How to Ensure a Healthy Working Environment while Telecommuting

Whether you’re working from home on a permanent basis or in a more hybrid situation, you need to ensure a healthy working environment. This means paying attention to your comfort, lighting, and noise, for example. You also need to create a relaxing space allowing you to concentrate and be at your most productive. Often poorly set up workstations are the cause of many health issues such as headaches, fatigue, and repetitive strain injury, so it’s of utmost importance to prevent this. Here are a few ways you can ensure a healthy working environment while telecommuting.

Invest In a Chair With Back Support

If you’re sitting at a desk all day you need a chair with proper back support. This will help to protect your alignment and promote good posture. A decent chair is an essential part of an ergonomic workstation setup. You also need to check the positioning of your desk, the height and distance between yourself and electronics, and various other factors. It’s worth rearranging your home office and investing in the right furniture to ensure a healthier setup while telecommuting.

Speak to Your Employer About Ergonomic Tech

If you’re remote working as part of a hybrid solution for a company, you could ask your employer to provide you with more ergonomic tech. This could include a larger monitor for when you’re working from home, and an ergonomically designed keyboard and mouse. This will help to prevent work-related eye strain from staring at a screen for too long. Ergonomic equipment such as a keyboard and mouse will also provide better wrist support.

Ensure You Have Sufficient Lighting

Sufficient lighting is essential for a healthy working environment. You could arrange your workspace to ensure you get plenty of natural light during the day. If this isn’t possible with the type of setup you have, then you could invest in some daylight effect LEDs. You could even opt for smart light bulbs that will adjust automatically to create the ideal environment for working. These will help to reduce your electricity consumption as well. Here are a few more tips for better home office lighting.

Be Mindful of Health and Safety

It’s vital to be mindful of health and safety in the workplace, even if it’s in your own home. Your employer should also be aware of this. If you’re using virtual offices and get into an accident or experience an injury or health issue due to poor working conditions, they could even be liable. If you do have any disputes with your employer about their neglect to provide a healthy working environment for you, you could hire skilled legal representation to protect your rights.

Take Plenty of Breaks

Wherever you’re working, it’s important to take plenty of breaks. You could schedule these around daily tasks and try to stick to a routine. Take proper breaks and move away from your desk and look away from the screen. This will allow you to recuperate and you’ll return to work more energized and motivated. Ensure you stay hydrated and eat and drink during your breaks. Keep a refillable water bottle on your desk to remind you to top it up from time to time.

Minimize Noise and Distractions

If you live on a busy street or prefer to work in public places on occasion, it’s a good idea to minimize noise and distractions. This will allow you to concentrate and be more productive. If you’re struggling to work over loud background noise then this could result in headaches and fatigue. If your working area is noisy, invest in some of the best noise cancelling headphones. These will give you more flexibility and you can work in busier areas if you prefer. Telecommuting has many advantages and you can work anytime, anywhere as long as you have the right setup. This can include coworking spaces, public places, and from home.

Work In a Properly Ventilated Area

It’s essential not to ignore the importance of ventilation in the workplace. Open windows or adjust your HVAC system to ensure you get a steady flow of clean air through your workspace. This will help to rid the air of dust, debris, bacteria, and allergens. Ventilation is especially important if you’re sharing your working environment with others as it helps prevent the spread of airborne viruses. The fresh air will revive you as well if you feel tired at work. It’s vital to set up a healthy working environment wherever you are while telecommuting. This will boost your mood and productivity.