Maximize Your Home Office
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If you are fortunate enough to work at home some days or have a work at home job such as Amazon customer service, Apple Customer Service or many of the other industries who employ customer service representatives at home, you have special technology needs.
The number one thing to consider is that your home office is part of your ‘profit center’ – your ability to produce while at home may increase the odds of you being able to work from home on a regular basis. Working from home can be more efficient since you are not in the office environment – subject to coffee breaks, gossip, and commuting – even the walk from the office to your car, the bus, or subway can be unproductive. Working from home can be the ultimate productivity boost if done right.
Here are some tips for your home office:
Ergonomics Count: In a corporate office, it may be unknown to you but many companies make decisions about desks, chairs, keyboard trays, computer layout, and even lighting to create an optimal work environment. Ergonomics count. OSHA offers some great tips for ergonomics. Among those tips are keeping the monitor at eye level, shoulders relaxed, and feet flat on the floor. Check the OSHA site for more tips to keep your home office as comfortable as your corporate office.
Keep an Open View: Everyone wants the office with the window. Your home office should have a window, it gives you a breeze, natural lighting, and a sense of perspective.
The Office Supply Cabinet: Just because you work from home periodically doesn’t mean you won’t need office supplies. It’s good to keep a cabinet or at least a tub with some basic office supplies like pens, pads, spare mouse, etc. That gives you the same support you have in the office.
Hardware: It’s good to duplicate the hardware you have at the office. If you have an external monitor, mouse, printer, and speakers at work it’s good to have these at home. You may even ask an IT staff member to come to your home office and review your setup. If you are doing customer service, a good landline and headset are vital. Internet, while it may not be business class, should be a vital investment, at 75mbp/s or higher.
With these tips, you can keep a productive work-at-home experience.