Home-working & Ergonomics How to prevent problems by using the right equipment

These saddle-like products work with any chair, and they tilt your pelvis into a more ergonomic position. Shorter people might also find that having a footrest helps them achieve the right posture. There are lots of brilliantly designed chairs and desks specifically created to keep you active throughout the workday. For instance, a sit-stand desk gives you the option to switch between sitting and standing regularly, and a stand-up chair encourages good posture and movement. Wellbeing to me is all encompassing in terms of physical, mental and social. So, after reading this I urge you to take a moment and consider your work from home setup and if it’s not quite right, try and change at least one thing today.

It is like your hands are running a marathon while trying to hold their breath. If you suffer from headaches and eye strain during or after work, improper, insufficient, or excessive lighting may be the culprit. Ideally, light should be evenly distributed throughout the room, not, for example, just surrounding a table lamp when darkness falls. If looking at the screen is uncomfortable, try changing its brightness. It’s easy to swap one mouse for another, but changing a laptop’s integrated keyboard would be problematic. One option is to place the device on a different surface, making sure to position it best for your wrists, not forcing them to flex up or hang down.

The 4  Step plan for healthy homeworking.

All the clever electrics come pre-wired and the most complicated thing buyers do is connect a few plugs into sockets. I needed to very quickly get out of the habit of leaning backwards. While we’re on the animal theme, the Posturite Penguin Ambidextrous Vertical Mouse (£80.34, posturerite.co.uk) is one of the quirkiest things I’ve had on my desk.

Your elbows should be at 90 degrees to keep your shoulders as relaxed as possible. Use a support for your wrist(s) too, to https://remotemode.net/ ease them as you use your mouse. If you are using a laptop for work, it’s important to buy a proper monitor to plug in.

Flexible working and its benefits are enjoyed most by highest paid workers

For example, if you find you’ve wasted a lot of your day setting up your equipment or packing up at the end of the day, it might be beneficial to buy extra tools to keep in each location. Or, if you find that your desk gets covered in documents when you’re working from home, you might need filing to help with organising your paperwork at home. When you organise meetings, be aware that not everyone might be in the office at the same time. Make sure to incorporate ways people can join remotely, through video calls or the telephone, so no one has to miss out.

Getting outside also provides a different perspective, often undoing mental blocks. At the weekend include a walk in the park or country with the family. This gets you away from technology and re-energises your mind, body and spirit. Ergonomics is just as important for your home office setup as it is for your office workstation. When you’re organising your workstations, think about what you will use and what ergonomic equipment can help you to work comfortably and safely.

Advice and top tips

You might not feel like you need a break but being strict about the taking them will help you in the long run. Try setting alarms to remind you and blocking off short sections in your work calendar. Home working can have a number of benefits and for some people it’s a preferred way of working. Whether it’s cutting down your commute or having more peace and quiet to work on solo projects, you may find working from home suits you well. However, to have the best experience, your workspace must match your needs. I hope those three themes will help you to create a healthy environment for the best work from home setup.

In conjunction with a laptop stand, those working with separate screens can benefit from an adjustable monitor arm, which gives you the option of adjusting your screen to fit your posture. Flexible display screen equipment can be extremely helpful for you to be able to adjust your own posture to prevent becoming fixed in a single position, https://remotemode.net/blog/10-remote-work-ergonomics-tips-to-use/ and can even be useful when it comes to sit-stand desks. Remote working swiftly evolved from a stopgap lockdown solution into a globally successful workstyle – and it’s set to stay. According to research quoted by CityAM, “84 per cent of UK businesses plan on having a hybrid, flexible or remote workforce following the pandemic”.

How remote workers spend their extra time

The legislation regarding working from home and tax claims depends on being forced to work at home regularly. If you choose to work from home voluntarily, you cannot claim any tax relief from your costs related to doing your job. It is both the employee and the employers’ responsibility to ensure that working from home happens in a safe environment and can be conducted according to both parties wishes.

Of course, the first thing to do is consider where you will be working from and how to encourage your body to be in a neutral posture as much as possible. A neutral posture is a position that supports the natural curves of the spine and maintains your body in good alignment. Or are you hunched over your laptop whilst sitting on the sofa or a hard dining chair? Working in awkward or unsupported postures, especially for prolonged periods, increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.