Setting up a Work from Home Office in a Teens Bedroom is a paid collaborative post with Office Furniture Online. This September Maxi decided rather than go to University he would embark on a degree apprenticeship with a multi-national firm. This was somewhat unexpected and then he told us that his role was hybrid which translated means working from the office and home working. So in very little time, we had to transform his teenage bedroom into an office set-up that would enable him to be productive but also remain comfortable during his working day.
I have worked from home for over ten years and before that, I was responsible for facilities management (and workstation assessments) for a massive software company and I know how important ergonomic office chairs are when it comes to long term comfort.
We don’t live in a massive house and my desk is in the dining room, but Maxi needed to me in his bedroom as a lot of the work he will be doing is confidential and he spends a lot of his time on conference calls and in teams meetings. so we prioritised the things that would ensure he had a comfortable workspace and then he will add the nice to haves longer term.
We knew that this was going to be a long-term situation and needed to accommodate work, studying for his degree and also gaming. He was lucky that he had a really well-made computer chair for playing his Xbox, so we decided to keep that and build his set up around that. We also measured his room and worked out the best space to put his desk, so it made the most of the natural light in the room.
Over the years I have learned that a productive and comfortable working space contains the following essentials:
- Large screen, keyboard and mouse or trackpad – I prefer a desktop set-up
- If on a laptop then a laptop then a docking station with a screen, keyboard and mouse.
- Headphones to reduce outside noise or listen to great tunes
- The best chair you can afford
- Good Wi-Fi
- Natural lighting
If you can not just the height of your chair, then you will need to adjust the height of your screen to ensure good working practice – you can read more about ergonomics and workspaces here.
For Maxi we placed a corner desk in his room in front of the window so that it maximised natural light and gave him enough workspace for his gaming and work set-up. He also worked out that this gave him a good background for meetings that wasn’t his bed!
He also already had a pair of amazing over-ear noise cancelling headphones that have been a real godsend – I learned the value of mine over lockdown.
So that is his current set-up. We share a printer in another room and when he is working from home we meet for coffee and lunch breaks and it really works for both of us. I am sure that as he gets used to working from home he will add his own little touches to his workspace as I have mine (I have a light above my desk for dark winter days and also an hour glass as I am a visual person.
But he is really comfortable in his space. He hasn’t once complained about a sore back or neck so I know that his workstation is perfect for him.