For many of us the promise of a return to the office has yet to happen, or at the very least has been curtailed by the latest lockdown, and the home has once again become a makeshift office. Many of us spent much of last year ‘making do’, putting off making changes to our homeworking set up in the hope it wouldn’t be long before we got back to the office.
If you noticed over the holiday period that your back pain reduced, your neck was no longer stiff, your wrists were not aching, or that you slept much better, it’s time to stop delaying changes to your working practices.
Follow our 7 simple tips below to make your home working environment contribute to better health and wellbeing.
Break your working day up into small chunks of time.
Try not to remain seated for too long by taking a break to stand, stretch, go for a short walk, or to make a drink and stay hydrated. Short breaks like these can improve productivity and allow for postural correction as you sit back down. There are online and phone applications that can help you implement breaks into your working day.
Be strict when it comes to your working hours.
It’s easy to get in the habit of starting early, finishing late, and skipping lunch, but this is not healthy or sustainable. Make sure you stick to your working hours, as much as possible and take a lunch break, ideally get some fresh air by going for a walk or run. You’ll find your afternoons are much more productive while finishing on time helps maintain your work/life balance and contributes to overall better mental health and wellbeing (something that’s increasingly important).
Consider your chair.
Does it feel supportive? If not, do you know why not? Does it have any adjustable features that you could alter to make you more comfortable? Can you sit on your chair with your feet firmly on the floor and your arms supported? If you think your chair could be the source of any discomfort and pain you are experiencing try adjusting it or consider purchasing an alternative chair. Your chair should be offering adequate support and not contributing to bad posture.
Think about your posture.
If you sit with your legs crossed, your feet are dangling off the floor, or you perch on the edge of your sit, you need to correct your sitting posture. You should be able to sit comfortably on your chair with both feet firmly on the floor, if this is not possible you may need a footrest. Try to be aware of your posture and correct it whenever you realise you are not sitting correctly. Be patient, it takes time to learn new habits, but once you have, sitting correctly will become second nature.
Next up is your desk.
Do you have a proper desk to work from? Is it the correct height for you? If your desk is too high or too low, you’ll be adopting awkward postures to compensate. Working from a laptop balanced on your lap should be avoided for anything other than short periods. By having your desk set up correctly you minimise the risk of back and neck pain.
Monitor set up is key.
Are you looking down to view your monitor? If so, this repetitive action will cause neck flexion, which in turn causes back and neck pain. This can be avoided by raising your monitor to eye level using a laptop stand or risers.
Your workstation.
Consider your primary working area and make sure it’s set up correctly for you. There should be no need to overreach in order to use your mouse and keyboard. If you are this can lead to shoulder and upper limb discomfort, which in turn has long term implications.
Adjusting your workstation so it works for you really could make the world of difference!
If you’d like to speak to Access2Comfort about arranging a workstation assessment for personalised recommendations, get in touch on 01603 839299 or drop us a line.
Look out for future blogs where we will be looking in more detail at each of the tips we have provided.
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