The subject of home offices has been gaining in importance for several years. With growing global mobility, it is becoming more and more common for employees to work from home or their current location rather than from the office. However, there may be other reasons for preferring the home office. In Germany, around five percent of all employees work from home. In other European countries the figures are sometimes much higher.
However, many managers and executives are concerned about the productivity of their employees in the home office: Within their own four walls, for example, the lack of a fully equipped workplace can have a negative effect on work, or even make some tasks impossible. In order for the work to be successful and efficient from home, basic equipment is needed, which we present here.
A VPN gives access to the company server
A Virtual Private Network (VPN for short) enables a secure connection to the company network from home. Thus, access to files and applications on the company server is possible without time or technical hurdles. The data is completely encrypted and is therefore safe from the intervention of third parties. The same also works with a smartphone. All information on how to set up a VPN can be found here.You can’t do it without the Internet
This point is obvious: To establish a VPN for all online activities such as sending and receiving mails, a reliable Internet connection is essential. Because many passwords and sensitive data are involved here, the home WLAN should be protected by WPA or WPA2 encryption. As already mentioned, a VPN provides the necessary IT security for the exchange with the company server anyway.
Depending on where the workspace is located in relation to the router, it makes sense to set up one or more repeaters in order to have a stable Internet connection even in more remote parts of your own four walls. Multiple repeaters can prevent fluctuations in signal strength if the workspace within the home is moved occasionally. Mesh systems are also very popular for this purpose.
Laptop, screen and accessories
This point is also self-evident in itself, but in the home office other articles may be needed. First of all a powerful PC is required. Most company employees will take their work laptop home and work on it anyway.
Furthermore, a large screen and a stable keyboard are advantageous. For video calls via Skype or similar communication channels, it may also be advisable to connect an external webcam and microphone to the laptop, as these usually provide better sound and image quality than the integrated equipment of the laptop. A good quality headset can also be very helpful, especially if frequent phone calls are part of the work.This leads us to the phone itself. A functional telephone should be part of the basic equipment of every office. Whether it is a stationary or mobile phone is not the primary factor. What is important is that it fulfils the technical requirements for participating in telephone conferences, for example.
There are a number of products designed specifically for this purpose, which are designed to guarantee excellent picture and sound quality during video conferences – for example, with wide-angle webcams that show all the people in a room and not just a section of them. There are also special microphone speakers that can be distributed around the room, filtering background noise and focusing on the person speaking.
The working software must not be missing
All programs and tools needed for work must of course also be accessible from home at work. Since usually the company computer, or another mobile device, is taken home, this should not be a problem as the programs are installed on this device.
If an employee goes to the home office without a work PC, this question must be clarified in advance. However, it is always advisable to use a work computer, also so that potentially sensitive company data does not mix with private files. This would also cause conflicts with the DSGVO.
Not to be underestimated: the study
In order to be able to work concentrated and in peace, it is also very important to work in a separate room with a lockable door. The workplace should also consist of a desk and – ideally – a height-adjustable office chair. This is important for a good and healthy sitting posture and an external structure that supports orderly working.
The spatial separation of the study from the rest of the home is important in order to avoid major distractions and mixing of the professional with the private. This applies both to the employee himself and to the other occupants of the household.
Special features for conference rooms
In a globalized world, communication often takes place via video conference across cities and countries. For this purpose, teams come together at one location in the conference room and then connect to other teams or individuals via a central device using a selected communication channel. Especially in this case it is important that the technical conditions do not get in the way of communication: Transmission delays and delays or distortions in picture or sound can make a video conference tedious.It is therefore advisable to invest in basic technical equipment that is suitable for teamwork and conferences. And you don’t have to spend a fortune on it. A good system includes a webcam that captures the entire room in front of you and thus has all conference topics in the picture, as well as sound modules that can filter background noise and transmit and reproduce every voice in good quality, no matter where in the room the speaker is located. Ideally, the sound modules are distributed throughout the room. A single large loudspeaker with microphone should be placed as centrally as possible.
Ensure efficiency in the home office with the right equipment
With this basic equipment, productive work from home is easily possible. Work is made much easier if you can work in peace and quiet at a well-equipped workplace – and your colleagues too, by the way, as in the case of telephone conferences, for example.
If the environment is set up properly, the home office can even increase productivity, and bosses and managers don’t have to worry about reduced efficiency during home office hours.
