Formstack and Zapier—two tech organizations with remote cultures—have teamed up to bring you some awesome remote workspaces! Part one of our two-part series showcases 14 of our favorite home offices.
Since 2013, Formstack has been embracing the remote work lifestyle, with the idea that employees should work wherever they can be the most productive, have their most energy, and get their job done best. The 36% of Formstack employees who live near the company's headquarters in Indianapolis always have the option to work from the Formstack office, but many of them also work from home a few days a week. The other 64% of Formstackers are fully remote, and work from a home office, a coworking space, or wherever their MacBook has a secure wifi connection. Our friends over at Zapier enjoy many of the same perks of working remotely that we do at Formstack, so we've teamed up to show you some of our favorite remote workspaces! Today, we bring you some awesome home offices. The majority of remote Formstack employees (as well as some Zapier employees) work from a home office, and it's not uncommon to see a cat or two trot across a computer screen during a video meeting.Below are some examples of home office setups of Formstack and Zapier employees. Enjoy, and let us know which ones you like best!
1. John Albertini, Business Development Representative at Formstack — Charlotte, NC
Workspace Setup: My desk is in my room with dual monitors set up.
Furry Coworkers: I have a kitten who keeps me company named James Bond. He’s very sneaky, which is how he got the name.
Favorite Remote Perk: The freedom to organize my schedule. If I have a doctor's appointment or event in the morning, I can change my schedule to stay later without impacting the team.
2. Alison Groves, Customer Champion at Zapier — Nashville, TN
Workspace Setup: I'm a MacBook Pro 27-inch Cinema Display gal. I like having a lot of screen space so I can reference things and respond to users at the same time.
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: I can kind of play drums, so I find myself playing kick drum with my feet all the time, which I know would drive people crazy. I also get up and down a lot, which drives me crazy.
3. David Hampton, Customer Support Specialist at Formstack — Detroit, MI
Workspace Setup: I really like a lot of desk space, so I built a 9-foot wide desk for my PC and Mac stations. I feel like having dedicated work and free-time spaces allows me to not “bring my work home” when I’m off the clock.
Furry Coworkers: We have two cats (Jenga and Remi) who lounge around all day. We also just adopted a new dog, named Porter, who loves to get into trouble while I’m working.
Favorite Remote Perk: I love my 38-step commute in the morning. The Keurig is right next to my office, so it makes coffee even easier. I also really like having my pets around while I work, they make hard days easier.
4. Mike Knoop, Product & Partner Lead at Zapier — Sunnyvale, CA
Workspace Setup: I use a 15-inch 2012 MacBook Pro laptop as my daily driver. The machine's screen size is large enough that I can be highly efficient when not "plugged in," and it's powerful enough to display the laptop screen simultaneously alongside two 30-inch external displays at my desk. I also mount one or both of the 30-inch external displays vertically for long-form editing and coding.
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: I tend to be a night owl, which can be frustrating for folks who want to get ahold of me in the morning, especially those in different time zones! I aim to keep 4-6 hours of overlap with everyone on the team to mitigate this.
5. Katie Sutherland, Support Engineer at Formstack — Lexington, KY
Workspace Setup: As a tech person, it’s important for me to have dual-monitors because a lot of times I’m working between several different applications. I dock my MacBook but still use it when I need to have face-to-face meetings with my fellow Formstackers. I keep my desk close to a window because I’m a sucker for natural lighting!
Furry Coworkers: My dog's name is Kira. She is a 5-year-old Akita!
Favorite Remote Perk: My favorite remote perk is avoiding that dreadful rush-hour traffic during the week.
6. Lindsay Brand, Customer Champion at Zapier — Barcelona, Spain
Workspace Setup: MacBook Pro with 27-inch Cinema Display! Also, I love a mouse. I've never been a trackpad person. If I take my laptop out, my mouse will come with me.
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: I type really, really loudly. I hammer the keys with some serious purpose. It generally drives people bonkers, but I like it; it feels more productive than it probably is.
7. Miranda Nicholson, Human Resources Director at Formstack — Indianapolis, IN
Workspace Setup: My home office is complete with a red desk, oriental rug, and all the necessary equipment to conduct meetings with employees and the leadership team. Not pictured in the other half of the office: a yoga mat, exercise equipment, and a tea station.
Furry Coworkers: My coworking buddies include Murphy, the mastiff, and Phyllis, the domestic long-haired cat.
Favorite Remote Perk: I can open the window when the weather is nice and catch a nice breeze.
8. Kuba Jakubiec, Engineering Manager at Formstack — Cracow, Poland
Workspace Setup: I’ve set up my “little office” in a separate room of my apartment, allowing me to stay close to my family while having an easy way to avoid distractions (hint: I close my door). While I cannot imagine working on a PC anymore because I like to take my work out from time to time, I also couldn’t live without my two monitors hooked up to my MacBook Pro when I’m at my desk. That, combined with a keyboard, a mouse, a nice pair of headphones (noise-cancelling technology is a big plus), my phone, a charger, and an often underrated piece of paper and a pen, makes up my workspace.
Furry Coworkers: My little yellow rubber duck (look up rubber duck debugging on Wikipedia) and a little bear mascot called “Can Do It” (just agile things) keep me company during the day!
Favorite Remote Perk: The ability to shut down all distractions and get into the flow.
9. Matthew Guay, Senior Editor and Writer at Zapier — Bangkok, Thailand
Workspace Setup: A 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and a 25-inch LG Ultrawide monitor—great for keeping a ton of stuff open side-by-side. Though, half the time I work straight from the MacBook from my cozy dining room table or a makeshift standing desk hack.
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: Drumming on the table when I'm trying to think. Also working while everyone else is sleeping. That'd have to drive them crazy.
10. Tim Brown, Priority Support Specialist at Formstack — Indianapolis, IN
Workspace Setup: I like having my workstation in my living room because it's well lit and centrally located, so I'm close to anything I may need throughout the day. I keep my back to the TV so even if it's on for background noise it's not a distraction, and it gives me a good view out of the sliding door that leads to my balcony. I was also sure to decorate it with a handful of items from my Funko collection to give me some company during the day.
Favorite Remote Perk: My favorite perks of working remotely are being able to listen to my music in the background at full volume and getting my steps in every hour without looking like a crazy person walking laps randomly in public.
11. Lindsay Adams, Social Media Strategist at Formstack — Ogden, UT
Workspace Setup: My husband and I were lucky enough to snag a three-bedroom home and transformed the, albeit small, third room into a home office. We have two desks, one for my workspace and another for my husband's desktop where he attends the Art Institute online for photography.
Furry Coworkers: My furry coworkers are probably my favorite part about working from home (well, my husband and son rank up there too, of course). Our younger Boston Terrier, Dodger, lays underneath my desk almost all day and will poke his head into video meetings from time-to-time (he's a mama's boy for sure). Our older Boston Terrier, Brooklyn, absolutely loves the sun that comes into the office and spends a lot of time sunbathing while I work. It's a win-win!
Favorite Remote Perk: The flexibility of working from home is irreplaceable. My husband spends the majority of the time tending to our son while I'm working, but having the ability to sneak in doctor's appointments during the week and not having to put him in daycare has been life-changing. Also, while I try to treat my days like I go into an office by waking early and getting somewhat ready, sweatpants on the regular are a huge plus!
12. Jess Byrne, Customer Champion at Zapier — Kunkletown, PA
Workspace Setup: All I need is my MacBook Pro and something to write on!
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: I play hockey and occasionally like to stickhandle a ball with my hockey stick.
13. Jeff Johns, Director of Engineering at Formstack — Bethlehem, PA
Workspace Setup: My workspace is a simple music and comic theme.
Furry Coworkers: Herman, my 4-year-old Labradoodle. He's a good boy, but he has lots of energy!
Favorite Remote Perk: I have the shortest commute, and it's far easier to concentrate.
14. Jake Brokaw, Web Designer & Front-End Developer at Formstack — Tulsa, OK
Workspace Setup: My wife and I both work from home, so we turned a spare bedroom into an office/studio space. I have a manually adjustable desk so that I can go back and forth from standing and sitting down, which I enjoy (although, let's be real, I also work from my couch every now and then). We have a few art prints throughout the space that help keep me inspired, along with a few prints we've designed as well.
Furry Coworkers: I have two furry coworkers, my cats Chai and Abu. They like to jump on my desk, especially when I'm on a meeting.
Favorite Remote Perk: There are so many things I love about remote working, but one of my favorite things is probably the 10-step commute to my office every morning. That and being able to travel and work at the same time!
Additional Notes
For many people, working from home is comfortable, convenient, and helps maintain a healthy work-life balance. The second part of this blog series will feature eight awesome remote workspaces outside of the home, from coworking spaces to coffee shops. Stay tuned!
Loved these home office workspaces? Check out 8 workspaces outside the home down below!
