A nurse from our team at Acorn has prepared the following guidance to anyone working from home.
There can be many benefits to an employee for working from home including increased flexibility, improved productivity, reduced travel costs, enhanced work life balance and a comfortable working environment. There are however things to consider in order to maintain your health, well-being and productivity when working from home. Employees working from home are ideally: happy in their own company, self-disciplined and motivated, resilient, able to work without supervision and are able to separate work from home life.
Please see below some points to consider when working from home.
Ensure you have a dedicated work area. If using a laptop, consider having separate mouse and keyboard and continue good principles of good Display Screen Equipment (DSE) posture. If possible and available, use a computer desk and chair and sit with your back supported and arms horizontal to the keyboard.
Make the most of technology
There are many programs, apps and tools available to make it faster and easier to cross tasks off your to-do list. Use these tools to your advantage by setting reminders to be sure you accomplish everything on your list. Keep connected with other colleagues through use of Skype, Zoom and Whats App groups.
Be mindful of of technology distractions – There are so many things you can do with internet access — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, etc. The time you spend “screen sucking” during work hours translates into more time you’ll need to work when you should be done for the day. Occasional checks are okay but try to restrict these during working hours or use a timer to be sure an hour hasn’t passed without you noticing.
Take regular breaks
Breaks are crucial, even if it’s just to walk to the kitchen to refresh your coffee or check the mailbox, a change of scenery can greatly improve your ability to focus and concentrate. Just a few minutes of thinking about something other than work can help to re-energise and focus. This will also allow you to avoid eye strain and keep those headaches at bay.
Plan ahead
Schedule appointments and personal activities at the beginning or end of the day, whenever possible, as you would if you were working in an office. It’s more efficient to go to the dentist early in the morning and work a little later, rather than stopping your work flow in the middle of the day.
Making a to-do list whilst planning will help to prepare what you can to ensure that you can hit the ground running. It will help to kick start the day smoothly.
Enforce willpower
It can be difficult to work from home when you’re surrounded by chores you could do and hobbies or activities you enjoy. Add these into the planning of your day if required, but set boundaries for yourself so that you are continuing to enforce the correct balance when working from home.
General well-being
- Eat Healthy – Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and drink 6 glasses of water each day. Try to avoid the easily accessible snacks where possible.
- Exercise – Try to perform 30 minutes of exercise, 5 times per week. This can be a walk at lunch time or yoga in the morning, try something new.
- Social Contact – Keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues via telephone or Skype.
- Sleep well – Try to have 7 to 8 hours sleep per night and do not look at monitors and screens prior to bedtime.
Everyone works differently, but hopefully these points will help to guide you in the right direction when working from home.