Sharing a home office with your business partner or spouse can be rewarding, but it can also be a challenge. In order to make a shared home office space work for you, try the following tips.
Establish Ground Rules
You can’t expect someone to automatically know your preferences when it comes to your work environment, no matter how long you’ve known them. Come up with some ground rules in terms of working hours, workflows, and environment. Set a schedule for your average work hours and exchange the information with your partner. This way, you both know what to expect. In terms of workflow and work environment, lay it out there in terms of noise level, music, expected actions for phone calls or video conferences, and so on. Nothing is too small to make note of!
Create a Harmonious Space
When it comes to office design, make it harmonious for both of you. Consider desk sizes and shared gadgets and equipment. If there’s only one window in your space, decide if one person will get the view or if you plan on sharing it.
For shared gadgets and equipment, this is where it can be beneficial to share items and save on costs. For example, if you run a creative online business, it might not make sense to have more than one printer. Also, consider what other tools and supplies you can share or split between yourselves.
Sometimes Different is Good
Sometimes you may not be able to create a space that is symmetrical. In terms of ergonomics, people like to work differently and have different needs. In order to make a shared office space work, you may have to leave behind visions of a perfectly symmetrical space in favor of ergonomics and comfort. This may mean that one person has their workstation and computer set up differently with different equipment, with different lighting, or even a different office chair.
Get Started
Call Closet & Storage Concepts to start giving your office a makeover! We are your local Philadelphia and South Jersey office storage experts. We design custom workstations to help you (and your partner) stay organized. Our team works with both residential and commercial properties, so give us a call to see how we can help you Make Room for Life®!
Photo: © chameleonseye.