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Home office the way forward for Britain

4th February 2009 Print
Home office the way forward for Britain Forget The City, New York, Tokyo and Singapore, SOHO is now the place to be - the ‘Small Or Home Office’. A new poll has revealed that the vast majority of Brits appreciate the potential rewards and benefits of working at home – a staggering 70% would like to work from the comfort of their own home given half the chance.

The study, commissioned by Kodak Inkjet revealed that a huge 65% of office workers believe they are more productive when working from home with fewer distractions and having less time taken out of the day for travel and lunch. A further 85% feel that they are able to enjoy their social life more when working from home.

Employers also believe that home working has a positive impact on business admitting that ‘happy employees are productive employees.’ Other benefits of home working include reduced overheads, more freedom for staff resulting in a greater well-being and a positive dynamic image for the company.

“Working from a small or home office is now more popular than ever,” said Saira Khan, expert business woman and TV presenter. “Flexible hours, low cost equipment and convenience mean that both employers and employees are kept happy. Lower costs are also making it an attractive and viable business solution, broadband charges have been cut dramatically and now other basic office essentials such as printing are cheaper than ever.”

Home working is now more integrated than ever. The majority of home workers prefer to carry out work in the comfort of their own living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens with almost 60% favouring this option over a designated office space, after all not everybody has a spare bedroom.

Popular ideas included creating a home office in the garden shed, in spaces under the stairs and in large closets. A surprising 40% of home workers would also invite clients to their homes showing that SOHOs are now something to show off. In addition, office equipment is not limited to professional use with over half of SOHO workers allowing the whole family to make use of computers and printers.

Enrico Bradamante, Kodak’s Director of Inkjet Systems, Europe explains, “With so many people working from various rooms in the house, it is important that equipment is reliable, stylish and cost effective. Printers on the market now, such as the ESP 7 and 9, offer superb quality and style.”

“Kodak’s new wireless All-in-One inkjet printers promise the lowest ink replacement cost in the industry helping to drive down the cost of working at home. Kodak’s ESP 7 and ESP9 printers allow SOHO workers to print up to twice as many documents for their money, saving them up to £75 a year on ink compared to other leading consumer inkjet printers on the market, great if the children also need to print their homework.”

The survey of 3,000 Brits also revealed that women are the driving force behind the new SOHO trend. Despite favouring SOHO working half of men would still prefer to carry out their work in the traditional office/spare bedroom. However, women are more protective over their equipment with nearly half admitting their equipment is sacred and not to be used by other members of the family for personal reasons.

Top ten tips for setting up a SOHO:

1. Find a dedicated space for your SOHO

2. Explain to your children that your office space is not a playroom and that important equipment should not be played with / on

3. Back up all your data as often as possible and ensure you are up-to-date with the latest anti-virus software

4. Create psychological boundaries of work and home time. It is all too easy to find yourself tapping away at 11pm just because your home is your office

5. Put up shelves (or ask a handy family member / neighbour to assist) and help make your SOHO a nicer place to work, it is after all part of your home

6. Equip yourself with an efficient, low cost printer such as the Kodak ESP7 or ESP9 All-in-One which also save you spending money on a scanner, photocopier and fax machine

7. Set an outdoor mission everyday to get out of the house and ensure you don’t suffer cabin-fever!

8. Pay more attention to your social life and don’t forget your friends / colleagues

9. Remember you are working, don’t use your SOHO as an excuse to stay in your pajamas all day. Dressing for work gives you the right mental attitude

10. Install a separate phone line for your SOHO to avoid mixing client and personal calls (and any lack of professionalism should your three year-old toddler answer the phone to a client).

For more information, log on to Kodak.com.

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Home office the way forward for Britain