Staying Active and Safe in a Work From Home Setup
In many cases, employees can be more productive when working from the comfortable and familiar environment of their own homes.
But how does an employer ensure they are safe? Particularly when it comes to the physical aspects of working from home.
Sometimes employees might need some reminders about proper ergonomics, the need for regular breaks and doing some quick and simple exercises to keep them moving and active throughout the working day.
Work from home exercising
Healthline.com has a handy list of exercises, including instructions and videos, that people can do while working from home.
They include exercises involving their desk, their chair – even while seated – or standing alone.
Some of the exercises are:
- Tricep dips – using your chair (just make sure it’s a solid chair – without wheels – on a non-slip surface!)
- Desk push ups – as simple as it sounds, place your hands on your desk with your feet far enough back for your body to be straight, then away you go with your push ups!
- Desk plank – using the same position as for push ups, hold your body straight this position for 30 seconds
- Squats from your chair – again, make sure your chair is not going to roll away from you, then using good posture and with both feet flat on the ground and your arms out in front of you, stand up and sit down in a controlled manner for several repetitions. You could even try it on one leg!
You could even take a break away from your desk and try some standing exercises, such as lunges and squats, or how about some jumping jacks?
Some people even find it useful to keep a skipping rope handy.
Of course, one simple way to get some exercise while working from home is to take a walk up the street, around the block or even just around the backyard.
Too much of a stretch
Stretching is just as important as exercise. Healthline.com also has a full Deskercise routine for stretching out without leaving your desk.
It includes exercises for the arms and upper body, such as overhead reaches and torso rotations, neck stretches and hamstring and leg stretches.
Remember, just getting up regularly to make a cuppa and walk around the house all counts too!
And it’s not just about the physical exercise – taking a break from our work and moving our bodies is also good for our mental health. And the more movement and exercise, the more good endorphins that give us an often much-needed mental lift.
How we can help
For employers, ensuring the health and wellbeing of workers is vital to a business’ productivity and success. And ensuring a healthy, happy environment to start with is often cheaper than the time off, rehabilitation and return-to-work support that an injured or sick employee might need.
At Rehab Management, our Corporate Health services can help employers ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Studies show that organisations that focus on preventative solutions for workplace health and wellbeing create a more productive workforce with less absenteeism, increased engagement and loyalty.
Our services include workplace ergonomic assessments and training – we also have an ergonomics e-learning module.
Keep in mind, in today’s workplace only 5 per cent of employees are within the “very healthy” category while about 20 per cent are “very unhealthy”.
Anything you can do as an employer to help boost their health and wellbeing will pay off in the end in increased productivity from happier, healthier workers.
And of course, in the event of illness and injury, we have all your employee rehabilitation and return to work needs covered.