Before 2020, remote working was very rare with most businesses. Sure, workers would occasionally answer emails at home, but this hardly classed them as remote workers.

In 2020 however, all of that changed and suddenly working remotely became the norm. If it hadn’t been for the advancements in technology and office supplies, life as we know it would have ground to a halt for several years.

Even though we are now officially out of the pandemic, remote work equipment sales are still higher than ever, with remote employees also choosing to work from home rather than at a proper desk in the office.

It doesn’t matter whether you are remote working on a full-time basis, or simply working from a home office setup a couple of times per week, to get the most from your remote work, you need the right work from home equipment.

To help you adjust to life as a remote worker, here is a working from home equipment checklist to ensure you have the right office equipment for for working remotely.

Remote workers need reliable internet connection

Without a doubt, when it comes to remote working, having an internet connection that you can rely upon is essential.

In this day and age, it is absolutely unheard of for a remote worker to not have a fast and efficient connection to the web that they can rely upon.

You need the internet for sending and receiving emails, for remote jobs, for making video calls, for attending conference calls, and of course, for browsing the web in general.

When you set up an office for remote work, you can have all the equipment in the world, but if your internet is not reliable and efficient, you won’t be able to work at your most efficient either.

Remote work has to be done with an ergonomic chair

In terms of important work from home equipment, you should never underestimate the importance of a comfortable office chair.

When you draw up your equipment checklist, just make sure that you have a good quality ergonomic chair on that list.

A comfortable ergonomic chair will not only offer lumbar support, it will also help to keep you cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. Avoid scratchy material and look for good quality leather, or a mesh material to help keep you cool.

A chair which offers proper support will do wonders for your posture, morale, and your productivity levels and output levels. From a remote work perspective, you couldn’t really ask for much more than that.

Working remotely requires video conferencing software 

Another must-have when it comes to remote work is good quality video conferencing software.

While there are plenty of forms of project management software, working remotely requires high quality visual conference software, so make sure you choose wisely.

Video conference software is so important because it allows you to host online meetings, speak to clients and colleagues, engage with them from a separate room, and help a remote team to stay connected.

With software such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Remote Teams, and many more besides, it’s easier than ever to create a proper work environment and stay connected to other people, even if you are working remotely.

Remote working is best done with an adjustable desk 

Another essential when it comes to remote working is an adjustable desk.

Ergonomic chairs are all well and good, but if your desk isn’t adjustable then there is very little point in having one.

An adjustable desk is most certainly considered to be a piece of necessary equipment in home offices all over the globe, due to the fact that each person is different. A 5ft 5 inch tall person for example, will likely not have their desk at the same height as a 6ft 6 inch person.

When creating your ideal workspace a good quality work desk that can be adjusted is vital. For added health benefits, you may even wish to purchase a standing desk to go with your comfortable chair. These desks can be electronically adjusted and can be used both sitting and standing, so you can alternate between the two.

Remote work needs good quality lighting

When setting up a home office for remote employees, you simply cannot have too much natural lighting.

Make sure you keep the windows free of obstructions, and ensure you use plenty of quality lighting options.

Invest in bright LED bulbs, buy yourself a lamp for your home office, and make sure your workspace is nice and bright.

When putting together your home office checklist, make sure the office is brightly lit so you can clearly see when you’re working at night, or during periods of bad weather. Even a simple desk lamp can help you to stay productive and keep your workspace brightly lit. 

Remote employees need a good quality laptop

Another must have for any workspace where remote work is taking place is a good quality laptop.

Your laptop is of course the tool that you will be using to carry out your work in the first place. You’ll use it for browsing the web, sending emails, replying to messages, carrying out project management, hosting meetings, and more besides.

A good quality laptop is one of the most popular team collaboration tools that you could wish for, due to the fact that you will do almost all of your work on it, during work hours at least.

Make sure you choose a laptop with plenty of memory and storage, one which is fast, capable of hosting conferencing software and collaboration tools, and one which can easily access cloud based information when needed.

Most laptops should fit the aforementioned criteria anyway, but if you want to work remotely, a high spec laptop in your home office is perfect.

Oh, and don’t forget a laptop stand either.

Don’t forget your office supplies

Remote workers looking to work from home on a regular basis will also need to remember to pick up the right office supplies.

Once you’ve created a dedicated workspace, you need to fill it with the right office equipment. That means things like staplers, pens, pencils, holepunches, paper, stationary, a filing cabinet, and things of that nature.

Having the right tools and office stationary and equipment will not only help you to stay organized, it will also help you to save time. 

Make sure you remember your miscellaneous electronics

As well as stationary, furniture, and expensive electronics such as laptops, computers, and electric standing desks, you also need to remember your miscellaneous electronics as well. 

Pick up things such as a time management software subscription, a phone charger, a USB microphone, noise cancelling headphones, and any other resources which require power and may be useful in the workplace.

Remember, having the right equipment at the right time can make life so much easier.

Don’t forget your coffee making facilities!

Finally, to help you get through the work day in one piece, make sure you pick up a decent coffee machine.

All office workers, remote or otherwise, know how important coffee is for getting through the day, so grab a coffee making machine and your work days will run that little bit smoother.

 Resources:

https://www.wired.com/story/work-from-home-home-office-gear-guide/