Thanks to advances in technology, many employers are allowing their employees to work remotely instead of traveling to the office every day. Working remotely has many benefits for both employees and employers. Employees don’t have to deal with daily commute and they also gain great flexibility. Employers don’t have to pay rent or utilities for the office building, which can save a great deal of money.
If your employer is allowing you to work remotely, there are a few items that will benefit your home office and ensure you continue your productivity. After all, if your employer senses that you are slacking while on the clock, you could lose your job. Instead of allowing that to happen, it is best to create the best possible remote office so that you can work successfully.
Here are three must-haves for your remote office:
- High Speed Internet
When you work from home, you will use the Internet for all of your business-related functions. You’ll use the internet to check and send emails, connect with other co-workers, attend video conferences, and possibly access items off your company’s server. For this reason, it is extremely important that your home is equipped with a quality internet connection. Now is not the time to go cheap. If upping the price gets you a better internet connection, then spend the money. Your boss will not be thrilled if your production slows because you constantly have internet problems. Instead, spend the few extra dollars on quality internet to ensure that your production is as good, if not better, than it was while in the actual office.
- Reliable Phone System
You have options when it comes to the phone you use in your remote office. Most people will opt to use their cell phone, but it may be beneficial for you to also have a landline or VOIP phone too. Depending on where your home office is located, you may not get the best reception. If this is an issue, you may find that you miss or drop calls more frequently, and this can be detrimental to your business. Instead, be sure that you have a landline or VOIP phone system in your office too. Digital phone systems from Steadfast Telecom can be a great resource for your business. This way, you don’t have to constantly rely on your cell phone for all your business-related tasks.
- Cloud Computing Software
Although you may be connected to your company’s server, and although you may already use certain cloud computing software for your work, such as Dropbox, it’s still important to have other cloud computing software for all your work-related items. Accidents and mistakes happen, and you want to be sure that all of your work is kept safe at all times. This is why you want to back everything you do up to another cloud that is not related to your company.
For example, if you store everything on your company’s server or cloud program that can be accessed by all the other employees, it’s possible that one of your files may be accidentally deleted or edited. Even though it wasn’t your fault, you will be the one responsible for creating the file from scratch, and that’s not fair to you. Instead, by backing up all of your files to your own cloud, you will still have a backup in case the company’s backup is lost or destroyed. This keeps productivity from stalling and gives you peace of mind.
