The topic of home offices is more relevant than ever in the working world today. Due to the pandemic situation, many employees found themselves in the situation of doing their work from home for several weeks or months for the first time. Likewise, the offer of home office even became obligatory for companies. But it was not only the pandemic that made home office an attention-grabbing topic, because many self-employed people and freelancers were already working from their own four walls at home before. In addition, more and more companies are outsourcing certain activities to them. If you want to work in a home office for a longer period of time or even permanently, you should make sure you have an appropriate working environment and suitable desk accessories. Here, the room, an appropriately furnished workstation and the necessary technical accessories including internet connection play a decisive role. In our blog article, we show you which aspects should be paid special attention to and give you valuable tips for successful and efficient working in a home office!

The most important facts about the home office at a glance

• Choose a separate room for your home office that can also be closed off with a door. This is particularly advantageous if you want to submit the costs for the home office to the tax office.
• A minimum of 10 m² is recommended for the home office in order to have sufficient space.
• Electricity, internet and telephone connections are almost essential in a home office. Make sure you have a fast and powerful internet connection.
• The room should be in a quiet part of your home and offer as few distractions as possible. There should also be enough daylight so that you don't have to provide additional lighting during the day.

Basic home office equipment

What does your new study need? Here you will find the most important items of equipment:

• A desk is essential; it should be at least 160 x 80 cm and ideally height-adjustable.
• An ergonomic office chair can be optimally adjusted to suit you and ensures a healthy posture at the workplace.
• Sufficient filing and storage options, such as mobile containers or cabinets with drawers, make for a tidy and well-organised workplace.
• Ensure sufficient lighting in the home office - with daylight, suitable ceiling lighting and a desk lamp.
• Computers with an (ergonomic) mouse and keyboard are essential, and it is more comfortable to work on one or two external screens of at least 22 inches.
• Use a notebook stand if you work with a notebook or provide a docking station for your laptop.
• Suitable accessories such as a webcam and headset are important for online meetings or (video) conferences, and a printer with scanning function is recommended as an option.
• Discreet decoration and plants promote a relaxed and pleasant working environment.

From the rough to the detail: choosing the right workspace in the home office

Before we start furnishing the home office, we will go into more detail about the future study. It should be possible to achieve a room temperature of up to 22 °C in this room. It is also advisable to have sufficient natural daylight in the room. The longer the home office is used in the working day, the more you should focus on a healthy and effective working environment and refrain from "emergency solutions" regarding the room, desk or chair. For example, a chair with hard castors is recommended for rooms with carpets, while an unyielding floor requires soft castors on the office chair.

A popular mistake in the home office is to place the desk directly in front of the window or to have the window in the back. This has a number of disadvantages: Facing the window from the front exposes your eyes to a high-contrast situation, which means that they are subjected to a great deal of strain, which can impair concentration or even lead to headaches. If the window is right behind you, reflections on the screen are often the result, which also puts too much strain on the eyes, which then become dry and watery. Concentration problems and headaches can also result. Ideally, the desk in the home office should be placed at a 90° angle to the window. This way there is no glare or reflection and you can also look out of the window. Daylight white light sources with more than 5,300 Kelvin or even universal white light with more than 3,300 Kelvin optimise the light at the workplace. In addition to sufficient light, the air in the room is also crucial for healthy and effective work in the home office. Ventilate once an hour, then your brain will get enough oxygen and you can get on with your work!

Set up your home office with the right desk

The desk is the focal point of daily work in the home office. Depending on the home office accessories you use every day, it must provide enough space. Do you only use your laptop or a computer with two screens? Do you need a telephone, printer or storage compartments on the desk? All this will influence how big the desk should be in the end. If you only have limited space in your home or study, shelves can also help.

Basically, the same rules apply to the design of workplaces as employers implement in the office. A suitable desk in the home office should therefore have at least 160 x 80 cm of work surface, with a movement area of no less than 1.5 m². Height-adjustable desks in the home office are the best way to work standing up and thus stimulate the circulation. At the same time, they can be adjusted to your sitting height.

Technical equipment and connections at the workstation in the home office

If you work with a laptop every day, an additional monitor gives you a better overview of open programmes. Likewise, the annoying mini- and maximising of the many open windows is largely eliminated. An additional tablet is also popular in the home office; it can be mounted on practical fixtures on the desk, on the monitor or on the wall opposite. To protect your hand and wrist, a sturdy keyboard and an ergonomically shaped mouse or mouse pad are ideal.

Your laptop or computer should also be able to install the communication and work tools necessary for the job and run them without any problems. A good internet connection plays a decisive role here, because without it, it is not possible to work smoothly. Wireless LTE networks are a suitable solution, but they can also interrupt the connection to some extent. So if you want to be on the safe side, opt for DSL connections and WIFI reception throughout the house.

Practical desk accessories for the home office

Not everyone has a huge space available for their home office. However, practical filing systems and ingenious storage spaces can quickly remedy the situation. Place them near your workstation so that you can reach for the desk accessories you need right away and neatly put back the paper you have used. A well-organised workspace makes your daily work easier and more concentrated!

File folders or ring binders can be used to file important work documents. They save space on the desk and can be clearly sorted by subject. Magazine files can also be used to store various documents or notebooks. Important notes can be written down on different types of paper. It is up to you whether you use writing pads, sticky note pads, notebooks or spiralbound notepads. Sticky note pads are particularly practical because they can be used to visibly stick important information or appointments at the workplace. Hole punches, stamps, pens or necessary letterheads find enough space in small shelves or drawers.

Deco in the home office: cosy, but clearly arranged

Avoid overloading your new workspace in the home office with all kinds of decorative items. Concentrated work requires a bright room with a clear layout. A discreet wall colour is recommended, a picture on the wall or even a simple green plant nearby to bring more life and freshness into the room. A small plant on the shelf, a book or a candle are also possible. The only important thing is to keep it stylish and unobtrusive, because chaos on or around the workplace makes it difficult to work in a targeted manner.

High-quality desk accessories for your home office from Infowerk

While the employer provides high-quality desks, office chairs, monitors and desk accessories in the office, the situation can be quite different at home. The more often or longer you work in a home office, the more you should focus on a suitable, orderly and ergonomic workplace. In this way, you will not only do something good for your health, but you will also notice that you work more concentrated and effectively. In addition to a suitable desk, office chair, internet and telephone connection, clever storage options and paper, pens, hole punches or stamps are important in the home office. At Infowerk, we provide you with necessary and extensive desk accessories. Simply order the home office supplies that best suit your working style!