The last year has seen a mass migration of the workforce move from working in central locations to working from home. I remember watching one of my customers at the time struggle with suddenly needing to support tens of thousands of employees suddenly hosing up enough VPN connections for not even half that amount. It was an interesting time. They managed to get through it, worked with their vendor to more than double their VPN connections, and made it work. Personally, I'm not sure we'll ever see a workforce that is that centralised in central office buildings again.
(https://unsplash.com/photos/9X1P46Y2KJo)
Myself, I have "worked from home" for the last 6 years, and I do not ever want to change that. The benefits, at least for me, measure out in time saved commuting, as well as added comfort and flexibility:
The biggest disadvantage I have is that I do not have an external entity supplying me with my coffee habit.
Further, having a flexible workplace such as my house allows me to really work to my strengths; I have a short attention span, so like to work for 45 minutes then take a 5-10 minute break. This is easy. If I want/need a change of scenery, I simply move into a different room. Or go to a coffee shop (now that they are reopening). Or even have a 30 minute nap. Laundry is no longer a daunting weekend activity - I can break it down during the week during my 5-10 minute breaks. I've even completely changed my work hours at one point and worked from the wee hours of the morning until noon; as long as the projects are progressing, it doesn't matter when they're done.
Making the most of working from home does require some essential accessories, and some that are just Really Nice To Have. Here is my list of accessories that I have found indispensable or just highly useful over the last several years.
Essential
A good webcam
Remote group-work-sessions requires a webcam. Being able to see the faces of your coworkers and colleages does lead to an increased sense of group and comaraderie. If you're in sales, being able to meet with your customer virtually face-to-face is a must. Most laptops have built in webcams which do the job just fine. If you've got a desktop instead of a laptop, an external USB webcam is a must.
A webcam cover
Oh yes. Get a cover for that webcam. Do you want it accidentally on during an impromptu group meeting when you're only in your t-shirt, or less? It's also a good security measure in case some less than scrupulous type manages to hack into your feed. Just do it.
Some webcams come with their own covers. Amazon sells them as little stickers. Five Below has them, too. Or you can simply bend a business card like this:
A good external microphone
Some laptops have a good set of speakers and a microphone that can perform basic noise-and-echo cancellation. Most do not. The last computer I had that did a really good job with it was my 2013 Mac Air (which, incidentally, I am using to write this - I love this Mac). The Mac Pro's that I have used do not do as good a job of it. What I have found works wonders is an external USB speakerphone:
A speakerphone like this is both a speaker and microphone and performs it's own echo cancellation. It also has a physical mute button. This is a good thing. One button mute is awesome, much better than having to hunt through software to mute. It also performs it's own volume control.
If a speakerphone like this isn't possible, at least find an external headset. I have found that headset's with a microphone boom on them are better than those without. Again, if it has a physical mute button, all the better.
I have a bluetooth headset (with mic boom) for my phone so I can roam the house with ease when I don't need to be pinned down to the computer; volume buttons, mute button, and boom are all a must. I've used a Logitech H800 for about 8 years now - the same one all this time. It's a workhorse.
A printer
There will come a time where you will need to print. I have an HP LaserJet 200. It doesn't print photos very well, and full page colour prints will saturate it's memory and make it burst into tears, but it's a workhorse otherwise.
A scanner
Most phones come with good "scanning" software these days. My go-to is Microsoft Office Lens; it does a great job at OCR and saves "scans" to PDF, Word, or JPG.
A good notebook
Really. A good notebook, not just any notebook. I try to keep things digital, and my typical go-to notebook is Joplin App (https://joplinapp.org). It isn't as pretty as Evernote or OneNote, but it syncs over my own equipment and not in someone elses cloud, it accepts markdown, and uses markdown templates. I've used this not only for notes but for documentation as well; it's export to PDF is acceptable, and I've received good feedback on the documentation I have generated with it.
When I need physical notes I will use a Rocketbook; they have re-usable pages and with the Rocket mobile app can save the notes via email or to OneNote, Evernote and the like.
Just remember, if you do end up using a Rocketbook, unless specified otherwise, do not microwave that notebook. It says so right on the inside cover.
A good coffee maker
Really, this is almost a Life Must Have. I use a Keurig machine with re-usable pods (I like to do what I can for the environment). My mini coffee bar is well used.
Nice to Have's
A chair
This almost goes without saying, but you need a chair; the type of chair is up to you. I'm lucky enough to not need to share a workspace with anyone else - it's dedicated to me - so I can customise the way I like. My chair of choice is an old, sturdy chair that used to be in my boy's game room. It's not a new 'ergonomic' chair by any stretch, but it's big and comfortable and fits the desk. Plus, it nicely holds my back-massager add-on. It also has a heater, which is nice for the colder months.
A large desk
My desk is damn near six feet long. I love it. It weighs a tonne, has two drawers with plenty of space. The fact it is so long leads to the next nice-to-have:
An old shirt for the cat
Yep. My cat keeps me company. She naps on the shirt. On the desk.
An additional portable desk
I have this one for the front room for those times I want a change of scenery and feel that the front room is the place for it. My primary work area is in the basement and, though it's customised for me personally (and I like it), it is still in the basement, and sometimes I enjoy sitting by the large window in the front.
Five Below also has this handy little laptop desk for $5.00.
