Protect your posture at home
Home comforts?
Opening up the laptop at home for a day’s work was quite the novelty at first.
Many rejoiced in wearing a tracksuit instead of a shirt and tie, and relished avoiding having to sit at their office desk.
This was all fine for a week or two, but – over time - the consequences of home comforts can actually be quite serious.
Modern offices have sturdy seats and expansive desk spaces for a reason.
Spending hours slumped in a dining chair or on the sofa is simply not good for your back, and can cause discomfort in the short-term and more serious problems in the long-run.
At Office Crowd, we have a range of products which are both comfortable and conducive to a healthy working environment. And as well as being safe, we’ll make your home office look pretty smart too.
Laptop dangers
The difference between laptops and desktops may not be that noticeable, but over time repeated use of a laptop can actually be more damaging.
Experts have noted that people using a laptop – especially where there is no mouse, a smaller screen and tighter keyboard space – are more likely to develop neck and upper back problems. If you can move to a move permanent set up with a desktop and external devices like a mouse and larger keyboard, you should.
A good seat
Few things are comfier than a sofa, but it’s totally unsuitable for work. For a start, it encourages slouching – have you ever plonked down on a couch that didn’t encourage your posture to slip? Leave the settee for watching TV after work and on breaks, and try and source a decent chair as close to your office equivalent as you can. In many cases, your employer will agree to pay for this.
Work with what you’ve got
Of course, not everyone has the space for a home office, or the spare cash to invest in new equipment.
If that’s the case, try and improvise, and mix it up too.
If you worked from the kitchen table in the morning, consider moving to the living room and making a laptop stand for the afternoon. If you’ve got a Zoom meeting, put your device up high or use a smartphone so you can stand up for the duration. That will use different muscles, give your back a rest, and even capture your face at a more flattering angle.
Staying active in the home office
And while posture in this newfound environment is all-important, what you do when you aren’t working is equally vital. When you’re in the office, do you often get up for a wander, a chat with colleagues, or a trip to the nearby coffee shop? If so, you should try and emulate this at home by getting out for walks – even short ones – a stroll around the garden or even walking up and down stairs.
This won’t just spare you some aches and pains in the back, it’ll improve your overall health, your mental wellbeing and even your productivity while we all navigate through these uncertain times.
