After living as an expat in Prague for a long time, Heley moved into a renovated design apartment in the heart of Utrecht a month and a half ago. A new site also means a new interior, in industrial style. With her busy job as Transformation Lead at Nationale Nederlanden, the working days from home are sometimes long for Heley. Still, until recently, there was not a hair on her head who thought of buying a home work desk. Until after a month of working from home, she got a backache and discovered that there are design agencies that do not detract from your interior: Händig to the rescue.
"As an optimist, I was in the denial of work from home for a long time: we should be able to return to the office soon."
How have you experienced working from home in the past period
I am a social and outgoing person: working from home does not please me. In the office I often walk around the department and have a chat with colleagues. I have just started a new job and it is extra important to pick up the atmosphere and emotions in the workplace. Working from home makes that a lot more difficult. Due to the many video calls in one day, it is sometimes quite heavy in terms of workload. Yet I also see the advantages of working from home: being able to do the laundry or get something quickly in the city in between.
What does your typical WFH day look like?
My working day starts with a cup of coffee. I get ready for the day and at 8.30 I slide behind my laptop. I skip breakfast, I've been doing intermediate fasting for several months now. Usually I have lunch very promptly at 12 noon, when most colleagues are offline for a while. When the weather is nice I walk outside and take myself out for lunch. Then I order a sandwich on the terrace and grab a few rays of sunshine.
What made you fall in love with the Händig Desk?
The design of the Händig desk immediately appealed to me: clean and modern. It took a while before I was convinced of home work furniture. During the first weeks of the corona crisis, I still thought: “Didn't see me, I'm not going to set up a home workplace and buy office furniture. I just bought a new dining table with beautiful chairs and I'm going to work on that. ” Still, I got back to that after a month. In the living room I found a suitable corner with a lot of light where a large plant stood. Then I started measuring and found out that a desk would fit perfectly there. I immediately thought Händig was the most beautiful home office desk: it fits perfectly into a modern interior and is easy to store. I didn't want to work in the bedroom and keep the desk out of sight at night. So a collapsible desk was a must for me. Handig is ideal: within 2 minutes I had assembled the desk on my own.
What does a nice workplace mean to you?
For me it does a lot for my mood and productivity. I even bought a nice office chair, unfortunately it is an eyesore in terms of design. Good work posture makes me more productive. I also find a lot of daylight very important to be able to concentrate. The nice thing about the Händig desk is that I can put it in front of the window. Then I look outside in between and see the bustle of the city center. My desk is always very clean and tidy. You will only find my laptop, coffee or tea and a notepad. I also opted for the light color and did not edit the wood, which gives the desk a calm, neutral appearance.
What helps you to be productive while working from home?
I take an average of three sports break during my working day, depending on the appointments in my calendar. My days are usually not from 9am to 5pm and then it's nice to take a break. The gym is under my house and I then get on the treadmill for at least half an hour. After that, I have new energy and can get back to work in good spirits. For me, it also helps to really take a break during lunch: not just grabbing a sandwich behind your laptop.
What's yourmost important recommendation for a nice home office?
Stop resisting the situation, accept that working from home is the new norm and buy a good ergonomic working from home desk. You spend so much time at your home workplace, then you better make the most of it. Moreover, you can always easily store a Händig folding desk.