Salomé Coutinho, a client services and relationship manager at a large financial services organization in south Australia, switched to a hybrid work schedule last year. One of her first moves: rearranging and making a few additions to the small study she uses as a home office.
“I’ve added a working desk with a swivel chair, a fan that I can move around, and a little corner for documents that I need for work,” she says. “I also adjusted the lighting and ensured I have the window to look out from.”
According to a 2022 Gallup poll, eight in 10 employees are already working hybrid schedules or are fully remote. Like Coutinho, many are recognizing that the makeshift workspace they cobbled together may have gotten the job done for the past couple years, but a long-term hybrid work schedule requires thinking beyond the dining table chair or lap desk in bed.
“The pandemic proved that over 60% of US employees hold jobs that could be done remotely at least some of the time,” says Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, a company that helps businesses develop remote and hybrid work strategies. “If you work from home full-time, you’ll be living with your purchases for 2,000 hours a year.”
For hybrid workers working at home a typical two to three days a week, that’s anywhere from 800 to 1,300 hours a year. “Beyond ergonomics, you should be thinking about durability, portability, productivity, and professionalism,” Lister explains. She notes that products like an ergonomic office chair, wrist rest, foot rest, and convertible standing desk are well worth the investment, not only by helping you stay productive, but also maintaining your health.
