Six years on from the great homeworking experiment, one thing is clear: remote and hybrid working isn't a post-pandemic hangover, it's the new baseline. Yet despite that, getting the home working setup right remains a challenge many organisations are still working through.
While some organisations have moved to increase mandatory office days, hybrid and remote working has proven remarkably resilient.
According to the Office of National Statistics:
40% of UK workers now spend at least some of their working week at home — around 28% in a hybrid pattern splitting time between home and office, and 14% working fully remotely.
Part of what's sustaining these numbers is a shift in how organisations hire. The rise of geographically diverse recruitment, accelerated by the pandemic, means many teams now include people for whom daily office attendance was never realistic. Access to skills and expertise beyond the immediate geography has become an important part of how businesses recruit and retain talent.
For the foreseeable future, a significant portion of most workforces will be spending meaningful time working from home. And that raises an important question worth asking: are the people working from home actually set up to do that well?
Back in 2021, the research was stark. Steelcase found that only 30% of people felt their home workspace was comfortable, and only 26% had an ergonomic chair, despite most wanting one. Studies showed that 63% of homeworkers had experienced productivity issues linked to a poor home setup.
Today, progress has been made, but the problem hasn't disappeared. Plenty of employees are still working from kitchen tables, on dining chairs, or with laptop screens perched on stacks of books. The difference now is that this is no longer an emergency situation demanding a quick fix. It's a permanent working arrangement that deserves a proper, long-term solution.
Investing in home office furniture isn't just about comfort. It's about ensuring that people working remotely aren't operating at a disadvantage compared to their in-office colleagues. When someone at home can't think straight because their back aches, or can't manage complex tasks efficiently because they're squinting at a single small screen, the gap between remote and in-person performance widens. That's bad for individuals and bad for teams.
Here's what every homeworker, and every employer supporting them, should be thinking about.
Sitting in a poorly designed chair for six to eight hours a day causes real, measurable harm to posture, focus and long-term health. A proper ergonomic task chair isn't a luxury; it's the foundation of a productive home setup.
So what makes a chair genuinely ergonomic?
Three Steelcase chairs stand out as excellent choices for home workers, each suited to slightly different needs and budgets.
Steelcase Karman is one of the most innovative task chairs currently available on the market. Its patented hybrid seat - a suspension system with integrated cushioning - eliminates the pressure points common in traditional mesh chairs, while weighing just 13kg.
A weight-activated mechanism automatically responds to the user's posture, and the Comfort Dial offers four recline positions. It's also available with a CarbonNeutral® certification, making it a strong choice for organisations with sustainability commitments.
Steelcase Reply offers a more accessible entry point without compromising on core ergonomics. Available in both upholstered and mesh (Reply Air) versions, it features a backrest structured around three spinal zones - pelvic, lumbar and thoracic - with fully adjustable 4D arm support and an adjustable seat angle.
Simple controls make it easy to dial in the right setup, and its clean design works as well in a home environment as in a formal office.
Steelcase Series 1 is a highly practical option for organisations rolling out homeworking at scale. It delivers the core principles of ergonomic seating without unnecessary complexity, making it well-suited to domestic environments. A weight-activated mechanism responds automatically to the user, while the LiveBack® system flexes with the spine to provide continuous support throughout the day.
When specifying chairs for home workers, there’s an additional consideration that often catches organisations off guard: compliance.
When a chair is supplied directly to an employee’s home, it's legally considered a “placing on the market” activity. That means the responsibility sits with the organisation (and its suppliers) to ensure the product meets UK domestic furniture fire safety regulations and carries the correct labelling.
For that reason, it’s important to select chairs specifically approved for domestic use. The models listed in this article - Karman, Reply and Series 1 - can all be specified in home-use compliant versions, provided the correct fabrics and certification are selected.
Other homeworking-compliant Steelcase chairs (restricted fabrics and finishes apply) include: Gesture, Leap, Amia, Think, Please, Series 2, and Let's B.
If you’d like guidance on specifying compliant furniture for homeworking at scale, please get in touch - we’d be happy to talk it through in more detail.
A good chair will only do so much if the desk it's paired with is the wrong height. The work surface should sit at elbow height when seated, allowing forearms to rest comfortably without hunching or reaching.
Better still, a height-adjustable desk gives the option to stand and move throughout the day - something that makes a meaningful difference to energy levels and focus over longer working periods. Research consistently shows that postural variety reduces fatigue and musculoskeletal discomfort.
The Steelcase Possilio is a compelling option for both home and office use. It's a modular, height-adjustable desk system with a patented leg-folding mechanism that means it can be assembled (by two people, without tools) in under a minute.
Three interchangeable leg shapes and multiple finish options mean it integrates well into a home setting without looking out of place. Intuitive electronic height controllers (including a programmable option) make sit-stand transitions seamless, and optional privacy screens help create a more defined workspace within a shared home.
For those who aren't ready to commit to a full standing desk, a quality active lift riser can transform an existing desk surface into a height-adjustable workstation without significant disruption or expense.
Beyond the big-ticket items, a number of smaller additions can meaningfully improve the home working experience:
Keeping the keyboard and mouse at the same height (typically slightly lower than the desk surface) maintains the forearm position that reduces strain over long working sessions. A quality keyboard platform achieves this without requiring a separate desk.
For anyone using a laptop as their primary machine, a stand that raises the screen to eye level is essential. Without one, users spend hours with their neck bent downward, a posture that places significant strain on the cervical spine. Pairing a stand with an external keyboard and mouse creates a much more sustainable setup.
Good lighting is often overlooked in home office discussions, but it matters significantly for eye comfort and focus. Dedicated task lighting positioned to illuminate the work surface without creating screen glare reduces eye fatigue, especially during winter months or in rooms without strong natural light.
For users whose feet don't comfortably reach the floor in their preferred chair position - or who want to maintain better posture over long periods - an adjustable footrest can make a notable difference to comfort and circulation.
In shared homes, acoustic disruption is one of the most commonly cited challenges for homeworkers. Noise-cancelling headphones (especially important for video calls), acoustic panels, or even a small desktop screen can all help create a more focused environment within a domestic space.
For those looking to take productivity to the next level, it's worth considering a second monitor. Research consistently shows that dual-screen setups can boost productivity significantly. IE's dedicated guide on how multiple monitors affect productivity and wellbeing explores the evidence in detail and is well worth a read before making a decision.
Home office furniture is increasingly appearing in conversations about employee benefits, talent retention and duty of care, and rightly so. Employers have a legal obligation to ensure homeworkers have a safe and suitable working environment, and the furniture and equipment they use is central to that.
Beyond compliance, there's a strong commercial case. A team that is physically comfortable, properly equipped, and not struggling with inadequate setups will outperform one that isn't. The question of who pays for home office equipment varies by organisation, but the most progressive employers are treating it as part of their overall workplace strategy rather than an afterthought.
If you're responsible for managing facilities or procuring furniture across a distributed workforce, the conversation is the same as it always has been; it's just no longer confined to a single building.
Need help specifying home working furniture at scale, or developing a workplace standard that works for both office and remote environments? Get in touch with the Insightful Environments team.