Guest Post: A short guide to getting your home office ready for winter

Most of us are still adjusting to working at home. Having worked mainly in offices where things like long-term maintenance, heating and other things are taken care of for us, a few things catch those who are new to remote working out. Especially those who are going through their first winter of hybrid working.

This short guide is designed to forewarn you about some of the issues you could face. Enabling you to prepare in a way that will help you to avoid them.

Heating

At the top of the list is heating. The last thing you need is to be working in a home office that is too cold or too hot. According to a study carried out by the HR advisory service, SHRM being too hot or too cold seriously affects most people´s productivity. Something that in today´s highly competitive world no remote worker can afford.

So, if you have not sorted out the right type of heater for your home office, do so now. When choosing one bear in mind the following:

·  How easy it is to adjust – the more adjustability it has the more likely it is that you will be able to get the temperature right

·  A timer – choosing one that has a timer enables you to ensure that your office is warmed up before you go in to start work

·  Affordable and environmentally friendly – with the cost of power being so high and the need for us to use less of it to help the planet this is an especially important consideration. If you feel comfortable doing so, dress in layers and use blankets to reduce how often you need to switch your heater on. For a room that you only use for part of the day, a small electric space heater is likely to be the best answer. You can find out why that is and how to use one in the most sustainable and affordable way, by clicking here.

Check your tech

Periodically you should review the technology to check that it is in good condition. Doing it at the start of each season is an easy way to make sure you do it regularly. Your winter tech check should include:

   Running your laptop unplugged to see how long it lasts. You don´t want to be halfway through a meeting in a customer´s office and have your laptop die on you. If you are like most people, you will use it plugged in for a lot of the day. This is very very bad for battery life. So, try to break that habit.

·  Measure your broadband speed. Over time, it is common for your connection to degrade. There are many reasons for this, your provider could be throttling your signal or family members could be leaving devices running unnecessarily. Checking it every few months will help you to catch this loss of speed before it becomes an issue. If you do need a better connection, consider signing up for one of the many unlimited broadband options.

·  Make sure that you are prepared for any power cuts. Inclement weather can sometimes lead to problems with the grid. Your employer is likely to be understanding. But they will expect you to have done your best to stay online and continue to work. Investing in a 2^nd hand laptop and phone to use as a backup is worth doing anyway. But they will be especially useful if the power goes out. You should be able to carry on working for an extra 5 or 6 hours, maybe more. It is also worth buying a decent power bank and keeping that charged. Plus, ensure that you have a good data plan that will enable you to use your phone as a hotspot should your router go down too.

Lighting

Most home offices only have small windows, so in the winter months, you need decent lighting. In most cases, some sort of desk lamp is the best answer. Provided you choose the right type it will not consume very much power.

When buying home office lighting, you also need to think about the winter blues. To stay healthy, we all need exposure to the right kind of light. This article explains this in more detail and includes tips to help you to choose lighting that can help you to avoid suffering from the winter blues.

It is also worth buying a couple of emergency lights. Look for the kind that runs on rechargeable batteries, but make sure that they are bright enough to work by.

Using the above tips, you should end up with a warm, cosy office that is pleasant to work in during the winter months. One that provides you with everything you need to stay productive no matter what the cold weather throws at you.

LoveRosiee
xxx

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