Stop Ignoring Ergonomics: 3 Reasons to Upgrade Your Work-From-Home Office
A wave of return-to-office mandates has moved through the corporate world, yet your company still hasn’t budged on their work-from-home policies. It’s official: you are a remote worker as long as you stick with this position.
Now that you can safely say you work from home, it’s time to upgrade your workspace. The kitchen nook, living room couch, or bed has been moonlighting as your office for too long as it is.
Building an intentional workspace comes with a laundry list of benefits — not only will you feel better throughout the day, but you can avoid costly medical issues. Here’s why you need to create an ergonomic workstation.
1. Avoid Painful and Life-Changing Injuries
A bad work setup hurts. You might not notice it right away, but eventually your body will tell you how little it likes being folded like a pretzel, hunched over your laptop for eight hours a day. You’ll notice a cramp in your neck, back, or wrist if you haven’t already.
Chronic poor posture and repetitive strain can eventually evolve into painful medical conditions that require treatment, such as carpal tunnel, SI-joint issues, and sciatica.
Sciatica is more than just a pain in the butt. This nerve pain can make it difficult to do anything — sit, stand, walk, or even sleep — so you’ll want to avoid it at all costs.
2. Avoid Costly Treatments
Nothing’s worse than being in pain and knowing the treatment will set you back a few hundred dollars. Just one physiotherapy appointment can cost $50–$350, and that says nothing about your initial examination, diagnostic tests, or prescription pain relief.
Sadly, most workers don’t have $400 set aside for an unexpected medical expense. Even if they have insurance, the rising cost of deductibles and copays can make these emergency expenses difficult to pay out of pocket.
If your savings fall short of these urgent out-of-pocket expenses, don’t panic. You can see if you meet the qualifications for a personal loan to ensure you can get the medical treatment you deserve.
When your choice is between living with excruciating sciatic nerve pain or taking out a personal loan, borrowing money might seem like a no-brainer. But before you accept any offers, make sure you can handle your personal loan’s repayment schedule.
3. Improve Your Productivity
Suppose you aren’t in pain now. You aren’t out of the woods just yet. Your lack of intentional workspace could still be interfering with your day. Let’s face it — your spot in the kitchen is often at the heart of the home, a hotbed of activity during mealtimes. You might find it hard to ignore others who move through the space or the messes they leave behind.
Working from bed isn’t much better. Your bedroom is supposed to be the place where you unwind at night. Spending all day staring at a screen here can cross your wires; you may find it equally hard to concentrate on work and fall asleep at night.
Build an Ergonomic Space for Your Remote Work
A subtle change to your workspace can stop you from irritating your sciatic nerve and protect other important parts of your joints, fascia, and tendons. Without these pains, you can avoid costly medical treatments and focus on work.
So, what do you need to make your office? It doesn’t have to be fancy, just intentional. Your setup should include a desk and chair that keeps your body in alignment, from the angle of your knees to the plane of your wrists.
To top it all off, remember to get up and move. Stretching throughout the day can help unkink your back and help you feel better.
