How to set up a home office in 2023

Location

Hybrid or remote working policies are an incredibly popular employee perk. In fact, as we recently reported, 88% of job seekers view hybrid working as the most important pull-factor when searching for a new role.

However, one downside to hybrid working is that it can lead to distractions if people live in a busy environment.

As a general rule, workers should try and find a space for their office that is distinct from home life.

Try to stay away from communal areas or places where you might spend your downtime. This will help you to maintain the professional feeling of working in a normal office environment. Find more tips on staying engaged when home working in our full guide.

Those who are lucky enough to have a spare room will find this easiest. If you’re short on space, find the corner of a room that is furthest away from the potential distraction of a comfy sofa cushion.

There’s been a big rise in popularity of people investing in sheds and shipping containers. These are usually spacious enough to house an office, without taking up too much garden space.

Other, practical things to consider when deciding on a location include:

• Plug sockets – are they nearby?
• WiFi – what is the connection like?
• Noise – are you near a road or TV?
• Phone system – do you need to adapt your phone system for home working?

Equipment

Now we come to the section most people jump to when you talk about home offices: equipment.

It’s important to kit your workstation out with the necessary gadgets that will help you to get your work done.

However, as we’ll speak about later, storage is tight in home offices. It’s therefore a good idea to follow the rule of ‘less is more’ when it comes to equipment and really think about what you do (and don’t) need to buy.

Here’s a list of the must-have items:

• Laptop or PC
• Computer monitor
• Keyboard
• Mice and Mouse Pads
• Headphones
• Speakers
• Webcams (make sure you’ve installed video conferencing software for this)
• Microphones
• VPNs (Virtual Proxy Network)
• Password manager

Because of the wide variety of technology that you might end up buying for your home office, you might become stuck if something goes wrong.

Hire a third-party IT team on speed dial. That way, if you do encounter any issues with your devices, you can get them fixed fast.

Furniture

When you regularly use inappropriate furniture that’s not ergonomically designed, you are likely to experience several health problems like chronic backache, neck and shoulder pain.

In fact, research by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that 39% of people who switched to home working during COVID-19 reported developing musculoskeletal problems as a result.

You can reduce the likelihood of this happening by investing in ergonomic furniture (furniture that’s been designed to be more comfortable for long periods of use). They are more expensive but much better for you in the long run.

For example, consider a standing desk, or use a laptop stand, to lengthen your back and improve posture while you are working.

Ergonomic chairs tend to be easy to find online. They are definable by their soft fabric, back support, adjustable height and armrests.

Here’s our top three picks for under £250:

• Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager chair for £190
• Habitat Milton Mesh Ergonomic chair for £120
• SIHOO Office Desk chair for £229

Storage

We’ve all heard the saying: a messy environment means a messy mind.

Most home offices tend to be smaller and deliberately tucked away in areas of the house so you can keep all of your paperwork and clutter in one place. This means home workers are often contending with overcrowded desk space that make it difficult to keep organised.

Invest in sneaky storage solutions such as baskets, filing cabinets, and drawer dividers to organise your stationary and office items.

Alternatively, you could use cloud-based organisational software, like a free project management system, to store documents and information digitally.

Other simple tricks include using cable ties to make sure you don’t get any wires crossed (literally, and metaphorically).

Finally, try to carry out a weekly tidy-up of your deskspace. Preferably, this should be carried out at a time where you’re not as busy, such as Friday afternoons.

Should employers pay for home office equipment?

If you’re not self-employed, or you’re an employer, you might be wondering what responsibilities a manager has towards covering their workforce’s home working costs.

Health and safety legislation requires that employers follow legislation set out in the Health and Safety DSE (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.

These stipulate that an employer must:

• Undertake a workstation assessment for all “users” – that is those who use DSE as part of their daily work, continuously for an hour or more
• Reduce risks, including making sure workers take breaks from DSE work and do something different
• Provide an eye and eyesight test if a worker asks for one and provide suitable corrective appliances should a need be identified
• Provide training and information for workers on health and safety in the office

Outside of this, there is no general legal obligation on employers to cover the costs of buying home working equipment.

However, if homeworking is to be a success, it is important for employees to have the equipment they need to perform their role.

Because of this, you might decide to choose to offer a WFH budget which employees can use to purchase equipment like display screens or chairs (just remember to ask for receipts).