Working from home has long been the dream for many, as who wouldn’t want to sit behind a computer screen in pajamas while in a virtual business meeting? However, after five months of doing so, the novelty may have worn off as the backache began to kick in. In March 2020, almost half of British workers were suddenly forced to work from home due to the outbreak of coronavirus, and while these new working conditions were exciting, they were equally as confusing.
In a bid to make their new situation work effectively, people did all they could to make working from home as seamless as possible—from taking office equipment home to buying their own brand-new brother mfc l2710dw toner and other top-of-the-line office tech.
Aside from computers, printers have been hugely beneficial during this work-from-home period, making many tasks easier and things available. Online companies such as tonergiant.co.uk have made printers and everything you need to go with them accessible throughout lockdown, therefore making our lives easier in the process.
Not only have printers allowed us to remain productive while working from home, but also there are a number of other ways in which printers have aided this new way of working.
Documents and forms
Many jobs handle documents day to day, a number of which need filling out or signing—something we are used to doing in person. Having access to a printer has made this easy during this time, enabling us to print them off, sign, and scan them back to the sender within minutes.
Digitizing and filing handwritten notes
Throughout this period of working from home, businesses have encouraged online learning and even put on their own webinars to help keep staff trained and engaged with their work. So naturally, note-taking has been required, and this is something a lot of people prefer to do with a pen and paper. The good news is most printers have scanners built in, and these have enabled people to digitalize and file away handwritten notes, making them easy to find and refer back to. The ability to digitize your notes also enables you to share them with colleagues as well as compare yours with the notes they have taken.
Homeschooling
As offices closed, so did many schools, throwing parents into a teaching role they didn’t expect, most of whom had to juggle working from home at the same time as homeschooling their children. According to the BBC and many other news outlets, a lot of parents really struggled with homeschooling throughout lockdown. Despite the difficulties, having the ability to print off educational materials such as worksheets, mock exams, and brain-training exercises gave many the time they needed to get on with their own work while their children were still learning.
Keep you on top of meetings
Working from home has dramatically increased the amount of meetings and other calendar events, such as webinars, learning lunches, pitches and even virtual team-bonding activities. Among all the applications and browser tabs we have open on a day-to-day basis, these things can be increasingly difficult to keep up with. Printing out a daily or weekly calendar to stick in front of you can be an easy way to stay on top of all your virtual events and never be late to an online seminar again.