The corona virus emergency forced us to work from home, which does not mean smart working, as I explained in a previous article!
In the near future, however, home working may become “normal”, so it is important to make this change as pleasant as possible.
“Work a sutra”, a booklet by Sedus, invites to the awareness of the different postures at work and offers some useful tips to take care of yourself, stay healthy at work, be more active and enhance wellbeing.
Download the full brochure here.
Recently many companies, although unprepared for smart working, have tested the emergency remote working and home workers are experiencing the problems of working in a domestic environment not designed for this function.
To safeguard health it is essential to take into account the organization of space and ergonomics, even at home.
“Work a sutra” booklet by Sedus starts from the identification and analysis of the different work postures to summarize seven basic considerations:
1 Adopt a variety of dynamic postures
2 The ergonomic task chair as a must
3 Choose equipment to boost performance and promote dynamic posture
4 Smart devices allow smart postures
5 Active sitting to keep the body in motion
6 Standing to change posture
7 Relaxed feeling with a living posture
Starting from the basic principle that the human body is designed to move, the substantial exhortation is to assume different postures during the working day: for example, walking during phone calls and reading/sending emails thanks to voice dictation.
Because we have freedom of choice, it is better to take advantage of the variety of options available – you can also sit on the floor, why not? – changing your posture, even if only for a short break, every 20 or 30 minutes at the most.
The answer on the question “which is the best posture at work?” ergonomist commonly, answer: “always the next”.
Even at home a good ergonomic task chair, appropriately adjusted, is essential for more prolonged desk activities (the booklet explains exactly what and how to adjust).
The correct use of technological devices can increase the quality of the home workstation, too.
For example using the laptop with a separate keyboard and mouse and placing it on a higher level so that the head and neck are in a natural position without tension.
The position of the neck and head should be between 15°and 25°below the horizontal level. This is a neutral range within you can reduce strain in the muscles and helps to avoid neck pain.
Smartphones and tablets do not require a desk to work with. However using them in a wrong postures for a longer period can be harmful.
Choose a relaxed place at home, even the sofa. The slouching posture is acceptable, as long as it is no permanent posture. Make sure to have sufficient back support. A pillow can be used under the knees to maintain the S-curve of the back.
When using a smartphone and writing, a good advice is to use the index finger instead of the thumbs.
We have scientific evidence on the irreversible damage caused by sedentary life. But standing the whole time can be as bad as sitting the whole time.
The metabolism is strongly related to our physical movement. More movement, result in more blood circulation, increased brain activity, more effectiveness at work and more vitality.
We can take advantage of our home rooms to work or relax by detaching ourselves from the workplace: in the kitchen, in the bedroom or on the terrace, for the lucky ones.
Last, but not least, have as much natural light as possible. Always.
