Working from home is all fun and games until s you have to set up a home office! This task can be easy when you’re the only one working, but it’s quite the other way round if you’re about to share the home office space with two people. Especially for people with no extra space available, sharing a home office is the best way to create a homely and dedicated workspace. Therefore, if you’re thinking of sharing a workspace with other people, have a look at some worth-trying tips for setting up a home office!
1. Set Some Ground Rules
Before sharing a home office with a number of people, always set some ground rules and don’t rely on an undefined ‘agreement’ to dictate your office sharing arrangement. Make your work expectations clear, and set some realistic goals. Start with the basics – for example, what do you want your office mate to do if he or she needs to interrupt you while working and how will you manage the conflicting needs of different individuals sharing the home office.
2. Define Boundaries
The overall environment and vibe of a shared layout completely depend upon the people you’re sharing the office with. That’s why zoning is important, and setting some clear physical boundaries is not necessary but it’ll clear out that whose space is whose. You must decide upon which areas or storage are to be used and what is for individual use only. That’s something you must decide upon mutual agreement and there shouldn’t be any assumptions.
Harmony is key in creating a home office for two or more people. So, everyone needs to be happy and content with the designated area and have enough space to do what’s needed. This can also mean that one person might be needing space for only a laptop while another might require an additional top drawer. It is alright as long as you’ve succeeded in creating a productive home office.
3. Organize Your Stuff
When it comes to organizing stuff in home offices, different people have a different definition of the word ‘organization’. If storage is being shared by many people, it will be down to every individual as to how do they organize and personalize their stuff in the workspace. When working with a number of people in a shared workspace, there are larger chances of messed-up surroundings. Therefore, everyone needs to organize one’s work essentials, own separate storage and space – to declutter the surroundings.
4. Invest in Some Noise Cancelling Gadgets
A noise-less environment is a crucial need of a shared home office, especially when your work demands your utmost attention and concentration. The nature of work might be different for everyone and mostly we ought to attend some Zoom meetings or Google video meets. In such cases, a noisy background can greatly detriment your work. Noise-canceling headphones might also be a great idea in such circumstances.
- Another alternative of creating an environment with less human noise is to take an early breakfast or late lunch – to have some alone time in the office.
- You can also invest in some quality soundproof flooring, ceiling, and windows. This way, even the most common type of noise can be removed, which can help foster a quiet work environment.
Learn more about some tips for keeping focused while working at home!
5. Ensure Stable/Enough Internet
Having a stable and enough Internet for your home office is very important for a smooth work experience in shared offices. When three people share the same Internet connection, it might start lacking with time and that’ll affect its upload and download bandwidth. For example, different type of data making and transferring requires the Internet in different capacities. Therefore, when sharing your home office with other people, make sure to install a stable Internet connection, which doesn’t get affected by changing weather conditions.
6. Communicate with Office Mates
Whether you’re sharing a home office with a spouse or a number of other people, communication is of utmost importance. Good communication can help people look past the differences and be more open and authentic with each other. Whenever something is bothering you or another office mate is unconsciously causing a problem in your work, it is important to just sit down and communicate – talk things out. When cohabiting with other individuals, it is important to talk openly and try to resolve things.
7. Separate Critical Work Systems
When sharing a home office with other people, separate the critical work systems. This means that office mates must share only those tools/resources that all of them use infrequently or part-time. For example, if your colleagues use the telephone from time to time, it can be shared. One telephone for all! However, if all of you need to use a printer daily and frequently, each individual must buy his or her printer. Resultantly, in an emergency, you’ll always have another system as a backup. If one system fails, you’d at least have access to an alternate.
Benefits of Sharing a Home Office
The benefits of working from home get doubled when the office space is shared with many individuals. Sharing a workspace might not be as horrendous as it sounds and bears a lot of benefits. Have a look at some of them.
Flexibility and Cost-effectiveness – Sharing a home office with people from diverse fields, several business startups, and emerging entrepreneurs helps you become flexible. Dividing the rent and other bills also saves a lot of money.
Prime Location and Accessibility – If your home office is located at a prime location, you can have access to many nearby public transport hubs and commercial and leisure centers.
Collaboration and Networking Opportunities – Working with different individuals in a shared space fosters many collaborations and networking opportunities for partnerships, knowledge sharing, and establishing new referrals, which is extremely good for new businesses.
Sharing is Caring & Better Working!!
Sharing a home office might be your next power move! Although it requires a lot of work and effort to maintain harmony among diverse individuals, it can effectively help you save a lot of money on the bills and many appliances. In a nutshell, whether you’re sharing a home office with a spouse or some random strangers from diverse backgrounds, you need to communicate and come to a common agenda that can help all of you foster a productive home office environment. Sometimes, when you get stuck during the work or don’t have access to a particular tool/resource, your colleagues can also help and that can lead to a better and more considerate work environment!