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The advent of the personal computer and the internet has made the
option of telecommuting available to many former office workers. This
arrangement saves money for both the company and the worker. The
company no longer is required to provide office space and the worker no
longer has to commute. In order to be a successful telecommuter, your
home office must be arranged to maximize efficiency. Office furniture
should be chosen and arranged to assist in this aim.
To plan the arrangement of office furniture you may wish to grab a
piece of graph paper. Now you can measure those walls and make a scale
drawing of the room that will serve as your new home office. A good
scale is 1/4 inch equals 1 foot. This will allow you to draw the room
and make models of your office furniture that are maneuverable.
When drawing the room be sure that you make a note of where all
doors, windows, electrical switches and outlets and heating or air
conditioning vents are located. You will need access to each of these
in order to operate a comfortable office.
Office furniture models can be made in two dimensions using another
sheet of graph paper. Color the drawings using map pencils so that they
stand out from the drawing of the room. Be sure to also label the
models since office furniture may be similar in size.
Take advantage of natural lighting that is available for the room,
but beware of the glare that natural lighting makes on computer
monitors. Electrical lighting from the ceiling may not be sufficient
and lamps may need to be placed in strategic locations to provide
necessary lighting.
If there are items that you use very frequently, such as printers or
fax machines, you will want to be sure that you have easy access to
them. When these items are blocked by other furniture, it makes for a
stressful day. Furniture should be planned so that there is no drastic
shift in height. To continue a balanced look, hang pictures above low
lying pieces of furniture.
When planning for an office chair with wheels, be sure that you make
room for the chair to move without hitting other furniture. Home
offices should have a place to meet with clients. A table with seating
for two will often suffice for this purpose.
Provide yourself with plenty of shelves and storage areas for your
office. When such space is at a premium, find other places away from
the office for storage of little used items.
If you plan to buy new office furniture, you will want to consider
ergonomics. Find furniture that is beautiful but also functional. Look
for chairs that provide back support and desks that are adjustable to
the correct height for comfort in keyboarding.
Telecommuting is a privilege. It allows you to spend more time with
your family and little if any time commuting to and from work. You will
want to make the home office a place where you can be productive in
order to continue with this privileged.
Annie Deakin is an expert furniture and interior design writer who is currently interested in desks, chairs and wallpaper
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