The Physicality of Work: How to Make Remote Work Feel Better

The way we work — and where we work — has changed a lot in the past year and a half. When COVID hit and offices closed, it left some employees trading in their comfortable desk chairs, large monitors and footrests for whatever was available to them at home.

“Many employees were working with a laptop on a kitchen table, couch or bed,” says Rachel Mitchell, Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist at Ergo Inc. “These non-ideal set-ups place stress on the muscles and joints but also have an impact on job satisfaction, productivity, and work quality.”

While these changes to our work environment have done a number on our bodies, remote workers are now taking matters into their own hands, using the power of ergonomics to make informed decisions about desk life. No matter where we work from, understanding how our work lives affect our physical bodies is key to creating a more comfortable, happier, and ultimately, more productive, workday.

The time to act is now

When you account for an employee’s lack of movement, work stressors like deadlines, and a non-ergonomic desk setup, it can be hard to expect them to be able to adapt to their new work environment, says Donald Cole, a Toronto-based occupational and public health medicine consultant who has conducted research over the years on workplace interventions to improve physical health.

Now that employees have been working remotely for more than a year, the choices made about their home workstations are starting to be felt. “Poor working postures take effect on the body over time,” says Mitchell. “Workers may be starting to notice discomfort more regularly now that some of this wear and tear has accumulated.”

While not everyone knows when they’ll be returning to the office, it’s clear that temporary set-ups have the potential to be part of the new norm, making it a perfect time to invest in an ergonomic workstation.

How to set up an ergonomic workstation and what to look for

Sina Yeganeh is a chiropractor who co-runs Movability, a Toronto-based wellness and sport sciences centre that is winning on social media with their work-from-home exercises.

When it comes to an ergonomic desk setup, Yeganeh suggests the following:

● Use a height-adjustable chair: Your knees should sit at a 90-degree angle. If your feet still don’t touch the floor comfortably, prop them up with a stool or footrest.

● Adjust the armrests: This will ensure that you don’t strain your arms or shoulders. Your arms should sit at desk height.

● Pull your tools toward you: Reaching for a keyboard and mouse can also create extra strain on your neck. Keep your wrists in a neutral position with the help of a keyboard wrist rest.

● Adjust your monitor: It should be kept an arm’s length away and the top of your monitor should be at eye level.

For employees who work on laptops, Mitchell recommends the following ergonomic adjustments: invest in an external keyboard and mouse, along with a laptop riser, and position it at an appropriate height for viewing.

Proper ergonomics are key for prevention and intervention

Over the past year, Yeganeh says the clinic has been seeing an uptick in work-related conditions like stiffness, tension, numbness and tingling all over the body, as well as headaches and migraines.

“Spending long hours working at a desk or computer results in the body becoming stiff … an adaptation that our body creates so that it’s more efficient to remain in that seated position,” Yeganeh says. “However, it’s not functional when it comes to other daily life activities or movement.”

That’s where their work comes in. Yeganeh and his business partner and fellow chiropractor Ida Aghigh offer easy stretches and exercises — from resetting posture to fixing a stiff spine and stretching shoulder muscles — to help relieve a lot of the pain associated with being sedentary.

Proper ergonomics can not only help — and prevent — these sitting symptoms, but can also aid in relaxing the body, making it easier to work and focus since you’ll likely experience fewer headaches and less eye fatigue.

When we’re caught in the day-to-day of work and don’t deal with much discomfort from our workspace, it can be easy to forget about ergonomics. But Mitchell cautions that these decisions can have a long-term impact. “Making the right choices today will mean that 10 or more years from now, our body will be healthier and able to support the work and leisure activities we strive to do.”