Due to this pandemic, we are all forced to work from home. However, not all of us have a workspace at home, so some use their laptop while sitting on their bed, sitting on a couch, using the kitchen counter as a table, sitting on the floor, etc. This practice is not good since you cannot sustain these postures for long periods. Besides, there should be boundaries between your personal and work life.
Setting up an ergonomic workspace will decrease stress by allowing you to work with attention to your health, comfort, and safety. The goal is to manage your day without aches and pains because these can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Practicing ergonomics at home increases our body’s circulation. Our body was engineered to move. So, here are some tips for working smartly.
Work at an appropriate height. You need to invest in a table and a good adjustable office chair.
Adjust the height of your chair by first sitting on the chair and then adjust the height until the feet are flat on the floor.
Adjust the backrest forward or backward until it fits the contours of the lower back. If the seat depth is too large such that the back does not reach the backrest, get lumbar support or pillow to pad your backrest.
Bend the elbows at right angles and adjust the armrest to that level.
If you cannot afford a good office chair, then use your dining chair and place a pillow on the seat pan to prevent the numbness of your buttocks.
Place the mouse at the same level as the keyboard to prevent awkward positions of the shoulder.
Maintain proper working postures. Your limbs should be in a relaxed position.
Your monitor should be at arm’s length. Adjust the font size according to your vision.
Every 1.5 hours, you need to take breaks away from your computer. Check on your kids, make coffee, or have personal breaks.
Stand up and do stretching exercises. Stretch your hands, shoulders and forearms, neck and back. Do these exercises to ease the tension of the muscles involved in prolonged typing tasks.
Ensure that your work area is beside a light source, or it is well lighted. Avoid glare by having window shade or curtains.
To avoid eye strain, follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds or close your eyes for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Manage your home and work activity. Stick with your schedule. Even though we are on quarantine, it does not mean we need to work till midnight.
Dress appropriately when having zoom or google meetings.
“Your health is more important so that you can enjoy life outside of work.”
Alma Maria Jennifer Gutierrez, Ph.D. is a South East Asian Network of Ergonomics Societies (SEANES) Educator Award 2018 recipient and currently an Associate Professor of the Industrial Engineering Department at the Gokongwei College of Engineering at De La Salle University and also an ASEAN engineer. She also serves as Vice President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of the Philippines (HFESP) and Associate Director of DLSU’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Center. She has publications in the Sustainability Journal, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, and International Journal of Aviation Psychology. Aside from this, she also contributed a book chapter in the Human Factors and Ergonomics in Consumer Product Design published by CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group. She held leadership positions in the University as the Department Chairperson (AY 2016-2019; AY2006-2007) and Vice-Chairperson (AY2003- 2006; AY2010-2012). Currently, she is engaged in ergonomics consultancy on Safety Productivity Enhancement through the Ergonomics Development program to the government and private sector. She can be reached at alma.gutierrez@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.