Home-based office ergonomics
Sitting in bed or lying on the sofa while you’re working sounds like a dream, right? For many of us, it's a reality. The current lockdown regulations mean that most of us are still working from home, and have had to turn our home into a working space during the day.
While this might be beneficial to most households, we still need to pay close attention to our home working environment. Just because you can lay in bed and work doesn’t mean you should. It's important that while you are home, you implement home-based office ergonomics to protect your back, shoulders, wrists and eyesight.
What is ergonomics? Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems so that they fit the people who use them. In short, ergonomics aims to improve workspaces and environments to minimise risk of injury or harm.
We’re going to share 5 steps to improving the ergonomics in your home office:
Posture and back support
If your work involves sitting in front of your computer screen all day, Find a posture that allows you to see the screen while sitting back in a way that provides lower back support. You might find it's similar to sitting in the driver's seat of a car, slightly leaning back. If you don't have a fancy office chair that rocks back, try putting a cushion, pillow, or towel behind your lower back.
Keep your feet planted
Achieving an ergonomic position for your arms and wrists can come at the expense of an ergonomic position for your lower half. You can prevent hurting your back by placing your feet flat on the floor. Your knees shouldn’t fall below or rise above hip level. Placing a pillow at your feet, especially a harder one, can help with this too, by raising the floor to meet you. Other options: a stack of books, or maybe a footrest.
Bring your screen up to the correct height
If you’re not used to working from home, chances are the only piece of equipment you have is your laptop. But looking down at your laptop, especially from the higher ground that benefits your arms and wrists, can be really bad for your neck. If you have an extra keyboard lying around, you can achieve this with an adjustable laptop stand or a stack of strategically chosen books. If you don’t have an extra keyboard and mouse, consider getting one.
Clock your body’s fatigue
Even if you’re working in a perfectly ergonomic position, you’re going to get tired. Take the opportunity to step away from the desk and work from the couch for a bit. If you're working from home right now, you're in it for the long haul, so it's well worth investing in a proper office setup to minimize strain on your back, neck, and core.
Behaviour
The last area of focus has to do with behaviour. Take short but frequent breaks. Research shows that the ideal routine is about every 20 minutes, take a short break where you stand up, stretch out a little bit maybe for a minute or two. Or even better, walk and make a cup of tea or coffee. Movement improves circulation, comfort, and performance. It also decreases the risk of injuries.
