Top 5 IT Accessories You Need For Hybrid Working

More and more of us work from home – or a location that isn’t a central office – for at least part of our working week these days and that means the IT hardware you require will be different to what you might have used when you were full-time in the office. 

For some small businesses, it makes more sense to have a smaller office space where members of your team hotdesk. As a result, desktop computers aren’t always the most appropriate and you may instead have laptops for your team to enable them to work seamlessly wherever they are.

So, what are the most important IT accessories if you and your colleagues use a hybrid working model? We’ve picked out some of our go-tos. 

1. HP laptop

We sell a range of laptops but one of our favourites is the HP EliteBook 840, which comes with a 512GB solid-state hard drive, an Intel Core™ Ultra 7 processor and Windows 11 Pro installed as standard. 

This is a great all-round laptop that performs well across a range of tasks. PC Mag even rated it four out of five, highlighting its “impressive battery life” and the five-megapixel webcam. 

It also has the ability to connect to 4G or 5G mobile broadband, which is a significant plus if you’re using it on the go. 

2. Laptop stand

Although laptops are great for their portability and performance, one area where they can be less than ideal is in terms of your working posture. After all, unlike a desktop monitor that will stand proud of your desk, a laptop will require you to look down. 

This is why a laptop stand is an essential accessory for hybrid workstations. It allows you to raise the level of your screen to meet best practice guidance. In other words, you can ensure the top of your screen is positioned at roughly eye level and about an arm’s length away from you. 

Although most laptop stands can fold down, making them portable, you could invest in laptop stands for the office that your team can use when they’re in, as well as providing them with their own stands for use at home.

3. Wireless keyboard

Working on laptops all the time isn’t always the most comfortable or ergonomic, so a wireless keyboard can be a gamechanger. Having a separate keyboard can give you more space and allow you to arrange your workstation in a way that suits you – both at home and in the office. 

If you use a laptop stand to raise the height of your screen, a wireless keyboard will make typing a lot more comfortable. 

4. Wireless mouse

A wireless mouse goes hand-in-hand with a wireless keyboard and is beneficial for many of the same reasons. Instead of having to rely on the trackpad – and again having an awkward setup if you’ve raised your laptop off the desk – a wireless mouse makes it feel more like you’re using a desktop computer rather than a laptop.

5. Multiport adapter

Although your HP laptop has two USB4 ports and one USB 3.2 Type A port on each side, it can still be handy to have the ability to connect more than just your wireless keyboard and wireless mouse to your device. 

This is where a multiport adapter comes in. A product like the Startech.com USB C multiport adapter not only provides you with additional USB Type A ports, but also a SD card reader, an HDMI port and an ethernet connector.