How to live teleworking well

Faced with the Covid-19 crisis, many companies are resorting to teleworking. But pay attention to the comfort of the employees.

–

–

Posted at home, many of us neglect our workstations and make our sofa and coffee table our new office. While this situation may seem more comfortable, it paves the way for musculoskeletal disorders and other back pain. You must therefore set up a full-fledged workplace and adopt the right gestures.

• What environment?

Ideally, the workstation should be placed in a bright room, with the screen positioned – as much as possible – perpendicular to the window (s). Common sense: glare can actually lead to a situation of increased visual fatigue. Finally, do not forget to rest your eyes regularly, take regular breaks (twenty seconds every twenty minutes) while looking into the distance.

Working on a screen decreases the amplitude and frequency of blinking, one of the causes of dry eye syndrome. So do not hesitate to “force” this blink.

• The screen

Do not put your laptop on your knees but on a work surface.

The top of the monitor should be at eye level, a comfortable reading distance. This corresponds more or less to the length of the arm.

If you’re working on a laptop, use a booster that brings the top of the screen to eye level.

• Your general posture

The feet should preferably rest flat on the ground. Even on a footrest when the seat or the worktop is not adjustable in height and you are not able to put your feet flat. When using the keyboard, the angle of the elbow is straight or slightly obtuse. The forearms are close to the body. The back, straight or slightly back, supported by the backrest.

• The armchair

If you can, choose an office chair (and not a dining room chair that will quickly break your back). Its backrest and seat must be adjustable, just like the armrests (in height). These should be arranged to support the forearms without lifting the shoulders. The seat should also be deep in order to give you the opportunity to support the lower back without the front edge exerting pressure behind the knees.