We are two years into the COVID pandemic, as well as six in 10 workers are now telecommuting from home at least part of the time. These employees have made this transition successful, in part, via having the correct equipment properly in their home offices. If your next job takes you only as far as the desk in a spare bedroom, you are going to need to meet various work-from-home computers as well as office requirements. While operating from a house should not break the bank, equipment-wise, what items of computer equipment should an individual consider?
Getting Started: What Do You Require to Work from Home?
Expects says one needs just 3 basic things to start your work-from-home journey:
- A computer
- Electricity
- A high-speed internet connection
Most companies are going to provide you with at least some of these items. However, working from home for the long term requires a few more tools to facilitate communication as well as comfort. The idea is not just that you work from home, but that you work from home comfortably.
Experts further tackle this issue, as well, listing the following as nice-to-haves in your home office setup:
Headphones or a headset
What you purchase here is going to depend on the job. You can opt for noise-canceling headphones if the screaming children in the living room keep you from heads-down work. A headset is more of a standard feature when you’re in a sales role or are talking frequently online. Yes, you can get these in both wired as well as wireless versions. Depending on your choice, you may need adapters or a USB-C cable to connect these tools to your laptop.
Dedicated webcam
If you’re video conferencing frequently, a dedicated webcam is going to help place your face in the right frame. For some jobs, such as sales, recruiting, HR, or the C-suite, how you look on camera is going to affect your success in the role. (Don’t forget to either use a virtual background or tidy up behind you!)
Computer
They recommend a laptop for its mobility. A laptop can provide a change of scenery instead of being tied to an office chair.
Keyboard
Bluetooth or a wireless keyboard connects to the computer via a Wi-Fi signal. This cuts down on the number of cords hanging in your home office. But the keyboard should also be ergonomically designed to protect the hands as well as wrists while typing.
Mouse
Specifically, a wireless mouse, for the same reasons mentioned above.
To sum it up
Your company may provide the computer equipment. If they don’t, or if you’re a freelancer, you are going to need to carefully consider the specs for the system you are going to need. From a hardware perspective, many times companies favor either PC or Mac. You can add Windows to a Mac, sometimes as part of a virtual desktop, for example, but that might eat a lot of bandwidth on your computer. If you’re freelancing, personal preference may guide your decision.
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