Have you been working from home over the last two years? Perhaps you’re about to start your first professional job, and your employer wants you to work remotely. This is what a lot of businesses are choosing to do these days. We spoke with a company providing IT support in London, known as TechQuarters, they got rid of their main office two years ago, and have been recruiting new employees on the basis that they are now a fully remote company. They had some useful recommendations for remote work accessories that make the whole thing a lot easier.
So, if you’re about to start a remote job, consider these pieces of equipment.
1. Laptop Stand
If you are working remotely, it is likely that you will be using a laptop. Laptops are generally preferred by remote workers, in order to conserve space in their homes; but they often cause you to crane your necks, which isn’t great for posture. Therefore, a laptop stand is a great way to encourage good posture – it means you’ll be looking straight forward, instead of down, and your neck and back will be in a more upright position. Once you’ve started using one, you won’t ever want to go back.
2. Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
To go with your laptop stand, you’ll definitely want a wireless keyboard and mouse. If your laptop is raised up, typing on the keyboard will quickly become uncomfortable. Ideally, you want your arms to be at a 90-degree angle – a wireless keyboard and mouse will enable this.
What is more, a mouse offers more dexterity than the trackpad on a laptop; and a wireless keyboard will be full-sized, whereas laptop keyboards are normally compact. These qualities will make working more comfortable in the long run.
3. External Trackpad
Perhaps you have limited space where you work. Unfortunately, this can be a problem with remote work, as it is much harder for a business to standardize the workspaces of their employees. For this reason, a mouse might not be the best option for you in your home workspace.
A good alternative is an external trackpad. These are very similar to the trackpads on laptops, but there are much large, and they can be positioned wherever the user wants. Due to the fact that they aren’t moved around a desk like a mouse, they can save space, and are still more ergonomic that a laptop trackpad.
4. Standing Desk / Converter
In a traditional office, you usually have ergonomic office chairs that are designed to be sat on for 8 hours a day. Your new work might be able to provide you with one for your home, or you might even have one of your own; however, you might also not have space for one – and sitting in an unsuitable chair can lead to back problems and repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
Instead, you might prefer to not sit at all. Standing desks are becoming very popular, because they save space, and many studies have found that people should be sitting down less throughout the day. You might consider getting a sit/stand desk, or getting a standing desk converter – a type of unit that you put on your desk which holds your laptop/monitor, keyboard and mouse at a height suitable for standing, but before that, read are standing desks worth it?
5. Lap Desk
One of the great things about working from home is that you can work wherever you are most productive. If you find yourself being more productive while sitting on the couch/sofa, then why should you be stopped from working there?
A lap desk is a great way of making working on a sofa even more comfortable. A laptop is simply a hard, flat surface to place your laptop on, with a padded cushion for your lap. Not only is this more comfortable than sitting with your laptop directly on your lap, it also prevents your laptop from overheating.
6. Wi-Fi Range Extender
Perhaps you have both a desk and a lap desk so that you can work in other rooms in your home. Being able to work in multiple rooms in your house is another aspect of working-from-home that many people enjoy. You just have to make sure that you have good internet connection no matter where you are.
A Wi-Fi Range Extender can be used alongside your existing Wi-Fi Router, in order to boost the connection to different rooms in your house. Then, you’ll be able to get strong, reliable internet connection no matter where you want to work.
Also Read: Most Effective Tips to Fix a Broken Laptop Screen