When we opened our Chesterfield office recently, we put real thought into getting the working environment right. We considered the layout, décor and lighting, installed comfortable desks, made the most of the natural light and invested in the right equipment because we know these things affect how people work. It then occurred to us that, when our team work from home, the same level of thought does not always go into their surroundings. The reality is that many people simply open their laptop at the kitchen table and start working. That may be fine occasionally, but it is rarely the best setup for a full day of focused, comfortable work. Granted, you may not have the luxury of a dedicated office space, but thankfully, you do not need one. A few simple adjustments to your working environment can make a big difference. Start with your screen position One of the quickest improvements you can make is to raise your screen. Working on a laptop placed flat on a table usually means looking down for several hours. This can encourage you to round your shoulders, lean forwards and place unnecessary strain on your neck and upper back. Try to position the top of the screen at roughly eye level, or slightly below it, so you can look forwards rather than down. A laptop stand is useful, but a solid box or a stack of books can work just as well. Your screen should also be directly in front of you. Repeatedly turning your head towards a second screen positioned off to one side can cause discomfort over time. When using two screens, place the one you use most directly ahead of you. Do not stay in one position all day Well, there is no single perfect working position. It largely comes down to personal preference. However, it is a good idea to change position regularly. You might sit for 30 minutes, stand for the next 20 minutes and then sit again. There is no need to follow these timings exactly; the aim is simply to avoid remaining still for several hours. Standing desks are great, but you do not necessarily need to buy one to try this. Raising your laptop safely on a box, shelf or kitchen worktop can give you a temporary standing position. Just make sure the surface is stable and the keyboard remains at a comfortable height. It's also useful to set a reminder to get up between focused pieces of work. Walk around the house, make a drink, stretch or step outside for a few minutes. A brief movement break can help you return to your desk feeling more alert, while also reducing stiffness. Give yourself a defined place to work Sometimes, working at the kitchen or living room table is the most practical option. Even so, it helps to create some separation between work and the rest of the home. Where possible, choose a consistent working spot rather than moving around the house. Keeping one area for work can make it easier to settle into the day and switch off when you finish. At the end of the working day, pack away your laptop, paperwork and charger. Even a small routine like this can create a clearer boundary between work and personal time. Match the task to the time of day Most people have periods when they naturally find it easier to concentrate. For many, it is early in the day. Pay attention to when you feel most alert and protect that time for work that requires careful thought. Leave routine tasks, emails and straightforward administration for periods when your energy is lower – think the post-lunch slump! You can also help your team by limiting unnecessary meetings during their most productive hours. We have found that a calendar filled with short calls can make sustained, productive work almost impossible, even when the total meeting time appears reasonable. Control the noise around you Some people work best in silence while others find a quiet background sound helps them concentrate. The important point is to choose the sound deliberately rather than leaving the television or radio running in the background without thinking about its effect. Music without lyrics can be less distracting than songs you like and know well. White, pink or brown noise may also help to mask intermittent household sounds such as traffic or nearby building work, and free recordings are widely available online. Something we try to encourage our team to do is agree some simple boundaries with other people at home. A closed door, a visible sign or set periods when you should not be interrupted may work better than repeatedly trying to regain your concentration after someone has popped in to ask if you want a cuppa. Remove obvious sources of distraction A productive home office does not need to be guest-ready tidy, but it should not make concentration unnecessarily difficult. Keep the items you use regularly within reach and remove paperwork, cables and household objects that repeatedly get in the way. Putting your phone out of reach is easier said than done, but let’s be honest: relying purely on willpower not to check it every time a notification pops up is extremely difficult. Turn off non-essential notifications and close any browser tabs you are not using. You could also set an automatic reply explaining that you only check your inbox once or twice a day. This helps manage expectations around when people will receive a response and allows you to close your inbox and focus properly. Treat homeworking as part of the business environment Businesses should give remote working arrangements the same consideration as the main office, particularly when employees work from home several days each week. That includes suitable equipment, sensible expectations, clear communication and enough uninterrupted time to complete their work. For individuals, the first improvements are often straightforward: raise the screen, change position regularly, reduce distractions, and plan demanding work for the hours when you are most focused. The kitchen table may still be where you work. The important thing is to make sure it functions as a workspace rather than simply placing a laptop on it and hoping for the best. Get in touch If you or your team work from home regularly, it is worth taking a little time to review the setup and make a few practical changes. Homeworking can also raise questions around equipment costs, policies and tax, so give us a call on 01709 589 439 and we can help you work through what applies to your business.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of job vacancies in the UK has fallen to its lowest level for five years as businesses cut back on recruitment. It seems many employers are reluctant to add another permanent salary to their costs. From conversations with our clients who run smaller businesses, higher employment costs appear to be the main reason recruitment is becoming less appealing. Of course, deciding not to recruit does not make the workload disappear. If tasks are starting to slip or your team are taking on too much, you have three options: recruit someone, outsource the work or manage it within your existing team. Start by defining the problem When everyone says they are busy, recruitment can seem like the obvious answer. But before deciding, try this: ask employees to record the time spent on relevant tasks for at least four weeks and note any work that is delayed or left unfinished. This should help you establish whether you genuinely need another person or whether existing processes could be improved. Calculate the full cost of hiring It is easy to focus on the advertised salary when budgeting for a new employee, but the true cost will be higher. A proper calculation should include: gross salary employer’s National Insurance workplace pension contributions recruitment fees training employee benefits Prepare a full annual cost rather than looking only at the monthly salary. Then divide that figure by 12 so you can see the effect on your monthly cash flow. To put that into context, based on 2026/27 rates, a £30,000 salary costs £2,500 a month before employer contributions. Once you add approximately £312.50 in employer’s National Insurance and a minimum workplace pension contribution of around £59.40 (depending on the pension scheme used), the basic monthly cost rises to about £2,872. After allowing for equipment, software, recruitment, training and other benefits, a more realistic budget may be around £3,100 to £3,300 a month. Work out the return you need Before recruiting, be clear about what you need the role to achieve for the business. For a sales role, this may be the additional gross profit the employee is expected to generate. For an operational role, it may be the number of extra customers you can serve. For an administrative role, it may be the time it frees up for you or your senior team to focus on higher-value work. Set out: The total annual cost of the role. The financial benefit you expect it to produce and when. How you will measure whether it is working. Avoid relying on additional turnover alone. A new employee must ultimately generate or protect enough gross profit to cover their cost. If a recruit is expected to produce £50,000 of additional sales but the gross profit margin on those sales is 30%, you would receive £15,000 of gross profit before other overheads. That may not be enough to fund the role. When outsourcing may be the better option Outsourcing can be a useful middle ground when you need additional support but are not in a position to employ someone permanently. Common examples include bookkeeping, payroll, marketing, graphic design, IT support, and finance director support. The main advantage is flexibility. You can pay for the support you need without taking on the full cost and legal responsibilities of employing someone. Outsourcing may be suitable when the workload is irregular, you need expertise that you could not justify employing full time, you want to test demand before recruiting permanently. In our experience, outsourcing tends to work best when the responsibilities, costs and expected response times are agreed clearly from the start. So, ask potential providers for a clear scope of work. Check what is included and how additional work is charged. It is also worth considering how well they understand your business and whether you would feel comfortable working with them regularly. After all, they may become almost as involved in your day-to-day operations as an in-house employee. When using your existing team may work Redistributing work within your team can be sensible when the demand is temporary. A word of warning, though: adding work without removing anything can lead to mistakes, sickness absence and low morale. So be realistic about how much spare capacity your team actually has. To help free up time, look for practical changes you can make, such as stopping reports or meetings that are no longer useful or automating repetitive administration. The time saved may be enough to help your team focus on more important tasks. You do not have to recruit full time The choice does not have to be between a full-time employee and no employee. Other options include: a part-time employee a fixed-term contract an apprentice a freelancer reduced or flexible hours If you’re not sure which option is most suitable, it is worth seeking employment and accounting advice, particularly if you plan to use a freelancer. Simply describing someone as self-employed does not necessarily make them self-employed for tax or employment law purposes. And if the arrangement is classified incorrectly, your business could face unpaid tax and National Insurance, interest, penalties and claims relating to employment rights. We can help you review the proposed arrangement before you make a commitment. Make the decision using your own figures If you are thinking twice about hiring, compare the full cost, likely return and effect on your cash flow under each option. Then give us a call on 01709 589 439 and we can help you work through the figures and compare the available options.