The Ergonomic Home Office – Desk

Part II of our series is focused on selecting the correct desk for your home office.

Remote technologies and flexible working has enabled workers to work from home. Whilst this provides the advantage of flexible working for the employee, as an Employer we still have obligations under the Health and Safety Employment Act to provide a good and safe work environment. This also applies if you are self employed and run your business from a home office. We have put together a short series of tips looking at the important things to consider when setting up your office at home to provide you with a more ergonomic and productive space.

Desk

Home office desks tend to have more of a focus on fitting in with decor and size restrictions than function. However surprisingly enough it is actually very easy to achieve all three.

When purchasing a new desk for your home office here are some important points to consider:

• Who is using the office? Often a home office can end up being used by your spouse and children for study and other tasks. Height adjustable or Sit to Stand desks are great for multi use.
• What technologies are you going to be using? LCD arms and laptop mounts are a great way to keep desk surface clear.
• Where is power and/or data located in relation to your desk?
• Are there other items like printers that you need to consider allowing space for?
• How are you going to manage the cables so it does not look like spaghetti? Could some desk mount USB chargers be useful?
• Does the desk have any storage options with it and what are your storage requirements?
• What is the warranty on the desk?
• Good adjustable workstations start at $700 through to $2,500 each with their own benefits.

The home office needs to be functional, aesthetically fitting and designed for the tasks required of it. Remember your home office is an investment. Empower yourself with knowledge to make informed decisions.