Sharing your home office? How to navigate the needs of a shared home office – hot desking at home.

Hot desking at home  

We all dream of a dedicated workspace at home. For many, this is just not possible for a multitude of reasons. But what is most important is the recognition that whether we have a dedicated room for working from or we have carved a space elsewhere – the space is being shared.  

More and more we have been working with our clients to solve their shared home workspace woes – creating a more permanent but effective and flexible solution at home that works for everyone.  

The basics – plug and play designed to share.  

The increased need for IT security within a business will mean that you are unlikely to share a single pc or laptop.  Added to that, is the need to de-clutter the shared space so that one user can leave and the next can plug-in without the need for unnecessary cables and duplication of hardware such as monitors and keyboards.  

Enter the Humanscale monitor arm, available as a single monitor arm or double monitor arm with a docking station built into it, known as  MConnect 

In simple terms, the MConnect is a universal docking station that only has a single cable requirement, so when alternating between users, all you need to do is plug one single cable into the docking station, picking up where you left off.  Your pre-sets remain yours and yours alone as does your security.  This single cable technology gives you immediate access to a shared wireless keyboard, mouse, camera, and of course the integrated monitor.  

There are a number of universal docking stations in the market that offer a more cost-effective price point, such as the Kensington Dual Docking Station which also uses single cable technology and ensures ease of use for multiple users.  

Individual needs for individuals  

Hot desking at home is about recognising that different people have different needs. The one universal requirement is comfort. Without comfort, working from home or indeed studying and doing course work is difficult and fraught with fidgeting.  

Our focus is on assessing your home office and the people who use it, with a strong emphasis on delivering a solution that works for all.  

Task chairs

A chair that is easily adaptable to the user’s height, weight, sitting posture and so much more are an investment that should not be overlooked. Comfort is paramount, comfort for all that is. The Diffrient World Chair from Humanscale and indeed several task chairs from Humanscale offer a weight-sensitive recline that adjusts automatically and armrests that are attached to the back of the chair, so they move with the user for ergonomic comfort, Diffrient World provides custom comfort for every sitter. Custom being key.  

Sit-stand desks

Electric sit stand desks have multiple settings, allow each user to choose their preferred sitting and standing options which can be altered at the touch of a button for each user. Sit Stand desks are emerging as triumphant for home offices around the country.  To understand why these desks are reigning supreme, check out this recent article which is case in point.  

That said if you don’t have the space or budget for the superhero of desks, we have just the trick for you. The Contour Ergonomics Sit-Stand Workstation is designed to sit on top of your dining table or kitchen counter, holds your laptop and can be adjusted to your preference of sitting or standing as you work. 

Home office desks 

Space limitations often restrict your choice in desks, that is not a problem.  We understand the needs for different approaches to your home office furniture and we have a selection of desks that are compact in size, that fold away, desks of different depths and widths and desks that offer multi use and that are also designed to blend in with the décor of room around them. 

Monitor arms

If you were to ask us to recommend just one item of furniture for your home office and we had to choose between a sit-stand desk and a monitor arm, we would suggest a monitor arm that suits your existing space and furniture.   

Monitor arms are a great solution for compact spaces, freeing up important desk space, prime real estate in the home office, whilst at the same time offering a range and variety of other benefits; height adjustment to suit the eyeline of the user, easily adaptable for all and important to your overall ergonomic and visual health.   

What’s more, with a variety of options available we can identify the best solution for your office. For example, the variety of Humanscale monitor arms offers great flexibility enabling single monitor use, double monitor use, and use of laptop display.   

Demand for the double monitor arm with laptop holder is high, as there is a monitor arm on permanent display on the desk, with a monitor screen on one pole and a laptop holder on the other pole.  

Some clients have gone a step further and invested in 2 monitors, keeping two monitor screens on permanent display on their dual monitor arm and leaving their laptop to one side once it is plugged into the docking station. This option provides the ultimate set-up and through the placement of a webcam above one of the screens, removes the reliance of video functionality within a laptop, creating a more ergonomic and flexible set up for multiple users.  

Wireless Technology

 In keeping with the need to be able to plug and play and to also maintain a clutter free space, a wireless keyboard and mouse are an essential piece of kit for your home hot desk set up. A real winner in this space is the Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050 Desktop Keyboard and Mouse Set as seen here 

Connected to your team at all times

A key element in the success of hybrid working and working from home is being able to connect with your team and your clients with ease. One thing that we all became very adept at in recent times is conducting our meetings online thanks to the limitless technology of video calls. Regardless of the platform you choose to use, having webcam that is crucial, especially when you are plugging into a monitor daily.  Webcams that don’t require installation and that work cross platform are the ideal solution, especially if you are MS Teams user and your home office partner is more into Zoom !   

Hot desking at home has probably been overlooked for too long and addressing the needs of all who work from a single home has saved friendships, relationships, family quarrels and much more. If you want a bespoke solution to suit your hot desk at home, we are happy to help by phone, by email and by video.  Tel 01 217 8000 or  



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