Setup a Home Office to Work for You
The pandemic has changed the way many of us work and live with more and more companies having employees working from home rather than going into the workplace. This does have many advantages, employees can be more relaxed, there’s no commuting, rushing around and so on. There are many disadvantages with smaller businesses suffering (workers not visiting small cafes or other stores en route to work or at lunchtime etc), less social and personal interaction and on the physical side, poor working environments. This post is designed to help anyone working from home to have an established working environment that helps them both physically and mentally.
Set up a permanent working area
It’s very tempting to work from the couch or kitchen table, but both these areas are bad for you. The couch promotes poor posture and you will get neck or back pain from it. Moreover, you are mixing your relaxation spot with work, so it makes it harder to escape the work environment.
Instead, designate an area where you can set up office on a more permanent basis. Maybe you have a basement you could turn into an office or a spare bedroom or an unused room in your house. But separation from work and home life is important.
Get the proper office equipment
Hopefully your company will provide this for you or maybe you can take your workplace desk home or something, otherwise it is very wise to invest in a good desk and a high quality chair. This is the foundation for your working life and you will be spending a lot of time here so make sure you are set up right.
Arranging your office furniture
Personally, I hate having a desk setup that faces a wall. It feels like you are in a corner or stuck out of the way. I personally prefer having my back to a wall and my chair and desk arranged looking out into the room. Kind of like when you go into an attorney or doctor’s office or some similar profession. It means you can look up and out and it helps your general wellbeing. If you have a window, that’s even better. Remember you’ll be here for a while.
Setting your chair
Your chair should be of a height where your legs naturally angle downwards to the floor rather than being at 90 degrees to the floor. It helps provide better support and posture for your back.
Setting your computer and monitor
Your monitor should always be at eye level. If you have a laptop, then you’ve a couple of options. Firstly you can invest in a second monitor and have this in front of you at eye level. Or you can bring your laptop up on some books or something that rises the screen to eye level. You will need to invest in an external keyboard and have this on your desk along with your mouse in this case, so that you aren’t typing in mid air.
Remember that having a healthy and nice working environment will help you to work better and more efficiently. If your setup is poor then your productivity will also be poor.
If you are suffering from back or neck pain because of your working at home set up, we are here to help you. We can adjust you to relieve pain and then provide you with assistance with more ideas to set your home office up so as to prevent pain in the future. Walk ins are welcome. Come in and see us.
