Making your Home Office work for you

Aaron Nudelman

Steelcase, Wellness Expert

Aaron has a strong foundation of ergonomic principles and is passionate about the user experience and worker wellbeing. He is also a FitWell Ambassador with experience helping companies support their people.

As we continue into the eighth month of our new reality, there are many misconceptions arising around returning to the office. Misconceptions that include everything from “my team has better work life balance working at home” and “my employees are more productive while at home” to “it costs less for my company with people at home.” The fact is that none of these things are true. Everything from social capital to efficiency is lost when people do not have a specific place to focus and collaborate. Steelcase research shows that the “work from home honeymoon” ended for most after 5 weeks.

In the past, many of us had an office to go to everyday with a personalized workstation, a chair that was perfectly adjusted to the way we sit, or perhaps a height adjustable desk that was the perfect height. Some people had personal items to remind them of fun vacations with loved ones, pictures of their kids or pets. Additionally, we were able to choose when we got up for a cup of coffee or go to someone's desk to ask a quick question about a task that you needed to complete.  In other words, a perfect place to focus, connect, and collaborate. This is in stark contrast to being stuck at the dining room table hunched over a laptop while the kids are complaining, the dog needs to go outside, and your loved one is asking you to do them a favor “real quick.”

All that said, there are some simple things that can be done to make the disparity of your at home workstation and your office experience a little less painful, allowing you to be more comfortable and make it easier to  focus for longer periods of time. Here are some commonly asked questions I get as a wellbeing specialist.

1. I am used to having a great height adjustable desk, without it I feel that my posture is getting worse.
It likely is getting worse and has been getting gradually so since you started working from home.  It is very common for our bodies to compensate for our working conditions and they don’t always do it in a good way. You are likely compensating for a table or desk that is too tall for you. One thing that can help a great deal is stand up for a little while. 15 minutes per hour is a good target.  To work while standing it will be helpful to get a box or two, stack them so they are high enough for the display to be as near to eye level as you can get it.  Not higher than eye level however, that will lead to other discomfort later.  A second box for an external keyboard.  (A Bluetooth keyboard can be found on your favorite e-tailer for under $30).  Lastly, be mindful and listen to what your body is telling you.  If it starts to be uncomfortable, change posture, it will help.

 2. I am currently working from a dining room chair and table, my back hurts constantly.  Dining room chairs are the worst, ugh.  To make them a little more tolerable there are a few things around the house that will help.  First get a pillow to sit on. This does two things: makes it more comfortable on your bum and it raises your body higher so you can be more in line with the surface on which you are working.  Get yourself high enough up that you can place your hands on the table and your elbows are nearly at a 90-degree angle.  Now your feet are likely not touching the floor.  Next get another box so that you can rest your feet on that.  You will want your knees to be at roughly a 90-degree angle here too.  Lastly, take a sweatshirt or small blanket and roll it up like a burrito of softness and place it where you would like the lumbar support.  These 3 tricks will help a great deal in making your dining room table a more comfortable place to work.

3. My neck has been hurting for weeks because I am always looking down at my computer.  Laptop computers are great until you must hunch over it for 8-10 hours a day.  You are not alone here, many people are suffering from this very same thing.  Good news!  It’s an easy fix though.  Stack up some books on your desk or table so that the display on your laptop is at eye level.  Here again is another reason for a Bluetooth keyboard.  This will allow you to have your laptop correctly aligned with your eyes and your hands correctly aligned with the keyboard and mouse.  This will make you much more comfortable and will be easier on your eyes too.

 4. I find myself working longer without breaks, is there something I can do to give my body and, in particular, my eyes a break?
First, schedule some breaks! They are critical for amplifying your productivity. Set a timer or use your calendar to give yourself a reminder. How do you remember to take breaks in the office? Whatever it is, do the same thing at home. If you don’t find yourself able to take a 10-minute break to move around a bit, the least you can do is give your eyes a break. Start by finding 3 focal points. Maybe one 10 feet away, one 30 feet away and another out the window in the far-off distance. Look at each of those points for 5 seconds perhaps a couple of times and then go back to work. Next thing to double check is that you have enough light!! This is critical! If you don’t, it makes your eyes work extra hard when they don’t really need to.