Homeward bound: Workers at home need same tools as in traditional office setting

Thursday, April 5, 2001 | 8:50 a.m.

Thousands of industrious Las Vegans aren't merely taking their work home with them from the office these days they're taking their offices home from the office.

Hundreds of job categories are being found in the bedroom instead of the boardroom sales, accounting, engineering, consulting to name but a few.

But many home-bound employees no longer are satisfied spreading their papers out on a dining room table and sitting in a straight-backed chair while doing their work. They want a real office environment that is not only functional but pleasant.

Count novelist Terry Goodkind among them. The 53-year-old writes the best-selling "Sword of Truth"series of fantasy novels. He lives and works in a home in exclusive Lake Las Vegas.

Goodkind's office is in a 15-by-20-foot room on the home's second floor, overlooking a golf course and distant mountains. But the author rarely sees the view: He pulls the curtains closed and focuses on his work.

"I spend just about my entire day 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week in my office,"Goodkind said. "I need an environment that is uplifting to me, one that is aesthetically pleasing and makes me feel good.

"I wanted it to make me feel good about my life. I didn't want a dingy, makeshift-kind of environment."

Good kind says one of the most important things in the office is his chair, called a Zackback, designed and manufactured by a former physical therapist. The chair, which may be adjusted from every imaginable direction, provides maxium support and keeps Goodkind from slouching.

"Since I'm in the office more than 12 hours a day, I needed a heavy-duty chair," Goodkind said. "It had to be durable. The (Zackback) is one of the reasons I can sit as long as I do."

Goodkind even went to the extreme of buying a special computer keyboard (one that uses a layout different from standard keyboards) to ease the physical stress of writing all day.

The design of the chair and keyboard help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, an ailment that may affect the nerves in the hands, wrists and arms of people who spend long hours typing.

Although he had an idea of the kind of office he wanted when he moved into his new home a year ago, Goodkind engaged Staffan Cederquist, owner of By Design on West Flamingo Road, to help him put it all together.

"I had a lot of peculiar requirements," Goodkind said. "I have two different computers and three monitors. I needed a physical layout to accommodate all the different things I do.

"I needed desk-top space (for designing book covers). I needed space to have all of my information laid out. I have a lot of reference material and so I needed all kinds of drawers for files and paraphernalia for my computers. I have tons of wiring."

Growth industry

When Cederquist first opened By Design 20 years ago, almost all of his customers were from corporate offices.

"In those days there were very few home offices," he said. "People would have a little 4-by-4 (foot) space in a corner of the house and a typewriter."

Now, he said, 70 to 80 percent of his business comes from people with offices at their residences -- and they want workstations, not dining room tables.

Since more time is spent in a home office than at a traditional workplace, Cederquist said, people want the space to be ergonomically correct.

Ergonomics is the study of problems of people in adjusting to their environment. It's become a trendy word that also refers to a person's work environment and how it affects them physically and mentally.

Designers put a lot of thought into ergonomics these days.

"We used to sell little writing desks for people to sit at at home while writing out checks to pay the bills," Cederquist said. "Now there is a variety of workstations that utilize the room's space as much as possible."

The rooms may be converted bedrooms, garages, dens or parts of living rooms.

"Space is an issue for home offices," Cederquist said, explaining that his company offers a line of furniture that can be customized to fit individual needs.

Most customers know what they need and want, but if there is a question, Cederquist will design an office arrangement suitable for their needs.

"A lot of people want to include in their office additional bed space or a little sitting area -- their office serves a double function. We do have sleepers (sofas) we can put in there."

Although money usually is a consideration when people put in a home office, sometimes nothing is too good for a customer, who may spend $2,000 or more on a single chair.

"The chairs have all the bells and whistles," Cederquist said. "They make all the adjustments up and down, forward and back. You raise the back up and down, adjusting the lumbar support.

"Also, we are looking at forward tilt," seats that have a "waterfall" edge, "that doesn't cut into the underside of the thigh and cut off circulation."

Not home alone

Donna Hopkins, head of the local office of the Small Business Administration, said that home business is "the fastest-growing segment of the business community."

Meanwhile many organizations are cropping up to lend moral support and provide consultation and other services to home businesses.

Rudy Lewis, president of the National Association of Home-Based Businesses, estimates that up to 20 million people have a business at their home.

"In the last five years, we estimate there has been a 10- to 12-percent growth rate," Lewis said.

Jill Flores, with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, said that last year more than 8,000 Clark County residents applied for business licenses, indicating their offices would be at their homes.

Flores said more than 90 members of the local Chamber of Commerce operate offices from their homes. The trend has reached the point where the chamber provides seminars and other services for people who have a home office or want to start one.

Southwest Modular and Office Design on South Decatur Boulevard has been watching the trend with increasing interest.

Pete Pochiro, vice president of the company, says 15 percent of his business is with home offices. By the end of the year he said he hopes that will increase to 40 percent.

"We shifted gears here. We realize that the home office is going to get even bigger," he said.

The biggest benefit of working from home for Denise Williams is also being able to care for her toddler-age son.

Williams is an interior designer with Furniture Source on South Valley View Boulevard. She designs offices for people in and outside of the home.

"The general rule in design is that form follows function, whether it is at home or not," Williams said. "You figure the function first, then figure the aesthetics.

"It's a little bit more fun with a home. You can customize it a little more to their needs."

Book on it

Millie Szerman authored the book "A View from the Tub: An Inspiring and Practical Guide to Working at Home"(2000, Stairwell Press, $17.95).

Among the topics Szerman covers are practical considerations for putting together a home office.

"One of biggest mistakes is to set up in a location that is central to their home -- usually it's a dining room or a family room, or a desk in a bedroom," said Szerman, who has a number of home-based businesses, including a public relations and marketing company.

She said if a room is in or near the kitchen, there will be a tendency to constantly get up and go to the kitchen for coffee or food.

"You need to find a way to close off your office," she said. "If it's part of the living room, use a screen to close it off."

Color is also a consideration. "Colors add to or take away from your mood," she said. "If you have a stressful business you need soothing colors, such as soft blues -- more watered-down colors.

"If you need to energize, then you need bright colors, maybe have an orange vase with purple flowers."

Background music is another issue. Should it be playing? Similar to color choices, music is a matter of taste, she said.

"Some people work well with music, but some people have to have it quiet. "I can't work to country music, because I want to get up and dance."

Ergonomics, Szerman agreed, is a major factor when creating a home office.

"You must be concerned about how you are sitting and where," she said. "You must make sure you have good airflow -- you don't want to be in a closet.

"And you need some kind of view space: Don't face a wall. Try to face outside, and you will be a lot more productive."

If you are cramped in terms of space, and have a wall in front of you, she said, "Put something there (such as a picture) you can see. It will help your mental flow. If you stare at a wall, it internalizes you and you will become mentally blocked."

One of the biggest benefits to working at home? As Szerman said, "Right now I'm in my sweats, and I'm working."

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