Work From Home Equipment: The Essentials

    We find that with the circumstances that life is continuously throwing at us, more and more businesses are adjusting their setup of how the workflow is managed so that it can be executed remotely. As a result, a large number of people find themselves having to work from home, and depending on the nature of the business, there are certain items that you have to have to make sure that you’re able to do all the work required. This is why we’ve made a list of the essentials that you need to have to be able to work from home efficiently.

    COMFORTABLE & PRACTICAL FURNITURE

    What takes top priority is your comfort. You need practical and functional furniture that will be able to conveniently bring all your equipment together without creating a mess and clutter, and be easily accessible. The first item you need to look into is a table that has the right dimensions- you want it to be just the right height so that you’re sitting in a comfortable position, and you also want enough space to place your equipment. Along with that, you need an ergonomic chair that is specially designed for long hours behind the desk and support your neck and back. 

    AN ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCE

    When you start to work from home, you’ll realize that you’re spending much more time there, and as a result, using up a lot more energy than you would if you were going to the office. This is why it’s extremely important to consider alternative power sources in case anything goes wrong. Power cuts are not uncommon, but it’s the worst thing that could happen if you’re in the middle of a meeting or writing up something important for work. If you don’t know the first thing about generators, consider looking at reviews and seeing what the options are online. The variety at Krugerpower would be a great place to start because you’ll be able to understand the details, and you might even run into great sale offers. Generators are probably the best option to go for because they’re live with you for the long term and are the most effective when it comes to alternative energy sources.

    A DECENT ROUTER

    If you’re going to work from home, then it’s absolutely useless and extremely frustrating if you don’t have a fast internet connection. This is why it’s so important that you understand the difference between one router to the other. There are different brands and sizes, and you need to do your homework and speak to your internet provider as well to figure out which router would be best in helping to keep your connection as fast and uninterrupted as possible. 

    A MONITOR

    When we talk about a monitor, we don’t mean the standard one that comes with a desktop. Because you’re going to be spending so much time in front of the computer- whether it be for reading, writing, or meetings- having a bigger and better screen to work from is going to be beneficial in so many ways. Getting a separate monitor to connect to your laptop or desktop means that the images and sound will have much better quality, and more importantly, you won’t be straining your eyes for hours on end, which can cause you fatigue and headaches. 

    WEBCAM AND MICROPHONE

    Work requires constant communication, and to be able to do that hassle-free, you need to make sure that you invest in a separate webcam and microphone, other than the one that is built into your laptop. That’s not to say that it’s not any good! It is, but getting them separately will make a world of difference, as the quality of the sound and visuals will be so much better. If you’re going to be working from home, this is something that will matter a great deal to you as you will need to have quality and clarity in both your sound and images when you have meetings or make recordings. 

    SCANNER/PRINTER/COPIER

    Obviously, this is something that you need. You’re not going to be able to go down the block to the photocopy store to print or copy something every 3o minutes! There are options where you can have the scanner, printer, and copier all in one machine, and they aren’t that expensive, plus many outlets give you the comfort of being able to pay in installments if you find that you can pay the whole price upfront. As you work from home, you’ll find that you’ll need to do a lot of back and forth in terms of paperwork, so this is an essential item.

    FILING CABINET

    While you’re fully aware that the majority of your work will be stored online, there is something that you do need to have in paperwork, and you need to ensure that it’s kept safe and organized close-by so that you have easy access to it, and so that you don’t misplace it. This is why it’s so important to have a small filing cabinet put into your home office. It could be anything work-related to even your bills and any kind of important paperwork, for that matter. Having a filing cabinet that can be locked is extremely beneficial when it comes to having the complete home office setup.

    SHREDDER

    Last but not least, you will never regret having a shredder. Working from home means that there will be instances where you will need to print out things that you’d like to work off of or analyze, and it may contain confidential information. Tearing it up and throwing it in the bin isn’t the best idea when it comes to staying safe, and this is why it’s so important to have a paper shredder available.

    When it comes to setting up shop at home and decking out your home office to make it just right for you, using the list provided here will go a long way in ensuring that you have everything you need. Working from home won’t feel different at all, and may just feel way more comfortable if you do it right!