Preparing your professional home office

Danish Modern San Diego is pleased to welcome back guest blogger Lisa Walker.
​
Lisa Walker is a proud stay-at-home mom. When she's not spending time with her boys or on a new home improvement project, she and her husband, Jake, enjoy trail hiking and beach-coming.

You may read Lisa's previous article, Dedicating Space in Your Home for Your Business, by clicking on the following link:  https://bit.ly/3zvL1Cz

​Blog article edited and formatted by Dawn Torres-Reyes.

Are you an owner of one of the millions of new businesses that started during the pandemic? Or perhaps you own an established business and took the opportunity to eliminate overhead by working from home? Maybe you secured a position that requires you to work from home?
 
Whatever the reason for embracing remote work, the home office space has become significantly more popular. While it may be tempting to work from the kitchen counter or living room couch, it is important to establish a dedicated home office space.
 
From the Danish Modern San Diego blog, here are a few tips to stage and decorate your home office for professionalism and productivity.

Create a Safe and Sanitized Space

The workplace can be a COVID-19 hotspot. While the home office presents less risk, it is important to take the necessary precautions to create a safer space. It is also worth considering other aspects of health for daily work.
 

• Increase ventilation by opening windows and encouraging airflow
• Introduce non-contactable technologies such as invoicing and payment software
• Reduce the spread of the virus by wearing a mask
• Invest in ergonomic office furniture to improve productivity and create an efficient workstation — browse the Danish Modern San Diego shop for classic desks, seating, storage, and display pieces that are as beautiful as they are functional
• Place hand sanitizers on accessible surfaces
• Eliminate allergens from your HVAC unit by installing a UV light
• Introduce a fire safety plan for quick evacuation in the event of an emergency

 
Prioritizing a safety-conscious in-home office environment helps to put clients at ease. It will also give you peace of mind knowing that your office is clean and secure.

Prepare for Virtual Meetings

Did you know that there were approximately 145 million daily users of Microsoft Teams as of April 2021? A recent survey revealed that 98% of people believe that video conferencing helps with relationship-building inside and outside of the company. Virtual meetings are necessary to maintain team morale, so it is important to prepare.
 
Joining a meeting from your home office demands extra effort to demonstrate professionalism. Here are a few tips:
 

• Focus on a clean and tidy background without any personal items or clutter
• Dress for the office and avoid wearing revealing clothing or pajamas
• Position your frame so that the camera is roughly one inch above your eye line
• Avoid background noise that could disturb the meeting
• Prioritize lighting that comes from the front angle (avoid sidelight or backlight)

Protect Your Home Assets

​When you operate your business from your home space, you risk exposing your assets; however, there is an easy solution that protects yourself and your assets from litigation.
 
Establishing a limited liability company (LLC) offers many benefits, including limiting your personal liability. As each state has different regulations and requirements, it’s worth hiring the help of a formation service like Zenbusiness. There is also the option of hiring a lawyer, though the fees may be burdensome.

Moving On

Nothing is permanent - seasons change, stock markets fluctuate, and businesses grow.
 
Before investing in your home office space, it is worth considering whether you plan to sell your home in the near future.
 
Keep in mind that a fully functional office could add value to your home. If you want to make a return on your investment, then it is important to take photographs before and after the renovations. These photographs are proof of the improvements that you have made.

Installing a home office dedicated to your job or business assists with focus, professionalism, and productivity and can add value to your home.

Rod Adams from Infinity Dish shares more home office creation tips in a blog article which you may read by clicking the following link : ​https://www.infinitydish.com/blog/work-at-home-office-set-up/

And Cameron Hopkins from Broadband Search shares tips for keeping you home internet safe and secure. You may read all about that by clicking on the following link: ​https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/keep-home-internet-safe-secure