businessinfomag.uk
magazine
36
Home Working
Home and away
The proportion of employees who
say they usually work from home has
increased by a fifth (19%) over the
past decade, according to analysis by
the Trades Union Congress (TUC) using
figures from the Office for National
Statistics (ONS). Today, nearly a quarter
of a million (241,000) more people
work from home than did 10 years ago.
A study by homeworking agency
Sensée suggests that homeworkers put in
more hours than when they were office-
based, yet are happier because they can
choose the hours they work to fit around
family responsibilities. Three quarters of
home workers (77%) said working from
home enables them to achieve more in
their day, including exercising and caring
for family members or friends.
To maximise the benefits of home-
working, it is helpful, arguably essential,
to have a dedicated home office, kitted
out with ergonomic seating, a spacious
desk and good lighting. Clearly, this is not
possible for all homeworkers, especially
flat-sharers and parents with children
still living at home.Without a spare
room to occupy, how can they create a
clear physical separation between home
and work?
Garden office
One option is to set up a garden office
and work from a shed or summerhouse.
My Bothy offers a contemporary solution
in the form of an ‘auxiliary building’ that
can be delivered pre-built or flat-packed
for construction on-site. This has a
distinctive glass front and bi-fold doors
that open up to create an alfresco space.
A range of interior, technological and
heating options let you design a bespoke
workspace. Prices for these stylish
sanctuaries start at £17,000 + VAT.
Sharing economy
If you can’t work from your own home,
how about working from someone
else’s? Vrumi, a sharing economy start-
up dubbed the ‘Airbnb of workspace’,
matches empty rooms with people who
need somewhere to work during the day.
Founder Roddy Campbell says:
“We have seen a significant increase
in demand from major companies,
entrepreneurs, freelancers, micro-
workers and professionals for unique,
creative workspace which is also cost-
As the number of self-employed and homeworkers
continues to rise, we highlight two very different solutions
for people with no room for a home office.
effective. They are turning to Vrumi to
host creative sessions so their teams can
get together in a unique setting, sparking
creativity and saving time as decisions
are focused whilst the host makes
money.”
The service seems like a win-win as
workers get a comfortable, inspiring place
to work and householders make money
from their properties. A wide range of
rooms are available for hire, with prices
starting from as low as £6 a day.
Initially only available in London,
Vrumi has begun a national roll-out
after raising more than £900,000 on
crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
My Bothy
Vrumi
Get the light right
Philips lighting has launched a range of light
bulbs with multiple light settings to suit
different requirements, from working and
reading to relaxing and entertaining. Designed
with today’s multi-purpose living spaces in
mind, the ‘plug and play’ Philips SceneSwitch
LED range provides three settings – bright
light, natural light and warm light – that can
be selected using existing light switches.
Mahesh Iyer, leader of Philips Lighting LED
business group, said: “Only 10% of consumers
we’ve spoken to currently have the ability to
dim light in their homes. Our new LED range
provides a solution to address this where you
can easily change the setting from a bright
light for concentration and detail, to a natural
light, to a warm relaxing glow – all with a flick
of the existing light switch. There is no need
to install a dimmer, or make other dramatic
changes to make rooms truly multi-functional
spaces.”
Ergonomic furniture store
Catering to the needs of home workers, as
well as business customers, new online store
Furniturise offers a range of ergonomic seating
and desking products, including the popular
Autonomy Pro sit/stand desk. Furniturise is
the sister company of Century Office, which
has more than 40 years’ experience in office
furniture.
