The Future of Working From Home

As the pandemic is slowly being the "new normal", people and businesses are finding their way in the new world. I have seen many businesses adopt a flexible, hybrid, remote or even "forcing" their workers back in the office. It has been quite interesting to watch each announcement and the following opinions and aftermath.

Personally, I hope to see a flexible or hybrid model for the future of knowledge workers. However, finding the right workspace in your home, that works for you and your family, is the key to success

I am luckily enough to have enough space in my home to have my own area designated as my office and I personally find having a sit stand desk is a must as I sometimes have back problems and love to pace around the room while on the phone. I own the BEKANT sit stand desk in grey from IKEA... it is very affordable for being a professional offer from their product range.

Some people I meet with, both internally and externally, are sitting on their couch or talkiing to me from their kitchen island - I am not sure if this is due to not having a space or a desk within their home or just a personal preference but do whatever works for you!

There are so many options on the market, that fit all wallets, and it all comes down to personal preference but here are some things we worked with internally at IKEA (yes, I work there) and I used them last year while designing a solution that works for me:

Sustainability & well-being

1. The more green friends the merrier! Because plants purify air and create a happier work environment
2. Stay hydrated! A bottle, carafe or glass of water near your work area will remind you to drink up
3. Stay nimble! Set a timer on your phone so you can get up and stretch every 1-2 hours
4. Trigger your creativity and emotional well-being by working with a view out the window, and use daylighting whenever possible to save energy
5. Promote a calm work atmosphere by staying organized and using closed storage
6. Hide or put away work equipment during non-working hours to create a visual separation between work life and personal time
7. Calm space = productive space. Add rugs, curtains and acoustical panels to absorb distracting sounds and enhance your focus

Comfort & ergonomic

1. Get cozy while you work! Choose a chair that’s good for long-term sitting and add cushions for extra comfort. Use a rolled up blanket or towel for even more lumbar support
2. Switch it up! Have the option to sit or stand, because changing positions throughout the day is a game-changer. Use an adjustable height surface or simply keep an alternative place to work ready, like the kitchen counter
3. Try using laptop support while working on the sofa or in bed to eliminate uncomfortable heat generated by the laptop
4. Need a lift? Get a footrest! It will also provide additional back support
5. Position your screens at eye-level for healthy posture habits. A laptop support or stack of books will raise the height of the screen and prevent back pain
6. Look boss, no hands! Tablet and phone holders can free your hands during video conferencing so you can make more impressive gestures when speaking

Lighting, charging & cord management

1. Ensure everything (or at least what you’re working on) is illuminated! Use a focused task light to keep your work surface lit
2. Make work easier on your eyes by placing a diffused light behind your computer screen to reduce eye strain. Also, mood lighting softens the contrast between general light and task lighting
3. Task lighting is key, but so is having plenty of general lighting throughout the room
4. Smart lighting is a great (uh, smart?) way to easily switch between cool, bright light for daytime, and dim, warm light for evenings. Also, try a color-changing light bulb if you want to set a super creative office vibe!
5. Position your work space so daylight enters from the side or front, rather than behind, to prevent glare on your computer screen
6. Window treatments will allow you to easily control the daylight in your space
7. Cord clutter is the worst, right? Wireless charging pads and cable management boxes make cutting cord clutter simple

Things to ask your employer

Some companies offer work from home allowance, usually an amount of money to spruce up your space, or some companies are even required to if you are at home for a percentage of time, ask about this! (each country has different rules)

Ask about the working hours while at home. As an example, I collaborate alot with some colleagues on the West Coast of the United States (-9 hours time diff.) and I find waking up early and working a few hours before lunch and then taking a few hours off, and then being back online to work with them or meet (if needed), has really helped me. I get a longer lunch, time to run errands and work on personal projects while the sun is still out.

In the future, I would love to see companies take the Hybrid approach to working. Using multi-purpose offices and private workspaces to help collaboration effectively across many work environments. Allowing co-workers to have a flexible work week, for example, spending three days in the office and two days wherever the co-worker works best. Of course, this depends on your work and what you do on a day-to-day basis.

The future of work is flexibility and I cannot wait to see what companies announce and what technology follows to support this.