To ask for your best tips/buys?

[sickleaveornot]

So I start a new job at the end of January - it's 100% remote, which I've never done before (I've done partial but most of my jobs have been in person customer facing) I got a bit of money for Christmas so I'm going to buy some stuff to make my life easier 😂

Top of the list is a new chair as I don't think I'd like the ones I have for working on full time.

What have been your top working from home buys that you'd recommend investing in?

Also does anyone have any tips for adjusting to being fully remote?

Ensure that you have somewhere that is permanently set up for work that you can’t see outside of working hours, even if this means you need to buy a screen to partition off a piece of another room.

Check what your employer provides. Do you need to get yourself a decent-sized desk? A foot rest? A second monitor?

It can be helpful to go for a short walk before and after walk to help you transition between working and home life. Try to get outside for fresh air and sunshine every day.

I have really lovely warm slippers and a decent blanket for working from home in winter.

A heated throw, sit on it and wrap it round your legs, game changer for wfh for me

Employer provides all tech equipment (laptop+screens) and then I have £500 allowance to buy whatever else I need to set up, I already have a good sized desk so that's not a problem.

I run hot normally but I'll definitely consider a heated throw if it still feels cold - the room my space is in tends to hold heat really well thankfully! It's not used as anything else other than a workout space so I won't be seeing it much outside of working other then if I'm doing a home work out but normally I want to do those as quick as possible 😂😂

I'll definitely consider going for a walk - unfortunately we live rural and I don't drive so I'm very limited on safe walking options - but in the summer I plan on doing some yoga and stuff outside before work.

I also plan on still treating the getting ready for work the same way I do as in the office (just with slightly more casual clothes 😂)

A camera that sits on top of a proper monitor so you don't have to use your laptop webcam

I bought a cheap sit/ stand converter so I could stand up to work if desired. I find a back warmer and foot warmer (both plug into the mains, and came from Lidl) better than a heated throw.
I changed to an upright mouse to reduce hand strain, and a keyboard with low profile keys.
Make sure your lighting is good - no window glare but enough light, winter lighting that doesn't make you too yellow/ hurts your eyes.
As well as making a clear end of the working day, make sure you get a lunch break/ enough breaks for your eyes (some colleagues may try to book back to back meetings through the day, either block a lunch break or start/ end meetings at times other than on the hour.

A few years ago I got a role completely WFH, after nearly 30yrs of a hands-on/face to face working. I love it! If I was new in my career/living with parents etc then having an office and more physically interaction might be good. My team have a teams chat and I feel very supported IF I had questions.

-Although I do have a dedicated study, I've chosen to set up in a room overlooking the garden. I have a bird feeder and bird bath and enjoy seeing the garden when I'm not on calls etc.
-Look for chair yoga videos online. Even 10-15mins of stretching makes a world of difference.
-Try to also get up, walk around, get some sunshine and don't get stuck sitting for hours on end
-Check your set up in terms of DSE
-Don't forget tax relief when working from home https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

These are my WFH must haves (have been fully remote for years):

Heated throw
Decent separate webcam
Good lamp
Wireless headset (if your employer only gives you a wired one)
Standing desk
Walking pad
I prefer a wireless mouse and keyboard