Office work is the norm for the majority of adults in the western world. This year has, of course, been far from normal. Millions of office workers left their ergonomic office chairs, stand-up desks and twin screens and overnight started working from home using a laptop and a kitchen chair.
Most of us thought this would be temporary, now it’s becoming very clear that some element of home working will be with us for the foreseeable future. Of course, many employers have provided office chairs and full-size monitors, but make no mistake, #WFH is here to stay.
Some companies have publicly stated that staff will have the option to continue to work from home indefinitely, others are developing agile working strategies to keep office occupancy to safe levels. As a result, maintaining the health and wellbeing of employees who are not at the office has become a high priority for employers and to minimise the mental and physical impact of home working, businesses are developing new ways of supporting their staff.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Western world into the swiftest change in working practices ever. Until this year the working world has evolved slowly and organically with changes in technology, from the clerk writing with quill pens, the invention of the Qwerty keyboard, increasingly more sophisticated electric and ‘golf ball’ typewriters to the computer keyboards we all use today. The Qwerty layout was patented in the US in 1873 and used in the first commercial typewriters produced by Remington in 1878. It’s an extraordinary fact that in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the interface with which we communicate with the wider world is based on a layout that will be celebrating it’s one hundred and fiftieth birthday in a few years. Qwerty too is here to stay.
In 1900 only twenty percent of the adult UK workforce worked in what we would recognise as an office; by 2000 eighty percent of us are office based and it is set to increase.
However alongside evolving technology, has come a range of physical issues, from the explosion of repetitive strain injuries (RSI’s) in journalists using electric typewriters in the 60’s and 70’s, to more recent Blackberry thumb, iPod finger, Wii elbow, iPhone neck and gamer’s wrist.
Here are a few top tips for improving physical and mental wellbeing.
- Step away from the desk. Taking breaks will help to reduce muscle strain, optical fatigue and ‘brain fog’. Aim for at least five minutes of movement once an hour to maximise your productivity. A good way to use this time to have a bit of social interaction, check in with a colleague or two for a virtual ‘water-cooler’ catch-up.
- Keep in touch. Daily team chats help reduce feeling of isolation. Use Zoom, Teams or just call in.
- Structure your day. Factor in times for coffee, tea, lunch and some light (or heavy!) exercise.
- Draw a line. It’s important to create clear boundaries between your ‘work’ area and your home. When relaxing, cover up the desk, switch off work email notifications
- Stand up for yourself. Try to spend part of your work time standing if possible. Studies of working while standing show that introducing some movement reduces muscle tension, improves circulation and increases productivity.
- Take your breaks. Standard recommendations for all office workers. After working for 60 minutes, take a five-minute break. Get up from the chair, have a stretch, look out of the window and breathe!
- Walk for life. Take 15-20 minute for some movement in your lunch break. Walking, running, yoga, Pilates, some light weights. Aim to up your heart rate slightly.
This article ‘Homeworking & Home-schooling in Covid-19′ by Brad Egeland is also worth a read for some good tips.
This article is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
