Jess Beckwith from Delta Simons gave us some tips recently on how to stay comfortable while working from home...

Delta Simons is one of Team Lincolnshire's longest standing members and was pivotal in helping bring Team Lincolnshire to where we are today.

Many of us know Delta-Simons as environmental consultants, but the breadth of their expertise and services goes way beyond that, and they operate on a truly global level.

Over the past few years they have been instrumental in helping some very well known brands develop wellbeing and sustainability programmes including homeworker support services and wellbeing in the workplace.

Jess Beckwith, Certified DSE Assessor and Remote Ergonomics Assessment Specialist from Delta-Simons, joined Team Lincolnshire’s Coffee Club last week to highlight some top tips for staying comfortable at home. 

The ergonomics team at Delta-Simons has a wealth of experience in providing ergonomics advice to clients across a range of settings, including office, retail and labs. 

Many employees are now working from home, but the typical workstation set-up may be less than ideal. Many of us are working from dining tables, breakfast bars or even the sofa. Understanding the ergonomic risks associated with home working can help to ensure that appropriate adjustments are made, to keep you comfortable during the working day, in whatever set up you have. Here are a few top tips for staying comfortable when working from home:

First, think about the surface you’re working at. It’s a good idea to work at a surface rather than the sofa or your bed – even if that surface is your dining table. If you have a choice, try to pick a straight edge to work at, rather than a curved edge. This helps to prevent over reaching to your keyboard and mouse. 

Next, consider your chair set up. It’s important to make sure the chair is the right height for your workstation – with your hands in your lap, if your elbow height is below the workstation height, raise the chair. If your chair height is not adjustable, sit on some pillows or cushions to bolster your height, and add another cushion for back support if necessary. 

Make sure your feet are supported. Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle – if your feet are dangling or not firmly flat on the floor, use a shoe box, a ream of paper or something else that is sturdy and supportive to raise your feet. 

It’s a good idea to raise your laptop so that the top of the screen is level with your eyes, and use a separate keyboard and mouse. You could raise your laptop on some books or boxes.

Good ergonomic habits are really beneficial to maintaining comfort throughout the day. Moving for just two or three minutes in every hour can prevent muscle tiredness and keep us comfortable for longer. Try to move around while you’re on the phone to integrate movement into your working day. Or step outside for a couple of minutes to get some fresh air.

Finally, stretching can help to alleviate discomfort. Neck rolls, torso twists and wrist flexions are particularly effective at relieving discomfort in these commonly affected areas. Try some deep breathing to increase oxygen flow to your muscles for quicker recovery. 

Organisations are becoming increasingly interested in improving the environment in which their teams work, but with many of us switching to home working for the foreseeable future this has only highlighted how crucial it is to have an effective wellbeing strategy for employees.

Delta Simons offers many services to support organisations of all sizes to implement a strategy, including wellbeing assessments, WELL certification and Fitwel. 

It's been shown that providing workplaces and initiatives which improve the health and wellbeing of occupants can result in better retention of colleagues, increased productivity, reduced sickness and improved morale. 

If your company has staff who are now regularly or fully working from home it is essential that you provide support. For more information please visit www.deltasimons.com.