Working From Home: Tips from an Occupational Therapist

Photo by Tina Witherspoon on Unsplash

By Ainsley MacDonald

Over 30% of Canadians are now working from home given the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. This shift in work environments has many benefits, including working in the comfort of your own home, but we must be mindful of working from home ergonomics. Most of our homes are not equipped with the chairs, desks, and equipment found in offices or have them at our our disposal. Below are some common mistakes people make and tips for transitioning to working from home from an occupational therapist.

The most common mistake throughout this shift is that many of us are trying to make our household furniture function as work furniture. Sitting at the dining table for 30 minutes while you eat dinner is entirely different than being seated there for an 8-hour workday. Typical home furniture is simply not set up to support ergonomic principles and good posture.

If using a laptop:

• Set up the computer screen to avoid glare, since this causes eye strain and fatigue. Also, practice the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds). This will help your eyes relax.

• Do NOT work off your lap. You want your head and neck in a neutral position and working from your lap promotes flexion. To avoid strain on your neck and upper back:

  • Raise the height of the screen to allow you to look straight ahead rather than down.

  • You may use your laptop as a screen if using a separate keyboard and mouse. This will allow you to maintain a more neutral wrist position (especially if you've raised your screen up, as recommended above).

Chair tips:

• Invest in a good chair! Look into taking your chair from your office home with you for the time being while working from home. Many workplaces should accommodate this request for you.

• Adjustable chairs are best and promote the best back support. Pay particular attention to seat width and depth. If the chair is too deep, you won't be able to take advantage of the back support and you'll have pressure at the back of the knee. If it is too wide, you won't be able to use the armrests properly.

• Ideally, your chair should allow you to sit at 90-90-90 (Hip angle, knee angle, foot angle), though you may need to raise the height to accommodate the height of your work surface—a footstool may be helpful if reaching the floor is a challenge.

• It would be ideal to have an option to work from a standing position as well.

A final note is to take frequent breaks. Working from home can still be very stressful and it is important to break up the day and take rest periods when necessary to maintain a healthy body and mind.