Creating an office space from which to work from home can be an exciting prospect but it isn't something to be rushed into.
A recent article from the Reading Eagle has advised people to consider their move carefully before going ahead with a transformation. For example, working out who is going to use the office space and when will ensure that there is sufficient room to move around comfortably, which should make it that bit easier for everyone to get on with their work.
Secondly, you might not require all of the storage space of a desk and a simple table could work better if you want to create the feeling of more space while still enjoying a large enough space to spread work across.
Then there is all of the organisation that is required in any workspace. Keeping files in a sensible order will make work feel less daunting. The article also suggests being creative when it comes to storage for stationary in order to keep the space fun and inspiring.
This also goes for the décor and layout of the room; it needs to be inspiring to you and your type of work rather than just a generic workspace that you are not particularly interested in. Paint colours, furniture and lighting can all help in this area.
Study reveals Britons' long working hours
A recent study has revealed the long working hours endured by many Britons and has suggested flexible working options as a way of relieving the stress that can result from this.
Conducted by Regus, the study found that one in ten UK office workers put in over 11 hours a day at their jobs. In addition to this, 43 per cent are forced to take work home to get things done more than three times a week and 69 per cent regularly check their work emails out of working hours.
With such high demands on their time, employees might find that working from home helps them to get more done instead of wasting time on a lengthy commute.
Dr Clare Kelliher, professor of work and organisation at Cranfield School of Management, suggested that employers who are concerned about their employees well-being should help them to find “practical ways of dealing with increased workloads” while maintaining a “satisfactory balance between their work and non-work lives”.
She added: “One way of dealing with this is to enable more flexible and remote working, where staff can work from home or from a location closer to home.
“Our study found that staff who work remotely tend to report higher levels of job satisfaction and achieve higher performance levels both because they been able to avoid long or stressful commutes and also because they are removed from the day-to-day distractions of the workplace.”
Conducted by Regus, the study found that one in ten UK office workers put in over 11 hours a day at their jobs. In addition to this, 43 per cent are forced to take work home to get things done more than three times a week and 69 per cent regularly check their work emails out of working hours.
With such high demands on their time, employees might find that working from home helps them to get more done instead of wasting time on a lengthy commute.
Dr Clare Kelliher, professor of work and organisation at Cranfield School of Management, suggested that employers who are concerned about their employees well-being should help them to find “practical ways of dealing with increased workloads” while maintaining a “satisfactory balance between their work and non-work lives”.
She added: “One way of dealing with this is to enable more flexible and remote working, where staff can work from home or from a location closer to home.
“Our study found that staff who work remotely tend to report higher levels of job satisfaction and achieve higher performance levels both because they been able to avoid long or stressful commutes and also because they are removed from the day-to-day distractions of the workplace.”
Technology to thank for choice to work from home
If it weren't for significant developments in technology, it is unlikely that so many people in the UK would have the option to work from home.
This is according to a recent report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which has noted the differences between the workplace now and that of 1950s Britain.
In the past, the majority of people had set working hours, but now things have become more flexible due to the advance of digital information technology. As a result, employees' schedules are generally more flexible and there is more scope for them to work from home should they desire.
This, however, comes with a new problem of 'information overload'. With smartphones and laptops, people are nearly always available, making it hard for some individuals to separate their personal and work lives.
The increase in the number of people working from home could also be down to a change in the type of work Britain delivers. In 1952 there were around 8.7 million manufacturing jobs, but this has now fallen to just 2.5 million.
Meanwhile, the percentage of people in 'knowledge jobs' has risen from 25 to 44 per cent, while those in customer services and personal service jobs has risen from six to 16 per cent.
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