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According to research from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and labor market analysts Emsi Burning Glass, 25% of job listings in December 2021 mentioned hybrid or flexible working, as Sky News reports. This is a sharp increase from the 19% figure before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The term ‘hybrid working’ basically means spending some of the work week in a traditional, in-person setting and the rest working from home. Meanwhile, ‘flexible working’ lets workers shake up exactly when they work – and includes job shares and working irregular hours.

With the insurance giant Zurich having called on the UK Government to make all vacancies at large companies available on a part-time, job-share and flexible basis, it looks like the days of traditional 9-5 work hours could be numbered. However, is your home office quite ready for the change yet?

Find Somewhere that Feels Separate to the Rest of your Home 

If you’ve already been working from home for a while, then working from the kitchen table or your living room’s sofa might have sufficed so far. However, to maximize your productivity, you need more than ‘good enough’ – you need a workspace that doesn’t feel too much like home.

T3’s Jamie Carter advises that you find “somewhere with a door that can be closed”, adding that “anywhere upstairs in a house, or in the corner of a bedroom, will help you keep that separation”.

Your loft is one candidate you might have so far overlooked – especially if it is currently cluttered with junk. However, through utilizing something like the award-winning loft boarding service from Instaloft, you can make your loft more than usable as a home office.

Use Ergonomic Seating 

No, this isn’t necessarily just a matter of buying an office chair with the word ‘ergonomic’ in the product name – though, potentially, this move could significantly help. It can also be a big upgrade on simply working from the sofa, which is a recipe for ruining your neck and back.

Instead, get a desk (or at least something similar), put it in your designated office space and make sure your workstation provides you with enough legroom and the correct desk height. You want a situation where, when you sit down at this workstation, your eyes are level with the computer screen.

Make Sure your Home Office has Enough Light

You could have easily underestimated how pivotal your home office’s lighting can be to your productivity. Warm light, such as that from a roasting fireplace, promotes relaxation, while cold light – for example, daylight – improves productivity and alertness, as The Balance Small Business indicates.

If you do allow daylight to stream abundantly into your home office, you could even further enhance its organic feel by keeping a plant or two on display inside the room. As research has revealed, having plants in an office can make you not only more productive but also happier as a whole when working.

You could enjoy the experience so much that working from home quickly feels – if you will excuse the pun – second nature.

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Studies have found that the average person can lose up to an hour every day if they do not keep things organised. It takes less time to get and stay organised than it does to try and work in a cluttered environment. The desk is the command centre of any office, whether it’s a workstation in a busy work environment or a single desk in a home office. The right layout can help you to stay on top of things, improve both physical and mental health, and increase productivity significantly.

Monitor

The ideal position for a computer monitor is approximately 17 inches in front of the eyes and at the right height to look at comfortably without having to move the head up or down. Many of us work on laptops – placing them on a riser and using an external keyboard helps maintain proper posture while working. A riser can also be used for a regular monitor to create more space on the desk for documents, or as a place to store the keyboard when not in use.

White Space

Maintaining a clear area of white space on the side of the dominant hand means you will always have somewhere to put papers for reviewing or signing.

Telephone

Your telephone should also always be kept on the same side of the desk as your dominant hand. This helps to prevent unnecessary twisting and turning throughout the working day, which in turn helps to reduce strain on the back, neck and shoulders.

Filing System

A good filing system does not have to be overly complex. It can be as simple as keeping folders with relevant papers close at hand and having a shelf or unit where other papers can be stored away. A rolling cart can be useful for times when things need to be moved around a lot and can be slotted away conveniently when not in use.

Utilise the Available Space

Even the smallest desk can provide enough room for the necessary work provided all available space is utilised. Cubbies and spaces underneath the desk may be handy for storage. On top of the desk, try to keep only what is currently being used and have a storage space for everything else.

Minimise Clutter

Having a good clear-out before attempting a desk organisation means you will only need to find homes for those items that are essential. Recycle old papers, get rid of old coffee cups, and try to only have the things you are using out at any one time. Experts suggest having no more than three personal items on your work desk to reduce the chance of you becoming distracted.

Organise Wires

Unruly bundles of wires and trailing cables can quickly make even the tidiest of spaces seem cluttered and disorganised. Use cable ties and other tools to keep wires together as much as possible and as out of sight as the available space allows. If the desk has gaps to feed wires through then use them rather than having cables trailing across the desktop.

Furniture At Work has a wide range of office desks and storage solutions to help you organise any workspace for optimal productivity.