Around late March 2020, many employers sent their employees to work from home with the expectation that things would be back to normal in a couple of weeks.
Here we are, one year on and working from home looks to be one of the more permanent parts of this ‘new normal’.
So, with that in mind, it’s time for your employees to stop ‘making do’ with what they have at home and say goodbye to those short-term solutions.
Let us help by talking through some of the IT hardware that can make working from home more efficient and comfortable.
Laptop
First and foremost, having a good quality and reliable laptop will help to make things easier at home. As they are portable, a laptop is a good solution for employees going between the office and home or even just about the house if their workspace is multipurpose. Think about their needs and specifications, including the screen size, storage space and battery life.
Additional monitor
Back in the office, employees may have been working from a desktop or large monitor. A brilliant way to provide more screen space is to use multiple displays. A rather inexpensive solution, having an extra monitor can be extremely helpful when working with things like multiple documents or editing software. Monitors come in a variety of shapes, sizes and resolutions, so make sure to consider the space and reasons for needing a spare.
Docking Station
A docking station allows laptops to attach to other devices with no/minimal effort. A docking station has many uses such as, the ability to turn a laptop into a desktop, or you could use one to connect to other computers, speakers or even the printer. They offer extended port options and some also charge the laptop whilst its docked
Mouse and keyboard
Why not go wireless? Having a wireless mouse and keyboard makes utilising laptop stands and extra monitors much more efficient. Plus, a wireless mouse and keyboard are easy to tidy up and move out of the way if you are still working from a multipurpose space.
Desktop
By now, some homes might involve a permanent workspace and it could be time to choose a desktop as a permanent fixture. Desktops often come in a variety of sizes to fit personal preferences, have huge amounts of storage, and are plugged in rather than relying on a battery. You can upgrade various parts of the desktop and change them to fit needs, or even look into all-in-one PCs with components built behind the screen.
No one knows exactly when or if we will return to the working life as it was, so you may as well ensure that your employees can work from home comfortably and effectively, regardless of plans to return.
As an employer, you should be checking in on employees to assess how technology and equipment are working, so if you think that changes to your equipment would help with efficiency and how well they work, be sure to raise it.
Wondering what tech suits your return to work plan? Check out our blog on which tech would suit your business best dependent on your situation: WFH for the foreseeable, alternating between WFH and office and back to the office entirely.
