Covid-19 is changing everyone's buying habits and none more so than in-office interiors where employees are changing working practices rapidly and working from their homes and away from company offices. This is according to Dynamic Office Solutions.
Home delivery company ParcelHero expects e-commerce purchases to rise to 40 per cent of total sales from its current 20 per cent position as Covid bites. That's a big increase for logistics resources to manage – and an essential reason why resellers in the UK office interiors market need to ensure their online activity is slick, efficiently configured and effectively optimised.
David Orr, Dynamic Office Solutions Non-Executive Director and Head of Strategy said, "the message to our customers is to ensure you make good use of outstanding imagery, data, and other tools that will help you ride the storm."
With home working, many now have an opportunity to taste what some others have been advocates of for years. The increased efficiency, throughput and focus that operating from home can provide.
Gone are the distractions. The 15-minute convo' by the photocopier about nothing in particular. The sharing of last night's gripping episode of the latest tv drama and the time thief who insists on sidling up to your desk and sharing his/her innermost thoughts to an unwilling audience.
Instead, modern communications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype empower us with visual as well as audio links to colleagues and customers. Email, texts, and other messaging services enable instant written contact and online business tools and back-office systems continue to process information in an ever-efficient manner.
Whether for a transformed extra bedroom or a dedicated study space home office need to achieve the same qualities any company office does. And employees have a duty of care as well as a legal obligation to ensure a home office conforms to standards.
One of the regulations relating to home offices is the DSE (display screen equipment) regs. A DSE assessment measures the risk of the way we use computers, laptops, tablets and other display screens at work. That will include the function of our desk, storage, and seating options.
It highlights how the kitchen table and four-legged chair are not compliant – and have the potential to land employers with seriously hefty fines.
The message to employers and consumers moving to home office working is clear. Embrace the new working method that is our best shot at keeping the wheels of industry turning where possible. But make sure you pick a product that is compliant, real value and delivers users comfort and efficiency.