Health and safety guidelines when working from home
Many employees are continuing to work in a hybrid model, spending full working days in a home office. An ergonomic set-up is essential to help prevent discomfort and possible injury.
General safety and wellness
- Maintain regular hours: Set a schedule during normal work hours and stick to it. Working designated hours, and then stopping when those hours are up, will help maintain a good work-life balance.
- Schedule breaks: Just like any working environment, giving yourself regular breaks is incredibly important to let your brain and body relax. Breaks can significantly improve productivity levels, decrease risk of musculoskeletal injury, and improve a person’s ability to focus. As tempting as it may be, don’t spend your lunch hour in front of the computer. Adding a lunch time walk outdoors will rejuvenate you and help prevent eyestrain.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking healthy beverages such as water, tea, and juices throughout the day can help in keeping headaches and fatigue at bay.
- Socialize with colleagues: Socializing is important for our mental health. Take advantage of your days on campus to reconnect with colleagues and encourage each other to take that lunch time walk.
Ergonomics
Many people don’t have a proper office set-up at home, and working for extended periods of time at a kitchen counter or table is not recommended long-term. Here are a few tips to make your home environment more ergonomic while working.
- Change posture often: Vary your posture throughout the day, as sitting in the same position or chair all day can lead to back, neck and shoulder pain. It is best to break the static sitting position at least every hour.
- Invest in an ergonomic, adjustable chair if possible (please see below an offer from a Concordia supplier): If this is not financially possible, add a commerically available lumbar support and seat cushion to a hard chair.
- Elevate your laptop and add an external keyboard and mouse: If you do not have an external monitor, place your laptop on a laptop riser or stack of books to raise it. Your eyes should line up with the upper third of the screen (or the very top of the screen if you wear progressive lenses).
- Typing height: Avoid typing for extended periods with your hands higher than your elbow height. Ideally, mount an adjustable keyboard and mouse support to your standard height desk or invest in a height-adjustable desk. The keyboard and mouse should be at a height just below your elbows. If this is not possible, raise your chair to the highest level and add a footrest.
- 20/20/20 rule: Follow the 20/20/20 rule to avoid eye fatigue. Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Take breaks: Be sure to take a break every hour for three to five minutes. You can set reminders on your phone to ensure that you are prompted to take a break. Get up walk around and do some quick stretches. EHS has collaborated with Le Gym to provide you with some easy office stretching exercises.
Additional Resources
Self-Directed office ergonomics training
The self-directed online ergonomics training will help you effectively organize your work area to optimize comfort and productivity, while decreasing your risk of injury. Keep in mind that, even with a “perfect” workstation, there is risk of injury if you stay in one position too long. The most important recommendation is to vary your tasks as much as possible and to insert some activity into your workday.
The office ergonomics training is available under employee training on Carrefour. To access the course, log in to UNITY's Learning Management System (LMS) and type "ergonomics" in the search box.
You can also refer to step-by-step instructions to access the self-guided training in Unity. (PDF)
Home office furniture specials
While there are many vendors for office desks and chairs, EHS recommends purchasing adjustable and comfortable furniture for your home office, in the same manner we would do for the workplace.
Explore this offer for a price reduction for chairs for Concordia Employees working from home. Contact ehs@concordia.ca for further information.
Need more help?
If you are still experiencing pain after and completing the self-guided training and making modifications to your workstation, contact EHS for an ergonomic evaluation by filling out this form.
