Working from home

Working from home has never been so popular, but this year since COVID -19 it was estimated that 60 % of the UK’s adult population were working from home and that 26% continue to work from home once restrictions lessen. Employers are finding increased productivity, reduced costs and due to the current COVID – 19 updates are keeping employees at home for now.

Working from home is beneficial for many people however there are many down sides.

Working longer hours, taking reduced lunch breaks
Loneliness
Poor ergonomic set up with poor desks/chairs and not getting up and about as you might do in an office regularly during the day.
Harder to separate work and home balance
Musculoskeletal aches and pains.

Photo of an abandoned office desk, with text that reads "One in eight of the working population has an MSK condition" — One in eight of the working population have an MSK condition (that of the bones, joints and muscles) contributing to workplace absenteeism. Your osteopath can help diagnose, manage and provide support for good MSK health.

So how can you optimise working from home?

Take breaks – try not to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time, set an alarm to make sure you get up and move for a few minutes, normally in an office environment you would be up and down numerous times during the day.
Ergonomic set up – make sure your desk and screen are at the correct height. Make sure your office chair is supportive and adjustable to meet your needs. Use a headset rather than holding the phone to your ear all day. Resting your feet on some books of a small step rather than having your legs dangle will help support your lower back and hips.
Schedule in a lunch break to leave the room get some fresh air/ go for a walk or speak to other people.
As a rule for every 20 minutes you spend looking at a computer screen you should spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away. This gives your eye muscles a break helping reduce eye strain.
Keep hydrated, make sure you have water regularly during the day.

If you would like some advice about how to optimise your ergonomic set up when working from home, just get in touch and see if we can help.