We asked Philadelphians to show us their remote work setups, and they really delivered

About two weeks ago (has it really only been that long??) many companies in the Philadelphia region and around the country began telling their workers to pack up their desks and begin working from home indefinitely to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

For some, this adjustment was no big deal — they either worked from home already, or had a home office to turn to.

But a lot of folks in the Philly area (myself included) don’t have a home office space. Many now-remote workers are turning dining rooms, coffee tables, living spaces and couches into their workspaces. Some have triple computer monitor setups, while others are lucky to just have remembered to bring home a laptop charger from the office.

I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m glad to have a hand-me-down desk shoved into the corner of my bedroom that’s surrounded by pictures and things that make me happy. However, if I’d known I’d be spending 40 hours a week in my desk chair, I’d definitely have picked a more supportive one.

On Twitter, we asked Philly folks to show us their WFH setup, and I have to say: Ya’ll really pulled through.

Technical.ly Managing Editor Julie Zeglen and former editorial intern Michaela Althouse are sprucing up and spreading out on their coffee tables.

https://twitter.com/juliezeglen/status/1242833134225408001

https://twitter.com/MichaelaAlthou1/status/1242858745912340486

Some of you are getting creative with furniture. Who says a couch or an ottoman can’t be a workspace?

No desk or kitchen table in my apartment, so I have an ottoman and a stability ball (which is why you may detect a slight bouncing during Zoom meetings). pic.twitter.com/D4gl6HIlGp

— Danielle Pinto (@danielle_pinto) March 25, 2020

the couch is my grind!

also my fiancee took over our home office this week, so there's that… pic.twitter.com/7a0BnUKvIv

— David M. Schulman (@dmschulman) March 25, 2020

And some of you are working wherever you can find some space.

Messy but real! pic.twitter.com/dtD6BNcQIW

— Marion Leary, PhD, MPH, RN (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈 (@marionleary) March 25, 2020

Many of you have a multitude of screens. Like, A LOT of screens. Why so many screens??

Some of you have three going on.

Something light pic.twitter.com/ipmjfCgpGi

— Domitrius (@domitriusclark) March 25, 2020

Some of you are looking at Slack on full-fledged televisions.

pic.twitter.com/b7MiRg7SgM

— Sarah W she/her (@WYLIES8) March 25, 2020

Some of you have four — count em, yep, FOUR — screens.

The little one, second from the left, is a Surface Pro 3 that I JUST learned how to use as an extended screen! pic.twitter.com/h7IXEZJWpI

— Bill Ahern (@neurothustra) March 25, 2020

But I think Nerd Street Gamers‘ CEO John Fazio has you all beat with this six(???)-screen contraption.

I heard more monitors makes you a better gamer. pic.twitter.com/DrRbMXF39m

— John Fazio (@jfaz) March 17, 2020

Many of you have cozy little desks setups.

https://twitter.com/napalm_morning/status/1242867403899445248

finally got around to setting up the desk where magic happens™️ 💖 pic.twitter.com/hTW4WmN1cB

— melody ✨ 🔜 fanime 1201 (@stargazermellu) March 19, 2020

thankful that i recently carved out a home office space for myself so i was ready for this WFH life pic.twitter.com/NX9QxH2gKJ

— Andrea (@SheLuvsPR) March 25, 2020

https://twitter.com/mjspv/status/1242838658517995525

But let’s be real — the best WFH setups come with coworkers.

Yes, this is my real home office, and no I am not working in it. (I work better from my bed with my dog coworker next to me) pic.twitter.com/wbbxzw9eLP

— Marissa (She/Her) Project Manager | Copywriter (@phillyrissa) March 25, 2020

My coworker is pretty short so she prefers to work under the “desk.” She also has trouble focusing, spending her days aimlessly wandering – which I could never get away with. pic.twitter.com/PhEqZ2XPrx

— Kristen Fitch (@switchfitch) March 25, 2020