The Covid-19 pandemic forced workers across the world to shift to remote work. Employers feared that the shift to remote work would signal a decline in productivity, but the evidence is that productivity either did not decline or rose in some instances. Yet, remote work brought with it some challenges. Workers complained that it was difficult to keep their home life separate from their work life, others did not know when to know off when working from home and still others complained about the growing use of surveillance tools to monitor workers. One challenge that has gone largely uncommented on by the media is the health challenges of remote work. Offices are more likely to have the tools to ensure that their workers can maintain a healthy posture when working. However, the home office is still way behind traditional offices. This means that remote workers are at an even greater risk of having back problems and other problems related to poor posture. This article will explain what you need to do to maintain a healthy posture when working from home.
Adjust Your Chair
Correct posture starts with a suitably adjusted chair. You need to sit in a comfortable and good way for your back, especially when you are spending aways slugging away at your computer. The correct sitting position will make you feel comfortable without harming your back.
Get a New Monitor
Your monitor should always be placed in an optimal position such that you do not have to strain to see what’s on it. Ergolink’s research suggests that your eyes should be 2 to 4 inches away from the top of your monitor. More or less than that, and you will find yourself straining to see what’s on the monitor, leading to muscle pain, particularly around the neck and shoulders. You should also sit 15 to 40 inches from the monitor, depending on your comfort level.
Get New Peripherals
Laptops are very convenient, primarily because of their mobility and movable monitors. However, they place a strain on you by squashing everything into a tiny space. Consider getting yourself a separate mouse and perhaps even a keyboard to ease the strain when working from home. Often, when you have a laptop in its optimal position, the keyboard and trackpad are hard to reach. Getting a wireless mouse and keyboard solves this problem.
Improve the Lighting in Your Home Office
Good lighting is important not just to prevent eye strain but as a source of vitamin D and to influence your circadian rhythms and mood for the better. The light source should not affect the visibility of your monitor -for instance, a light bulb just above your workstation is not a good idea. You also want to get as much natural light in the room as possible. If your desk space is small, a good desk lamp or a monitor light bar will provide you with a further light source.
Organize Your Desk
Standing desks, which you can get at Bradington Young, and other office furniture pieces, are becoming increasingly popular. This is because the nature of work has changed since the Industrial Revolution, and more and more workers are working in sedentary jobs. Standing desks help to resolve this problem by keeping you physically active as you work. According to the University of Waterloo, sedentary workers should stand at least 15 to 30 minutes for every hour that they work.
You may also need a bigger desk so you can keep everything nice and tidy on your desk. An L-shaped desk is handy because it keeps everything within reach.
