People Sick Of Seeing Glamorous Workspace Setups Share Their Reality Of Working From Home (30 Pics)
One day we're all working hard at our desk in the office and the next a pandemic turns the world turns upside down and many business owners and their employees move operations to their homes.
While our pets are definitely happy that we're spending more time with them, there are plenty of challenges of working from home too. From kids running around and making it harder to concentrate to the full fridge, just a few steps away. One of the problems people have been running into is actually finding space to perform their duties. Not everyone has a separate room which they can transform into a home office. Some studio dwellers don't even have a place to sit. So they improvise.
Twitter user Jules Forrest recently shared a pic of her own setup: she moved a chair into the hallway and made a desk out of her clothes hamper. Thinking she can't be the only one, Jules asked if someone else also wanted to respond with an image of their own 'unglamorous' home workspace. Immediately, creative solutions started pouring in.
More info: Twitter
Image credits: julesforrest
This post may include affiliate links.
Google. Microsoft. Twitter. Hitachi. Apple. Amazon. Chevron. Salesforce. Spotify. From the US and the UK to Japan and South Korea, in the past days, global companies have rolled out mandatory work-from-home policies amid the spread of COVID-19. Not to mention all the medium and small size organizations. Many employees are working from home for the first time, which means figuring out how to stay productive in a new environment that may not lend itself to productivity.
Communication is key. “Have really clear-set expectations for communications day to day,” Barbara Larson, a professor of management at Northeastern University in Boston who studies remote working told the BBC. “Ask [your manager] if they don’t mind having a 10-minute call to kick off the day and wrap up the day. Often times, managers just haven’t thought of it.”
Most people spend their workdays in close proximity to their boss, meaning communication is easy and effortless. But that's not the case now, so a communication breakdown is expected. However, don't forget that your manager might not be used to managing people virtually, too.
Last year, a study of 2,500 remote workers found that loneliness was the second-most reported challenge, one that 19% of respondents struggled with. And loneliness can make people less motivated and less productive. So when you do communicate with your boss and team from home, keep it as “rich” as possible. That means face-to-face and instant. Think video calls, Skype, Zoom.
Another key part of working from home is your setup. Many of us don't have the luxury of an office room, so do what the people in the pics are doing. Try as hard as you can to create an ad hoc, bespoke space exclusively for work. “Not having a well-equipped home office space when [people] begin remote working can cause a temporary decrease in productivity,” said Sara Sutton, CEO and founder of FlexJobs, a remote job listing site. “The very best remote workers will reach out to coworkers and managers regularly” through a variety of tools. She says double monitors and a wireless keyboard and mouse make her more productive at home.
Twitter user @twiztwit is one of the people who uploaded a pic of their setup to Forrest's thread. "I am a technology platform architect," they told Bored Panda. "I rarely worked from home before my employer mandated it 2 weeks ago. I simply prefer going someplace else for work."
When it was time to take their work home, twiztwit's husband scrounged a piece of shelving from his shop. "He beveled the edges to save my hands and wrists. The shelf sits on top of the treadmill 'arms' which are thankfully long enough. He set some long screws in the underside of the board on both ends to prevent the board from moving laterally." You can actually see the screw if you zoom in the photo, which was one of the most popular ones.
To twiztwit or their team, working remotely is not a new. "I work in Chicago. I have teammates in Mexico, India and Tennessee . And frankly I collaborate from my desk with people in buildings 1 to 8 blocks away. Our collaboration model shifted to mostly online several years ago." However, the challenge they and their colleagues constantly face is the same one that Barbara Larson mentioned. "You cannot replace in-person communication." So twiztwit, just like the rest of us, tires to make-do with what they have.
Who woudn't want to work outside if given the chance? Great set up!
Actually, she got takeout so she's supporting local businesses AND practicing social distancing!
Load More Replies...Yeah. It’s missing its spigot. And the whiskey that should be flowing from it.
So you were the one that started playing Jumanji. That explains things.
Because risking that all the equipment crashes to the floor is preferable over making some support in the middle of this table?
Had an interview for a job today with a company whose entire workforce is working remotely from home. My first interviewer said that she has a hidden corner of her home for her office to avoid having her 18 month old interrupting her. She said she still tells her "Ok..Mommy has to go to work now." Gets in her car..drives around the block then sneaks in the back door to get to her office while her husband distracts their daughter. Hey...what the kids don't know.....
Ah, another perk of being a gamer and nerd. I've had proper desks, monitors, computers, keyboards, mouses, and a separate 'office' for 2 decades. This working from home thing is wonderful.
I always assumed having a table and a desk is normal... Even in our tiny home I made room for a small desk. Not much of a gamer anymore, but still.
Load More Replies...I am software developer and tough I work from office, there is almost no public transport now so I work from home. I have no space for office laptop which is enormous, so I placed a large kitchen cutting board on bed a laptop on it and that is like "home office". Terribly uncomfortable and ugly, but well... it works.
This is actually really bizarre. It's like people have never had a computer in their home and are completely at a loss as to how to set one up.
It's like some jobs don't depend on computers
Load More Replies...I'm a little surprised by the amount of people that seem to have houses including big gardens, but no proper desks or tables to work on. =O
Ya'll f*****s ever hear about the Lord of the best furniture ever made? Ya'll need some Ikea
Where are all these "glamourous home workspaces" that these drama queens are "so sick of seeing"? I haven't seen any displayed anywhere online.
What kind of work allows people to manage with only a tinly laptop and sitting outdoors where any passerby can read from the screen? (Dont get me wrong, if I could work outdoors I would as well, but really...)
Love this post! I have an office but while homeschooling I have had to make do with the dining table www.kyramarieisme.com/post/my-homeschooling-workplace
In the majority of these pics, people are working on laptops. These are meant to be mobile, and able to be in confined spaces. I would like to see the crappy DESKTOP setups in tight spaces.
My home office is ok, but I have to keep two folded blankets on my chair to reach my 'desk' comfortably :p Advantage: Sitting in the kitchen means easy access to coffeeeeeee
Well, I just moved to the US from Singapore and the container with our stuff is at customs. We don't have much at the moment and don't know when we will get our things since there is the shut-down of non essential businesses. Managed to buy two huge plastic folding tables and patio chairs, never had a bigger desk. But missing a proper bed and sofa, being on an airbed isn't that great for months.
Working for years from home. Some of these pictures remind me of the times we had to move when hubby was still active duty. I can relate. It’s new. To all the newbies in remote work: make it a comfortable and warm area. Make sure you have enough natural light preferably with a view at a window.
My brother told me he moved his family of four to a larger apartment in December. "Great! You will need the extra space so you don't kill each other," I said. After a pause, he said quietly, "Don't count on it." Shorty after schools closed, they received requests for play dates and rotating child care.
Great for you that you have enough space for fancy stuff like a “laundry area“.
Load More Replies...Had an interview for a job today with a company whose entire workforce is working remotely from home. My first interviewer said that she has a hidden corner of her home for her office to avoid having her 18 month old interrupting her. She said she still tells her "Ok..Mommy has to go to work now." Gets in her car..drives around the block then sneaks in the back door to get to her office while her husband distracts their daughter. Hey...what the kids don't know.....
Ah, another perk of being a gamer and nerd. I've had proper desks, monitors, computers, keyboards, mouses, and a separate 'office' for 2 decades. This working from home thing is wonderful.
I always assumed having a table and a desk is normal... Even in our tiny home I made room for a small desk. Not much of a gamer anymore, but still.
Load More Replies...I am software developer and tough I work from office, there is almost no public transport now so I work from home. I have no space for office laptop which is enormous, so I placed a large kitchen cutting board on bed a laptop on it and that is like "home office". Terribly uncomfortable and ugly, but well... it works.
This is actually really bizarre. It's like people have never had a computer in their home and are completely at a loss as to how to set one up.
It's like some jobs don't depend on computers
Load More Replies...I'm a little surprised by the amount of people that seem to have houses including big gardens, but no proper desks or tables to work on. =O
Ya'll f*****s ever hear about the Lord of the best furniture ever made? Ya'll need some Ikea
Where are all these "glamourous home workspaces" that these drama queens are "so sick of seeing"? I haven't seen any displayed anywhere online.
What kind of work allows people to manage with only a tinly laptop and sitting outdoors where any passerby can read from the screen? (Dont get me wrong, if I could work outdoors I would as well, but really...)
Love this post! I have an office but while homeschooling I have had to make do with the dining table www.kyramarieisme.com/post/my-homeschooling-workplace
In the majority of these pics, people are working on laptops. These are meant to be mobile, and able to be in confined spaces. I would like to see the crappy DESKTOP setups in tight spaces.
My home office is ok, but I have to keep two folded blankets on my chair to reach my 'desk' comfortably :p Advantage: Sitting in the kitchen means easy access to coffeeeeeee
Well, I just moved to the US from Singapore and the container with our stuff is at customs. We don't have much at the moment and don't know when we will get our things since there is the shut-down of non essential businesses. Managed to buy two huge plastic folding tables and patio chairs, never had a bigger desk. But missing a proper bed and sofa, being on an airbed isn't that great for months.
Working for years from home. Some of these pictures remind me of the times we had to move when hubby was still active duty. I can relate. It’s new. To all the newbies in remote work: make it a comfortable and warm area. Make sure you have enough natural light preferably with a view at a window.
My brother told me he moved his family of four to a larger apartment in December. "Great! You will need the extra space so you don't kill each other," I said. After a pause, he said quietly, "Don't count on it." Shorty after schools closed, they received requests for play dates and rotating child care.
Great for you that you have enough space for fancy stuff like a “laundry area“.
Load More Replies...