A growing number of employees are finding themselves in newly remote positions. While it may be easy to attribute this shift from location-based work entirely to the national lockdowns of 2020, this isn’t entirely true. In fact, remote working has been growing in popularity for years. This is largely due to technology, which has begun to allow businesses to save money by removing the need for large central office spaces.
What remote working does mean, however, is that the responsibility of creating a professional working space within the home now falls upon the shoulders of the employee. Few companies will be happy to see their employees attend meetings from their bedrooms, or have much patience for office spaces next to noisy windows.
Now that remote working is becoming normal, our homes need to be redesigned and, within them, an office built.
Spare Rooms
Spare rooms have long been a useful asset for homeowners. While often used as bedrooms to accommodate guests, they are also great for entertainment and hobby spaces too. However, in the wake of remote working, they are now being used as home offices.
The benefit of having a spare room is that many of the amenities needed for a professional space will likely already be installed. The room should have appropriate heating, power, as well as internet access. It can also be quickly redesigned, with the right desk and storage furniture, into an ideal space for your professional life.
One of the downsides is its proximity to the rest of the home and, for those with housemates or family, distractions may occur.
Outbuildings
Gardens have become sought after for their outdoor space during lockdown. However, their greenery isn’t the only reason and many homeowners are now using them to establish outbuildings, such as office sheds and log cabins from within which to work.
The advantage of these spaces is that they can be built easily and chosen to fit your exact specifications. They are also removed from the house, minimising distractions and helping to separate professional life from a work-life. You will need to ensure their ability to be used year-round, having all suitable amenities and can maintain insulation for warmth during winter. And that the wi-fi reaches too, of course!
Attics
An attic space is another potentially great environment for your professional life. Those with attics may often find themselves using it solely for storage and, promising there is room elsewhere, it can bring a great deal of value to the home to utilise it as an office instead.
Raw attic spaces, however, might need a greater deal of work than the previous options. While certain essentials, such as electricity and internet access might be relatively simple to install, insulation may prove more difficult and expensive. However, when it comes to working in winter, you won’t want to be without it.
So, before you start performing your work on the kitchen table or moving your laptop around the house, look at your property’s resources. Dedicating the right room to your professional life isn’t just advantageous for your own comfort but for your productivity too.
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