So, the local office is closing down and we're moving to permanent wfh
Posted by dRaidon@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 102 comments
Which is admittedly nice, but I don't have a home office set up for the simple reason that I live 500 meters from the office.
So I need to get something ready. We're going to get a budget of 1500euro. Other than a okay standing/sitting desk, does anyone have any tips?
n4txo@reddit
Even if they give you the current furniture and hardware, use the budget
This would be my list, choose one or two poisons as they are expensive af, and then upgrade piece by piece every 6 months or so, depending on your budget you will have an awesome WFH infra resilient for your future.
Jazzlike-Vacation230@reddit
I would say whatever you get, stick to one brand for all hardware. Helps when dealing with potential technical issues
Prize-Star-9671@reddit
KVM switch was a game changer for me so I can use my nicer monitors and keyboard/mouse.
ohioleprechaun@reddit
my only issue has been trying to find a reasonably affordable KVM that can do multiple monitors. Right now, I have one monitor on the KVM and I switch inputs on the other two manually
fadingcross@reddit
You want the Level 1 Tech KVMs: https://www.store.level1techs.com/products/kvm
ProfessionalWorkAcct@reddit
Those prices are outrageous
fadingcross@reddit
No, that's what a quality KVM that can support a gaming pc costs.
mcpingvin@reddit
I'm a bit late to the party, but I recently bought Ugreen KVM switch, supports 2 monitors, I'm running 2k with HDR and 165HZ, laptop is connected over a dock, works without any problems. Priced around 70€.
ProfessionalWorkAcct@reddit
This works wonderfully goodly great good-good https://www.avaccess.com/products/kd-e10/
Long_Inflation_7524@reddit
Huh. Pretty good refresh rates outside of 4K. I remember that being an issue with a lot of KVM switches when I'd looked a few years ago. I ended up just getting a second desk lol.
fadingcross@reddit
You def. want Level 1 Techs KVM's:
https://www.store.level1techs.com/products/kvm
HappyVlane@reddit
Forget a switcher to be honest and use software. I've been using Synergy for years, but there are other, free, alternatives (I think there is something in PoweToys and Synergy has an upstream option).
https://symless.com/synergy
It works across monitors and has copy-paste support.
miscdebris1123@reddit
Just pay attention to any industry regulations you might need to operate under.
EvilSpectre@reddit
If you wanna be cheap, just get a USB switcher for kb+m and either manually switch monitor inputs or use something like control my monitor to set input. https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html
kindofageek@reddit
I have three large primary monitors plus a small USB-C monitor (which is only used with my work computer). My monitors have dual HDMI inputs. So I use a USB switcher just for mouse/keyboard/webcam/headset, and hit the input buttons to switch the monitors. Takes about 5 seconds to fully switch from work to personal mode between my docked work laptop and my personal desktop.
Ath0m1x@reddit
I use the setup recommended by you, with a UGREEN CM662 USB Switch, which has an extended remote button I placed right under my desk.
Works very well, even with 5 usb devices connected at once.
bisskits@reddit
One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given "invest in whatever separates you from the ground"
Get a nice chair. This would also apply to footwear, a good bed, tires, etc.
Imaginary-Hour3190@reddit
a good office chair. gaming chairs tend to hurt people's backs over time. Good office chairs will remain comfy for long periods.
Make a nice office with a good view out the window. Sitting on meeting calls which could have easily been a email, staring out the window helps a lot. Especially in rainy weather, having warm lights in the room with lofi playing. Very comfy
Good earphones for music. Depending on your living situation, you might have neighbours, or people living with you that probably dont want to hear your music blasting all day. Get a sweet set of earphones that you can wear all day without noticing. So at time you can just listen out of the speakers and times when more people are at home and around, then earphones.
Goes without saying, decent internet connection. At jobs where I WFH, I have a backup connection in place. But some people dont seem to care too much about that. In my line of work i need a back connection. Primary connection fibre then backup is LTE. You can usually get decent combo deals from ISPs.
Entertainment. If you like me and sometime have to wait long periods for installations to finish, backups to run, updates to apply. Then having something on the side you can watch helps a lot.
Decent versatile home network. Might want to temporarily swap rooms, sit in the living room etc. Ensure you can decent connection points setup.
Mobile internet. WFH, there might be a time you need to travel and need to connect to do some work. Having a decent mobile option is worth it.
dorkmuncan@reddit
If the local office is closing can you not ask for the office equipment you were using and just wheel it 500m down the street?
anxiousinfotech@reddit
We closed down nearly all of our offices. Employees taking as much as possible was highly encouraged. Less we had to pay to get rid of. 5-6 years later many WTF setups are still what people grabbed from their local office.
cjburchfield@reddit
My setup is very WTF at home :)
Arudinne@reddit
When we downsized the local office I got to bring home my Autonomous sit-stand desk since my office was in the section we moved out of.
Polar_Ted@reddit
I was told I could have my sit stand desk legs, but not the desk top as it was part of the cube. They also wouldn't let me have my chair.
Yeah you can keep that stuff.
My best advise is get the most durable and comfortable chair you can afford. Thrift stores are a great place to find business quality chairs if you are willing to check labels and be picky about it.
Hebrewhammer8d8@reddit
If you ever were let go or move on to another company do you have to return it back?
Arudinne@reddit
Not 100% sure, but most likely no.
AxeellYoung@reddit
For some reason when you said autonomous desk, I first thought it decides when to sit and when to stand on its own lol
Arudinne@reddit
Probably doesn't help that they have .ai for their TLD, yet the desk has no AI.
hessmo@reddit
And they are now selling a little open claw pyramid thing that people keep sending me.
Frothyleet@reddit
Maybe they actually operate out of Anguila?
B4rberblacksheep@reddit
“Standing time fucker, up you get”
codewario@reddit
I also got to bring my standing desk module home with me when we moved to work from home because it was purchased with our team budget not the facilities budget
zeus204013@reddit
Sounds like made with Transformers metal...
/s
ReptilianLaserbeam@reddit
I was going to suggest this. During Covid, my then employer, closed two floors on the building their office was at. They gave away everything, I got a desk, chair, laptop support and even a file cabinet. The facilities guy told me if I hauled it by myself it was free... he also said it was more expensive disposing of furniture than just giving it away
Geminii27@reddit
Or at least buy it cheap, seeing as how you're saving transport/storage/auction costs on an already-used item?
drzaiusdr@reddit
This! And you may still get the funds.
xpxp2002@reddit
Meh. If there's a budget funded by the company, I'd rather buy exactly what I want and have it new than get whatever 20-year-old junk has been passed around the office for decades.
Master-IT-All@reddit
Yes, when the office for a customer I was working at (NOT part of the company even) and they closed I took so much stuff they didn't want. Chairs, desks, cabinets to setup my home office.
hasthisusernamegone@reddit
Got some very nice office chairs this way. Is there anything else there they don't need any more? Monitors? Monitor arms? Coffee machine? Plants? It doesn't hurt to ask.
Silver-Ability-3181@reddit
I second this.
office_world@reddit
We have a detailed guide here in our shop on what equipment you'll need depending on how long you'll be working from home. https://www.officeworld.ch/de/top-themen/ratgeber/homeoffice
A4720579F217E571@reddit
in my experience, it's very easy to get "sucked in" and tied to your chair for 4+ hours at a time; that's very unhealthy. find some way of avoiding that
A4720579F217E571@reddit
decent [noise cancelling / Bluetooth / good in Teams, etc] headphones
https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/gaming/37g800a-b/
[for my role, I need to consult multiple browser based systems that are each optimised for HD; this lets me have four on screen concurrently without scaling, without resizing [without being insanely big]
Vogete@reddit
I don't know where you are, but companies in a lot of countries (Europe) are required to give you necessary home office equipment if they require you to work from home. They aren't required to give you expensive or nice stuff, but something that you can work on at least. It might be nice asking if you could get your office stuff for home use.
Otherwise get an ergonomic office chair (eg. Herman Miller) that you like, and a sit/stand desk. Everything else is kind of secondary, these are the two most important things. A lot of times you can get both of these from liquidations (eg. From your own company that's shutting down the office). Get a semi-decent monitor or two as well, it will help a lot (I personally prefer 27" 1440p ones), and keyboard/mouse you actually like,but some people like to use their laptops directly).
Apart from that, honestly it's all your personal preference. I have headphones, a modmic, a separate webcam, ergo keyboard, deskpad, monitor stands, lightbar. And curtains for the windows, so I can actually see something on my monitor.
bendem@reddit
Good chair, lookup how to adjust the height of your desk. If you are small, make sure your standing desk can actually get down to the correct height. 80% of the people who work a sitting job have their desk too high. Get a good non flickering ambiance lamp to reduce eye strain in the winter, a heating pad is also nice for cold days (avoids your fingers getting cold without having too heat the whole room so much).
bitslammer@reddit
Been WFH since 2015. My setup is pretty simple. I have risers on a sitting desk that allow me to stand and I have dual monitors with docking station.
The one tip I would give is to scout out a couple other locations to work in aside from your main spot. When the weather is nice and I have a lot of PDF reading to do I flip my laptop to convertible mode and sit out on the patio. If it's not nice out I may go sit in the sunroom for some of that type of work.
I find changing spaces gives me a small mental recharge and helps with focus, plus it's just a nice thing to take advantage of.
Maro1947@reddit
This is a great tip
I have an awesome office at home but tend to stay at my desk far too long
pdp10@reddit
As important as a top-shelf chair is, this is the reason why I don't spend as much time in my Aeron as I did during the first part of COVID. Work from bed, work from the garden, watch training videos while in the garage.
JwCS8pjrh3QBWfL@reddit
I really need to turn off the part of my brain that requires me to be at my desk for working. I've only been required to come into the office one day a week for like six months now, and I still spend the entire day at my desk. I should branch out.
VargtheLegend@reddit
I agree, I set outside on my back porch when the weather is decent - does help a bit
TxDuctTape@reddit
Multiple UPSs. One for Network equipment, one for notebook, monitors. (one for TV, streaming device/gaming device)
crackanape@reddit
Your laptop has a UPS?
Also how often does your electricity go out? I think we've had two outages (one brief, one a couple hours) in the past 15 years.
TxDuctTape@reddit
My 3 monitors and docking station do not have a UPS. I live in Texas with a shitty electrical grid and thunderstorms happen.
rayjaymor85@reddit
You enjoy your very juicy steak and buttery lobster...
Inquisitor_ForHire@reddit
Grab a quality office chair from your current office!
Geminii27@reddit
I'm kind of reminded of the year I worked for a place where the IT department was going to be outsourced. A couple of months from the cutoff date, one of the techs wandered over to the C-level boardroom and walked out with one of their super-nice plush leather high-back chairs. Just put on an expression of mild irritation and wheeled the thing to the elevator, took it down to the lobby, wheeled it a few streets to where we were located, and installed it at his desk.
Pretty sure no-one from the executive had the faintest idea of where it had gone until after the axe fell.
Inquisitor_ForHire@reddit
Sort of the same thing... Our office building used to have this really high quality artwork all over the place. They decided to remove it all and replace it with corporate logos and signs and such. Employees basically got first dibs on anything they wanted. I have two massive photos of French lighthouses in storms that when I checked the cost on those things were easily $800 each. They look awesome in my home office now!
Conscious-Arm-6298@reddit
Living the dream man.
masterne0@reddit
Im part of a 2 man MSP that got rid of our city office and did the WFH (we stopped using the office when Covid hit and I stopped going besides picking up mail or equipment).
Personally having a decent PC, desk and chair probably the best. Also maybe a desk phone if your on the phone 24/7 or a unlimited phone plan if your on mobile and it ur personal mobile.
Also make sure to have decent internet maybe depending on what you do exactly.
ajsadler@reddit
Get a comfy chair, priority number one.
Get a bigger desk then you think you'd need, then there's always space for maybe an additional monitor, or some other peripherals.
ShelterMan21@reddit
Omg I had to setup a second desk for my overflow BS.
Ok-Measurement-1575@reddit
So difficult to find one, though.
anxiousinfotech@reddit
Seconding the bigger desk. My home office area is not large. I bought a new desk last year and I got one as wide and deep as I possibly could. I have just enough room to fully back up my chair before hitting the back wall. I was a bit concerned when I first put the thing together, but I haven't once regretted having the desk space.
xpxp2002@reddit
Thirded. I bought the biggest desk that I could that met my needs and technically "fit" into the space I use. I'd still take one slightly bigger if I could.
But regardless, completely agree on all of this. I never once regretted consuming as much space as I did with the desk, but have wanted more desk space at times.
patmorgan235@reddit
Or a cat bed! Very important for the furry friend to have a space in the home office
JwCS8pjrh3QBWfL@reddit
The comfy chair/cat bed combo is popular in my house. Whenever I'm standing at my desk, the chair is still in use lol
VargtheLegend@reddit
Definitely a good chair would be my first pick and the above recommend flow
itishowitisanditbad@reddit
You live 500 meters from a place with tried and tested stuff!
jimicus@reddit
A good quality office chair. They're not cheap - but that's because they're designed to accommodate you sitting your arse in the chair 8+ hours/day.
sebf@reddit
Good chair, nice monitor arm, excellent microphone / audio interface, laptop webcam. Note that AirPods works well. Any table will do, nothing fancy is necessary. The hardest is part is that you most likely need a dedicated room. Can be shared with other remote workers(partner, relatives) if you don’t exceed 1h meeting / day.
rthonpm@reddit
Along with a good chair, get a good headset for meetings or calls. I have a Jabra headset that works all the way to my back yard. It's nice to be able to stretch my legs or just get some air and still take in a meeting or a call.
-eschguy-@reddit
I'll echo the advice on a good chair. I got a Laz-e-Boy office chair from Costco that was a huge upgrade.
I still dream about being fully WFH, right now it's 2 days in the office a week and it's obnoxious.
badaz06@reddit
If at all possible, sit yourself as far from the TV and any area where others are as much as possible. Limit your distractions so you stay focused. I'm lucky in that I have an office in my garage..so no tv to watch.
FortheredditLOLz@reddit
Ask for everything physical possible to take home to make your WFH setup/life earlier !!!
Also any gear for home landing.
hal-incandeza@reddit
Invest in a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Your back will thank you.
crimsonDnB@reddit
Well worth the $$.
kenfury@reddit
More like $$$ or $$$$
crimsonDnB@reddit
Yuuuuup. I'm on my 2nd one (still have the first one just wanted something new when WFH became a thing.) Talked my partner into getting one and she's happy with it also, altho she gets wicked annoyed when I change the settings on her chair LOL.
zanox@reddit
I came here to recommend the same chair. Mine is from 2003 and still in great shape
Salt-n-Pepper-War@reddit
If the office is shutting down maybe there is some office furniture or equipment that they would be willing to part with that you could use at your home office?
Other than that, comfortable pajama bottoms
Kindly_Revert@reddit
Better chair for sure, sit/stand desk. Yall hiring? :D
NotYetReadyToRetire@reddit
A good chair is the first thing I'd look for; I spent half my budget on my chair. My desk is two Ikea corner desktops (sadly discontinued, I wish I had a third one) with Adils legs.
wvraven@reddit
Make sure you have a dedicated space for work that is separate from the rest of the house. When the pandemic hit and I was WFT for the first time I would work out of my living room because that's just where my desk was. It got so old soooo fast. Sit on that side of the room and work, walk over to the other side and watch some TV. I finally converted my second bedroom to be a dedicated office (I don't have kids) and it made all the difference. I think you just nee that separation psychologically.
Generico300@reddit
Chair. Get a high end office chair, like an Herman Miller or Steelcase.
If you have the space, make it a dedicated working space. Don't use that space for other things. That way at the end of the day you can just close the door and it's like leaving work for the day.
HerfDog58@reddit
When I got hired by a company to WFH, I found I REALLY needed 2 things - a better chair, and a bigger desk. They gave me a laptop, external monitor, kb, mouse, but no furniture, and no stipend to get any.
I found a reaally good chair at the local Staples, already assembled, just wheeled it to the register, loaded it in the car and took it home. Less than $300.
For the desk, it took me months to find something appropriate that didn't break the bank. Most large desks were in the $500+ range, needed assembly, and weighed too much for me to carry up 3 flights of stairs. Based on a recommendation by a buddy, I got a solid core slab door 84"x 36" and set it on a pair of collapsible sawhorses. Plenty of desktop space for all my gear which left plenty of space under it for storage bags and tote bins. Cost less than $100.
ohioleprechaun@reddit
My desk is pretty similar except the legs are black iron pipe.
bjc1960@reddit
Where are all the broken and new laptops going to be stored? I have two servers, a small linux box, extra laptops, two other desktops, a travel monitor and various other parts stinking up my office. I am the boss, so everyone else except the FNG has more.
we are all remote.
FilmFanatic1066@reddit
When our office closed we were allowed to take whatever we needed so I took the chair and monitor arms with me
Fitzand@reddit
Roller Blade Wheels for your Office Chair! This was the absolute best game changer for me! Doesn't matter if it's Carpet or Flooring! Something like this in your equivalent Euro world. https://www.amazon.com/Office-Chair-Caster-Wheels-Set/dp/B01CTIG4GE?th=1
NotYourScratchMonkey@reddit
Separation of church and state! Have a way, from your desk, to easily switch between personal computing and your work computing and keep it all separate. That could be a KVM switch or I just plug my work laptop into the 2nd input of one of my big monitors and switch inputs on that monitor.
With M365 and other collaboration tools, you could easily just sign into your work account from your home PC and I would suggest that you not do that if you can.
Be mindful of what your background looks when you are on work calls. You can blur or put in a background but if you have something maybe not work appropriate behind you (I don't know, some poster? Or something that would be embarrassing like a "Keep On Truckin'" print) you could get interesting questions. .
True-Adhesiveness715@reddit
I got what is by all definitions of the term a premium desk for around $500 by mixing and matching at IKEA
The deciding factor for the price is how nice of a desk top you want. You could even do a corner desktop and use this exact configuration and save hundreds of dollars.
jivatma@reddit
I switched from dual monitors to a nice large curved screen and it’s been so much better. Highly recommend!
opinionsOnPears@reddit
Do you want to explicitly work from home? Have you thought about and is working from a co-working space an option? You could have a private office, choose when to go in and not go in, possibly have it closer to home? Sometimes getting out of the house during the day is nice.
kremlingrasso@reddit
You know when you work from home you can just go out for a while and come back and work more.
opinionsOnPears@reddit
yeah, but unless you have a separate office you can close the door to and maybe not walk by, you still have that "desk" sitting there where you've brought work into the home kind of vibe.
I'm not against it, just sometimes it's nice to have that clear separation between work and home.
kremlingrasso@reddit
Guess depends on the person, I never had a flat bigger then 75square meter and been working from home even before covid. I'm far more effective and work more compared to when in the office, and still get more errands, exercise and healthy meals done.
Speed-Tyr@reddit
Amazing chair, bigger desk, a switch of some kind to switch your monitors between personal usage and work.
Or get most of it from the office. They are going to liquidate it all anyways.
pdp10@reddit
Is the budget structured so that you don't need to spend it up front, and/or can keep the remainder? If so, start by scrounging and doing without, until you find what you really need.
When you do buy, take your time and buy quality. Typically, people buy displays by focusing mainly on the specs, and are then disappointed when the unit(s) arrive and have no height adjustment, and bargain build quality. Similarly, cheap display mounts are all over, but you want to own some Ergotrons, Humanscale, Steelcase, etc.
A lot of WFH users, use KVMs to switch their displays and HIDs between computers. This is a good idea in general, but note that KVMs that switch multiple high-bandwidth displays properly and not cheap devices.
USB-C docks are one place where this advice may not apply. Feel absolutely free to start with cheap ones, if you think they'll suit your needs. You can always upgrade later.
Indiesol@reddit
Good chair, good sit/stand desk, a roller mat for the chair, a desk phone or headset, however many monitors you need any any applicable stands to mount them the way you want. Don't forget about a mouse and mousepad.
progenyofeniac@reddit
Chair, desk, dock, dual monitors.
The rest can be pieced together as you figure out what you like.
I’m less picky about the desk than the chair, but I don’t know how I’d go back to working with just one monitor either.
Civil_Inspection579@reddit
that’s a solid budget honestly, biggest upgrades are a good chair and monitor setup. invest in ergonomics first, then add small stuff like proper lighting and cable management. makes a huge difference once you’re sitting there every day.
LaughingLikeACrazy@reddit
Followed the post, want to see if my setup could be improved. I bought a second hand sit/stand desk that was practically new
Magic_Neil@reddit
Take all of your gear from the office home, especially if there’s an opportunity to take furniture.
Failing that, go on your local marketplace app and look for a used desk.. buying new ones that are quality can be expensive. Make sure it’s large enough, and get good displays and peripherals too.