related Questions

See what other people are reading.

LOVE YOUR WORK. LOVE YOUR LIFE.

• Kua Calculator
• Zodiac Calculator
• Red Lotus Letter Color Calculator
• Car Color Calculator

How to Feng Shui Your Home Office Space — A Before & After Case Study

• Career & Business
• How to Feng Shui Your…

Everyone is working more. With the availability of cell phones, broadband, home offices, and Internet access at malls and coffee shops, you could just about say that wherever we are, that’s where our office is.

Because we’re working around the clock, in many instances, good office feng shui becomes vital — especially when it’s your home office.

Today many people spend more time at work than they do at home — and that goes double for home office workers.

Contrary to popular thought many home office workers put in longer hours than their cubicled counterparts.

Your home office, if it’s well arranged, can make you more productive and successful. If not, you could suffer from a number of problems that range from lack of recognition and support to politicking and gossip to possible layoff.

Or, you might just have career malaise whereby your career is still plugging along, but it just isn’t as good as it could be.

That’s what happened with Barbara, a sales director for a family of radio stations and a single mom. While her job was secure, she couldn’t help but worry since she was the family’s only source of income. Sales were slowly slipping at a time of year when they are usually quite high.

The problem? There were several, really.

Look at the office arrangement below and see if you recognize any of these problems with your own office. Then take a look at how in just a three short hours we completely re-arranged her office to put her in a “command” position in her office — and her career. Sales rebounded and she no longer worried about being fired.

Barbara’s Office: BEFORE

As you can see, Barbara was directly facing the door, the source of a very serious poison arrow. Being situated this way is much like sleeping in line with the bedroom door: it’s the “death” position for your career.

• Bookshelf on the north/northeast wall creates poison arrows (backstabbing) at her back.
• Train picture hung behind her desk creates third poison arrow, effectively “pinning” her to her chair.
• L-shaped desk cuts her off at the legs.
• Sales board in the northwest position and not in the wealth (sales) location of the southeast

Barbara’s Office: AFTER

Here are some of the other changes we made:

• Sales figures moved to the wealth location.
• Artwork of rivers and a small bulb flower emerging from snow are placed to boost the wealth location.
• Plant is moved to the east location for continued growth and health.
• Desk is arranged by her personal growth direction based on her kua number.
• Bookshelf with stereo and brass coat rack moved to the NW corner of the office.
• Black train picture moved to the north wall to give her career more steam.
• Created bright hall effect by moving desk away from door and having open space in front of desk. This is vital for opportunities to come to you!
• Solid wall behind her desk gives great support

You’ll notice that Barbara’s home office is now much more inviting and balanced. Opening up the office entrance invites Sheng Chi (harmonious success energy) and it can now meander into her office and settle here. This is called the bright hall space and it brings opportunities and flow into your workspace — and that means more money.

Take a look at your home office and see what you can do to improve your effectiveness and your profitability.

Related Posts

• Apple and Mac Mounts
• PC Wall Mounts
• Under Desk PC Mounts
• Universal PC Mounts
• VESA Mounts
• Monitor Stands
• Office Accessories
• Monitor Mounts
• Laptop Mounts
• Gaming Mounts
• Gaming Bundles
• Computer Mounts
• Cable Management Accessories
• Cable Management Bundles
• Cable Management Sleeves
• Cable Management Trays
• How To Wall Mount Xbox Series X/S
• How To Install Universal Mounts
• How to Install Under Mounts
• How to Install Side Mounts
• Mount Sizing Guide
• Mounting Guidelines & Limitations
• Where to Mount Your Computer Depending on the Workspace
• All About the VESA Pattern
• Which Cable Management Options are Right for You?
• Charity Connection
• Product Catalog
• Our Customers
• Company Policies

What 250 Case Studies Say about Home Office Ergonomics

Improving ergonomics in your workplace is a simple and cost effective method to raise your morale, decrease healthcare costs, increase your productivity, and increase the quality of your work. The employer’s benefits are well-noted, but what about people who are working at home or have home offices? More and more people are working at home and creating their own workplaces and offices. This can be difficult because many people want to be frugal when it comes to putting together a home office. So, should we bother with ergonomics at our home offices? Making the initial investment into your home office can be a big pain, but the long term benefits are well worth the cost. The risk factors should scare you enough to go and buy a standing desk right away. You can easily develop several musculoskeletal disorders such as arthritis, shoulder issues, back issues and many more. A British study looked into just how poor posture and constant tech usage played into the aforementioned musculoskeletal disorders. The British Chiropractic Association asserts that, according to their findings, 86% of the population of participants between ages 16 and 24 have experienced back pain and musculoskeletal symptoms. It’s alarming, but luckily, it’s largely preventable. Their conclusion , which we most definitely agree with went as follows: “We can make adjustments to the process in which we use technology in order to mediate the potential musculoskeletal health hazards that are lurking behind the screen. Adequate posture, good hydration, and working in shorter intervals can all help individuals void off musculoskeletal problems, especially when the focus of their work is on technology.” On a lighter but also significant note, the quality of your work will not be as amazing as it should be and you will suffer from more fatigue and burnout. But once again, with proper ergonomics in your workplace, this is preventable and your productivity could go through the roof! Business.com added that the ergonomic equipment in your work or home office may also lead to faster work — with fewer errors! Pretty impressive, huh? If you have the proper ergonomics in your home office your workplace productivity will not only improve, but your health will improve as well. As seen in 250 comprehensive case studies , your chances of injury and musculoskeletal disorders decrease if you invest in your workplace ergonomics. Your body will feel better and people will notice that your posture has improved tremendously. As we mentioned before, the study also shows that your productivity will increase and the quality of your work will increase as well. This further supports previous research cited, therefore yet again confirming its importance. If those two benefits do not convince you to invest in an ergonomically friendly workplace, then nothing will. Plus, doesn’t it feel great to go out and buy something nice for yourself that you know you will be using every single day? It’s clear that posture is affected by poor ergonomics, but remember that it isn’t the only health risk at stake. Not to mention, there are many causes that lead to these issues; it’s not as simple as hunching over your desk all day. According to Mayo Clinic , here are some things to keep in mind in order to improve workplace ergonomics:

It’s obvious that your chair plays an integral part in good ergonomics, but how can you ensure that you’re making the proper choices to benefit your body? Firstly, you should choose a chair that supports your spinal curves. You can either head to an office store and ask a sales associate for help, or you can look online (and read reviews) about great office chairs for spinal health. Beyond that, you should adjust the height of your chair so that your feet are laying flat on the floor and your thighs are parallel to it. It’s not always that easy, however. If your desk is really high or your chair doesn’t go low enough for your feet to touch the ground, you should use a footrest. (Even a stool can work in a pinch! You gotta do what you gotta do.) If there’s one thing that we want to make clear, it’s that you should make sure that you have the proper desk chair for your office. Having poor posture as a result of your chair can be fixed easily — and you do not have to spend $3,000 on a fancy chair to reap the benefits. There are plenty of affordable options all over the Internet! If a standing desk is more your thing, get an attachment where you can place your laptop or desktop to lower or raise the height of your monitor, so you can alternate between standing and sitting.

Workplace Accessories

Keeping your highly used objects close to you isn’t an act of laziness — it’s an act of self-preservation. Your telephone, stapler, and other critical objects should be close enough for you that you shouldn’t have to do any major reaching. If you can’t reach something easily, instead of overextending yourself and hunching over your desk, simply stand up to access it in a healthier way.

Keyboard & Mouse

Ever wonder why so many young people have carpal tunnel nowadays? It’s because what used to by a syndrome typically ailing middle aged, older folks, and those who have otherwise worked using their hands for a while, has now trickled down to people in their 20s and 30s. If you’re unfamiliar with carpal tunnel, LiveScience describes it as “a nerve-related condition that causes numbness, tingling and pain in the palm of the hand and wrist. It occurs when there is swelling in a narrow passageway in the wrist known as the carpal tunnel, which puts pressure on the median nerve, a major nerve in the hand.” To avoid that at all costs, think ergonomically even with your keyboard and mouse. “While typing or using your mouse, keep your wrists straight, your upper arms close to your body, and your hands at or slightly below the level of your elbows,” explains Mayo Clinic . “Use keyboard shortcuts to reduce extended mouse use. If possible, adjust the sensitivity of the mouse so you can use a light touch to operate it. Alternate the hand you use to operate the mouse by moving the mouse to the other side of your keyboard.”

Talking on the phone during work is a task that is almost ubiquitous across industries. While some roles require more phone conversations than others, a good rule of them is to always take calls via headset — instead of holding your head crooked and wearing your neck out for minutes (or even hours) at a time. Better yet, if you have your own office, you can take the phone calls right on speaker phone.

Using the computer is perhaps one of the tasks that comes most naturally nowadays, but did you know that there is a proper way to use a computer? For better ergonomics place your monitor directly in front of you and an arm’s length away. The top of your screen should be at or below eye level — there should be no looking up at your monitor. Laptops are popular these days, but if you’re using a traditional PC, be sure to place the monitor directly behind your keyboard. Remember how we mentioned carpal tunnel? Well studies not only show the risk factors from tasks like typing and hunching at a monitor all day, but also from the aggressive amounts of technology that we use each day. Even when we step out of the office, we’re attached to our smartphones, tablets, and gaming systems. In a study published in the science journal Muscle & Nerve, “About 92 percent of intensive users complained of pain or discomfort in their hands or wrists, but only 25 percent of less frequent users experienced pain, according to the findings.” Because of the harrowing effects on our bodies that can be caused by our habitual use of modern technology, workplace ergonomics are more important than ever. While you may not be worried about sitting up straight or not reaching far for your phone while you’re at home, you surely should do so in the workplace. Focusing on and prioritizing workplace ergonomics will benefit not only your posture and your health, but you’ll also experience the aforementioned productivity benefits. There are products like ours that help you achieve better workplace ergonomics. Oeveo’s Under Mount  can be used so that you can have more leg room under your desk. Getting your legs to be perfectly lined up with your knees can be tricky due to limited leg room. However, installing your CPU under or on the side of the desk will give you the extra leg room to feel more comfortable and ensure that your posture is correct. Give your body a break in your home office and make sure that you have the necessary tools to be productive and successful in your workplace. Working at home can be much more difficult than going to a separate place for work, and you want to give yourself every single advantage that you possibly can.

by Alexis Dent

7 Benefits of Having a Routine

A Professional's Guide to Workplace Organization: Under Desk and PC Wall Mounts

Please sign in first.

Create a free account to save loved items.

Create a free account to use wishlists.

• Business Products
• Home Appliances
• Home Entertainment

What is On Your Home Office Wish List?

We continue to hear workers want to work from home or remotely. With WFH sticking around, it’s important that your home office includes all that you need to succeed. We even polled from our social media followers and learned that the flexibility and ability to log-on to work from anywhere is favored, especially when you have an ideal home office set-up.  Here’s what our followers expressed as their must-have items for their remote office.

We’ve said it before and it’s worth reiterating - remote and hybrid work is here to stay! A study from GOBankingRates found half of U.S. workers want to work from home or remotely. What a turnaround from pre-pandemic days, when only 6% of workers were remote and about 75% never worked from home (data from National Council on Compensation Insurance ).

We continue to hear this loud and clear from customers, dealers, and the industry at large. With WFH sticking around, it’s important that your home office includes all that you need to succeed. We even polled from our social media followers and learned that the flexibility and ability to log-on to work from anywhere is favored, especially when you have an ideal home office set-up.  Here’s what our followers expressed as their must-have items for their remote office:

Second Monitor:

Double the screens, double the fun (or double the work, if you’re a glass half-empty kind of person)! At the top of our followers’ holiday wish list is a second monitor , which received the most votes in our LinkedIn poll about must-have items for a remote office. It also ranked #2 in our poll asking for which workplace essential they are most thankful for. While this item may not be the most portable, it is extremely helpful in creating a more efficient and productive environment to complete assignments, communicate with co-workers, and multi-task on various items. Those working on the creative side (i.e., graphic designers), are particularly fond of the dual-screen setup.

Where would we be without our laptops for our home and hybrid offices? They’re portable, durable, and fast, ensuring that work can be completed anytime, anywhere. When it comes to workplace essentials for which they are most thankful, our LinkedIn followers felt that laptops take the prize.

Headphones:

Tune in, distractions out. Followers noted their headphones are their second choice in our poll about essentials to take while on the road. Many headphones offer Bluetooth connectivity allowing employees to remotely connect to their laptop or phone to take work calls, listen to music, podcasts, or the news throughout the day. This allows for great flexibility and freedom, so it’s no wonder they are top of mind.

Wireless Mouse:

‘Tis the season for clicking! Followers selected their wireless mouse as an essential during travels to create their ideal remote office. Just like the second monitor, this tool allows for more efficient work and can be more comfortable to use compared to a traditional wired mouse or laptop mousepad. Gone are the days of the rollable ball that would pop out of your old computer mouse!

Notice a trend? Items that are flexible, increase productivity, and make for a more efficient daily workflow were highly preferred by followers for their corporate, home, or traveling office. If you’re interested in participating in our future workplace polls, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn .

View more information on home office essentials

Related Case Studies

Healthcare Analytics Company Secures Laptops Despite a Global Shortage

View All Case Studies

Latest Articles

Sluss + Padgett LLC Enhances Operations with Collaborative Technology

Macon County Schools Print Environment Overhaul Increases Uptime and Productivity

Global Metal Supply and Distribution Company Improves Workflows with MFP Upgrade

Dental Services Organization Keeps Employees Engaged with NEC Displays

Get in Touch

• 1-800-BE-Sharp

About Sharp

• About Sharp B2B
• About Sharp Electronics
• Press Inquiries
• Environmental Awareness
• Compliance & Ethics Policy

Sharp Business Social

• Buy Supplies
• Get Support
• Change Country

10 Home Office Productivity Tips for Running a Successful Home-Based Business

Millions of home-based companies exist in all neighborhoods across the United States. Thanks to the internet, consumers and small businesses can easily connect from across the globe. This can all be achieved from the comfort of your house. However, this type of convenience can lead to confusion when drawing the line between your home and your office space.

And you’re not alone either.  Close to 1 in 3 home-based workers  feel that they have a hard time separating business and their personal lives. This list of tips and strategies will help you get the most out of your living space and while growing your home-based business.

1) Standardize Processes for Your Home Business

Keep receipts, documents and files stored in a dedicated cabinet. Set up a routine when shipping orders. Keep the office tidy. Be a stickler for procedure. This allows you to maintain a constant level of professionalism across your operations and establish protocols within your home-based company.

2) Ensure that You Have Proper Lighting

Studies  have shown that proper lighting is not only good for your eyes, but your mental health as well. A dark basement is not the ideal place to work. Invest in some lamps and bright LED lightbulbs that give off a white light. Try to work in an area where sunlight is abundant.

3) Separate Business and Pleasure

Draw a line between your business and your personal life. It’s tempting to work from your sofa only to end up distracted by the television. Create a dedicated workspace away from the areas where you relax. Set a clear working schedule to avoid procrastinating during work hours.

4) Ergonomic Rules Still Apply

Invest in a setup you’ll enjoy working at, even if it’s just a side-hustle. Consider purchasing an ergonomic chair, a standing desk or whatever office furniture that will make you more productive and comfortable.

5) Automate as Many Tasks as You Can

With only 24 hours in a day, your time is better spent on important tasks that will help grow your business. Automate as much as you can. A smart assistant can help you stay organized. If you run an eCommerce business, software like PitneyShip ® shipping software can organize and validate customer addresses before you ship out packages.

6) Create a Green Workspace

Surround yourself with plants and greenery to boost your mood.  Studies  have shown that employees are 15% more productive when their workplaces include some houseplants. Plants help get you psychologically engaged while promoting happiness, which results in better work.

7) Dress for Success

Rolling out of bed and wearing your pajamas all day may be simpler, but it can also affect your overall productivity. Getting dressed allows you to present the version of yourself you want to be to the world and puts you in the right frame of mind. You’re your own boss, so set your own dress code.

8) Get Some Fresh Air

Get out of the house and take meaningful breaks. When working alone, it can be easy to lose track of time. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery or time to recharge.  77% of small business owners  have stated that they feel the effects of burnout. Even magnates like  Bill Gates  know the importance of taking time to relax. 

9) Stay Connected for a Better Working Situation

One  study  shows that 21% of home-based workers feel lonely from time to time. Isolation is great for concentrating, but stifles creativity and reduces motivation in longer intervals. Dedicate time for face-to-face contact, be it through weekly meetings, discussions, or just working remotely from a coffee shop or coworking space.   

10) Invest in the Right Tools

Working from home allows you to save on office space rent. However, you should always invest in the equipment needed to get tasks done properly. Accounting software is a must if you track expenses. If you ship packages regularly, invest in  shipping software  like PitneyShip ® shipping software to weigh parcels, print shipping labels and schedule pickups. 

When it comes to home office productivity, there needs to be a balance between concentration and stimulation. The perfect home office should allow you to focus on your work while getting you in the perfect state of mind.

For more information about PitneyShip ® shipping software and other shipping tools to help your online business grow,  click here .

Related Technology

Learn more about how pitneyship® shipping software can help your business, pitneyship® software, united kennel club gets a new best friend with pitney bowes pitneyship® shipping software solution, how to pack a package: key tips and practices.

Designing a Home Office That Works

Study finds better wfh setup provides comfort, increases engagement and boosts productivity.

This article is part of a series of updates to “ Navigating What’s Next: The Post-COVID Workplace. ”

The work-from-home honeymoon started to go stale for most of us at about five weeks of doing it full-time. Before the crisis only 5% of us typically worked from home most of the time, and 71% of us worked at home on occasion — less than two days a month according to a recent Steelcase study. When we found ourselves suddenly there all-day, every day, we just weren’t prepared for what lay ahead.

“Only about one third of the people we surveyed report they were able to work effectively.”

Caroline kelly steelcase workspace futures manager.

“People faced a lot of challenges that impacted both their engagement and productivity,” says Caroline Kelly, Steelcase WorkSpace Future manager. A global Steelcase study found that people who have access to the right furniture and work tools, are significantly more engaged, more productive and feel they have the resources they need to do their work.

In Search of Comfort

The data confirms most workers do not have an ideal home setup.

Individual contributors who work primarily or almost always at a desk.  People who live in smaller homes are even less likely to work at a desk.

Reported they would describe their workspace as comfortable . People with an ergonomic chair were more likely to report they have a comfortable workspace, yet only 24% of individual contributors reported having one.

Have a secondary monitor – important for the prevention of neck and eye strain.

“The sudden nature of the pandemic forced people to make due with what they had — a dining table, the couch, even their bed,” says Kelly. “But now that many people will continue to work from home in some capacity in the future, it’s important to provide them with ergonomic seating and effective work tools to be comfortable and productive and help avoid injury from poor posture, repetitive movements, eye strain, etc.”

Tips For Creating Work-From-Home Spaces

For most organizations, our homes will become part of an expanded ecosystem of places where people will continue to work some of the time. While everyone faces their own set of challenges and home sizes can vary drastically, providing ergonomic support and maximizing space — even small ones — help create workspaces at home that are more comfortable, enhance productivity and boost wellbeing.

Find the best place to work

Consider background noise, visual distractions and the level of privacy you need to focus.

Are you able to control lighting and temperature so you can work comfortably?

Can you keep confidential information out of sight?

Look for a place that has access to natural light and greenery - it will make you feel better.

Choose a good ergonomic chair

A good, ergonomic chair will flex with you – helping you change postures while you sit.

The backrest of the chair should fit the natural contour of your back and to maintain healthy alignment as you sit.

As you recline, a chair’s seat and backrest should move as you do – opening up your hip angle and bringing you closer to a healthy sitting posture.

Provide comfort where you need it most. Contoured foam and a flexible edge provide pressure-free comfort for sit bones, glutes and thighs.

The arms of your chair should stay parallel to the floor while you recline – keeping your arms straight on your desk and your eyes level with your screen.

Intuitive and easy-to-use back, seat and arm adjustments make a chair feel like it is made for you and your body.

Sit (or stand) properly at your desk

Choose a desk or worksurface that can accommodate your laptop, keyboard, mouse, phone, etc. The worksurface should be elbow height in a seated posture.

Consider a height-adjustable desk so you can change posture: sit, stand and move. Add an Active Lift Riser to a stationary desk or worksurface to give you the option to change postures from sitting to standing.

Clear enough space for your knees so you can slide your chair close to your work.

Add computer support tools to improve ergonomics

A monitor arm puts screens in the right position in any posture, reducing eye and muscle strain, increasing user comfort and creating a healthier and more productive workspace.

A keyboard platform keeps your external keyboard and mouse on the same horizontal surface and appropriate height for correct ergonomic positioning.

A footrest lets you stand or sit more comfortably while working and helps maintain good posture.

A mobile laptop support allows you to position a laptop at a height that’s both ergonomically correct and comfortable.

Home Inspiration

These home offices are designed to help you work better at home — whether you work in a small, shared space, a large dedicated office or an enhanced living space, you won’t mind working in one of these home offices:

Small Spaces

A productive office in a compact area, transforms rooms into hard-working spaces.

Focus on solo work at home without taking up too much real estate.

The compact size and light, minimalist aesthetic of the West Elm Work Greenpoint desk and storage blends into any home environment – living room, spare bedroom or dedicated office.​ The Steelcase Series 1 chair provides ergonomic support and the West Elm Work Greenpoint mobile ped keeps reference documents and supplies close by. The West Elm Work Linear Wood task light provides additional lighting on the worksurface.

For intense focus work, the high performance Gesture chair keeps you comfortable and supported all day.

The Blu Dot Desk 51 has a more residential aesthetic that can easily be added to any existing space. Blu Dot Welf shelves provide a place to display personal items and help keep the worksurface clear to give people more room to work.

Dedicated Spaces

A high-performing office in a larger, dedicated space.

The West Elm Work Greenpoint desk provides ample space to spread out everything you need to work.

There’s also room to display books and artifacts, while mobile storage keeps documents organized and out of sight. The Amia Air chair’s specially-engineered geometric design in the backrest offers flexibility – encouraging healthy movement and providing support for posture changes.

Combine performance and expression.

The Migration SE height-adjustable desk allows you to sit or stand throughout the day, while the Amia Air chair provides ergonomic comfort and support. The Blu Dot Peek console gives you a place to store reference materials and supplies, as well as display personal items.​

Enhanced Living Spaces

Upgrade a current living space to accommodate the demands of work to make the workday more productive.

Transform a living area into a productive workspace.

Lagunitas tables are designed with careful consideration for the postures and dimensions of the seating to create a comfortable experience for whatever task is at hand. Thread makes it easy to stay powered and working without distractions.

How to order

Personal purchases.

For personal purchases, you can buy products on demand, delivered directly to you through Steelcase Store.

Go to Steelcase Store

Corporate Programs

For corporate purchases to support work-from-home programs, whether company or employee funded, Steelcase has numerous personalized options to help outfit your employees with home office solutions designed ​to work directly with your company’s procurement system (contact your local Steelcase or dealer representative for more information). ​

Related Stories

15 reasons why the office matters.

There are countless benefits to having a place to bring people together. Here’s why the workplace is more important than ever before.

Workplace Designers Forecast the Future

Competing in the post-covid era.

The future of work is about more than working from home. We are at a tipping point and leaders must make a choice about where and how people will work. The pressure to get it right has never been greater.

R E N D E Z V O U S

Thursday, july 21, 2016, case study # 10: he does, i do, case study # 9: for official use also, case study # 8: gifts galore, case study # 7: i can afford anyway, wednesday, july 20, 2016, case study # 6: more than just casinos, case study #5: bring home office goodies, tuesday, july 19, 2016, case study #4: pick me up, case study #3: what else can i do, monday, july 18, 2016, case study #2: wanted: dead heroes, case study #1: an island firestorm, sunday, july 17, 2016, simple living.

Engineering a Smarter Future Together

Akkodis is your partner in Smart Industry. We combine best-in-class tech expertise and digital engineering talent to drive global innovation.

Akkodis Positioned as Global Leader by Zinnov

The Pivotal Role of Synthetic Data in Generative AI

Technology, Talent and Transformation

Through our four service lines, Akkodis delivers on your technology and talent demands of today, future-proofing your organization for the challenges of tomorrow.

Akkodis Thinkers & Makers Magazine

The pain relief dosing device giving patients control.

This featured Thinkers & Makers magazine article covers the innovative new device for administering pain relief, developed from the ground up by Akkodis engineers specialized in medical technology, can not only empower patients but also ease the workload of hospital staff.

Partnerships

Akkodis Market Leader Among Digital Engineering Service Providers