Working at the dining table is getting a little old, huh? No doubt by now — and especially if you’ve been working from home either part-time or full time since March — your desk set-up has taken over your dining table/entire living room, and your back is in dire need of a good cracking.
Well, we haven’t got much to offer by the way of physio advice, aside from these seven osteopath-approved hacks to make your home office healthier, but one company is hoping to solve your issues of space by giving away a backyard office pod.
Fiverr, a global freelancer marketplace, is hoping to help one Australian freelancer work more efficiently, by giving away an architect-designed, multi-award-winning Harwyn Pod worth $25,000, delivered turnkey ready straight to the winner’s backyard.
Made in Melbourne, the Harwyn office pod is constructed with quality Australian materials designed to last a lifetime. With LED lights, climate control, and large windows with sliding doors, the pod is crafted to let the outside in, and provide something of a reliable sanctuary for working in the backyard — no matter the weather.
No doubt winning this epic prize would both do wonderful things for someone’s quality of life at home, but would also surely up productivity levels for that lucky winner. Thankfully, entering is easy, the only catch is that you must be a freelancer, or able to lend some creative time to working a gig on the platform.
In order to win, entrants must sign up to Fiverr, listing themselves as a ‘seller’. Depending on the nature of your work, you may list yourself as a writer, editor, designer, animator, software developer, social media marketer, voice-over artist, musician, the list goes on and on.
After setting up a gig, you enter the competition by filling in the form, which asks you to show off your current WFH set-up and tell the team “why you need to escape to your own Escape Pod” before October 15, 2020.
One lucky winner, who has an outdoor area with room for the pod, will then win the prize to be installed in their backyard in a 2mx2m spot. You can find out more about the competition here, and look at Fiverr’s seller categories here to see where you slot in.
Since March, Australians have spent more than $450 per person in building their home office set-ups, or $2 billion across the country, data from Fiverr finds.
The research also found Australians are working longer hours than they did pre-pendemic, with more than 50% saying their work-life balance has taken a back seat. Even still, 93% of Aussies would like to continue working from home.
“While many Australians have faced challenges in making the shift to remote working, they value the freedom and flexibility that home-based work allows,” says Peggy de Lange, VP of international expansion marketing at Fiverr.
“While many Australians have faced challenges in making the shift to remote working, they value the freedom and flexibility that home-based work allows.”
However, internet issues, general distractions, and work-life balance were each cited as an issue for Australian home workers in the research. That’s why Fiverr decided to run its competition, to try and make WFH life easier for one person.