A new style of work
Many people have replaced the office with home, and even when the global situation stabilizes enough to make it possible to return to offices, remote work will remain with us for longer. Many companies are already announcing hybrid modes.
At the beginning of the change to home office mode, many people started working from home in the presence of children, partners, pets or roommates, which made ergonomics the last thing on people's minds . The result is an increasing number of people visiting physiotherapists who complain about typical ailments and pain related to poor ergonomics.
Have you recently:
- Sit in an uncomfortable chair all day?
- Working at a desk that had a top that was too high or too low?
- Stare at your laptop monitor for many hours?
- Experience less traffic?
Sitting at makeshift desks made from the kitchen counter or ironing board, no one realized that 2 weeks could last another year.
Many companies such as Google and Uber have extended the remote work option for the next months. There are also companies that have announced that they will never return to the office work model we knew before.
This clearly shows how the remote work model has become established in our country. Regardless of whether remote work takes place continuously or ad hoc, there is no escape from this new stage and reality...
That's why we need to end the stage of organizing makeshift positions and look at working from home anew.
Can you work remotely as effectively as stationary?
To set the appropriate pace for change and ensure a constant level of efficiency, we must have a designated space at home where we can create office-like conditions.
In this case, the issue of ergonomics becomes even more important. Sitting on a kitchen chair every day will eventually trigger new ailments and cause long-term health problems. Many of these ailments can stay with us for longer or for the rest of our lives if left untreated. So isn't prevention better than cure?
While the office, employer and surroundings can provide us with appropriate working conditions in the office, at home we are on our own. The truth is that we ignore the issue of ergonomics until we start to feel pain in our back, neck or wrist.
The most important thing is the fit. Adaptation to individual needs.
The distance of your eyes from the monitor is extremely important. Improper monitor positioning happens both in the office and at home. First of all, the right height... after sitting for a long time, we end up slouching and sinking lower and lower in the chair. We feel as if gravity is pulling us underground. This is because the monitor is usually set too high. Rarely are monitors set too low, maybe only Shaquille O'Neal has this problem. Usually the monitor is set too high. In this case, just lower it to eye level.
Let's talk about traffic.
One of the biggest challenges we all have to face is staying physically active and moving. Neither sitting all day nor standing all day is beneficial to us. Although the level of activity in remote work is approximately the same as in office work, it is insufficient. The recommended pattern is 20-8-2 , which means sit for 20 minutes, then stand for 8 minutes and walk or move for another 2 minutes.
The muscles can only stand for 20 minutes in a sitting position, then we slump in the chair, which is why changing the position is so important.
If we go outside or for a short walk to get some fresh air, we can still take part in a conference call or call. Physical activity during work can have a beneficial effect on creativity and concentration, and to an equally large extent on mental and physical health.
We should remember that from the point of view of work ergonomics, our best position is our next position. Therefore, optimizing body position at work is based on the concept of change. That's the whole secret. We will take care of ourselves if we start moving.