Places Matter: Best practices for working from home

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The workday is done and you’re sending a few final emails to wrap up that project you’ve spent hours perfecting. Woosh - your boss is going to love it. Time to pack up and head home. You close your computer, open the office door, and…you’re in the upstairs hallway watching your five-year-old son draw stick figures in crayon on the wall. That was a fast commute, you think to yourself. Welcome to the new normal.

In the wake of COVID-19, businesses have transitioned their workforces away from offices to comply with orders to quarantine, and more broadly, do their part to try to slow down the rate of infection and help protect their immediate community. Professionals from around the world are adjusting to a work-from-home lifestyle, many for the very first time. The shift can be jarring. At IWBI, we know the value of buildings and spaces designed with health and well-being in mind; just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of your new office.

Take Control of Your Space
Adjusting to a new workspace can be challenging, especially without access to the usual office accomodations like a standing desk, adjustable chair or well-lit area. Linda Miller, OT, OTD, MEDes, CCPE, CPE, President and Senior Ergonomist at EWI Works, suggested thinking outside the box to take control of at-home workspaces.

“We’ve seen ways that people are setting up safely at home. They’re getting inventive, looking at all different types of postures and ways to make their space work. Many are crafting standing desks - even if it’s at the kitchen table - by stacking books to raise computers to eye level. They’re moving around more and finding ways to get comfortable,” Miller said.

Using a dedicated keyboard and mouse with laptops can also enhance the flexibility of workstations, Miller noted. To help both new and veteran remote workers, her team at EWI Works have made available ergonomic and posture resources that can be downloaded at no charge from EWI Work’s website.

Sally Augustin, Ph.D., practicing design psychologist and principal at Design With Science consulting firm, encouraged at-home workers to give themselves a view. Improve your space (and your stress levels) by introducing natural light and scenery to your new at-home workstation.

“From a mental health perspective, it’s important to eliminate as many stressors as you can,” Augustin said. “Just opening the drapes to allow more natural light to flow into a space can be a mood booster. Consider having plants around if you have any. Something people aren’t aware of is that seeing woodgrain can lead to a drop in stress levels. If you have hardwood floors, this is the perfect time to roll back those carpets and let that woodgrain show.”

Beware of the Unexpected Impacts
When our sense of normalcy is disrupted, it’s not uncommon to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms that have downstream effects on mood, sleep and overall well-being. IWBI Mind Concept Lead Emily Winer encourages remote workers to be cognizant of their behaviors.

“Since we’ve cut out our commutes, many people believe we’ll get better sleep working from home. But many of us may have trouble switching off at the end of the day,” Winer said. “We’ve shifted our habits and changes to our light intake, exercise routines, caffeine consumption, eating habits, and maybe even our alcohol intake are going to impact sleep. It’s okay if you’re having trouble. Remember to make healthy changes to your environment but also be mindful of your own behaviors and adjust them to help yourself.”

Sharing spaces with roommates or family members can lead to unique challenges for managing ventilation and safe air quality. IWBI Chief Engineer Nathan Stodola encourages opening windows when physical distancing together.

“In commercial spaces, mechanical ventilation is standard, but most homes rely on natural ventilation. It’s important to be conscious of the number of people in a space and use open windows to help dilute the air and manage safe CO2 levels,” Stodola said.

“Create mechanical ventilation by running fans to circulate the air,” Jovan Pantelic, Ph.D., Assistant Professional Researcher for the Center for Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, added. “If you’re in a climate where you can’t run a fan all day, using it for 10 or 15 minutes can still help.”

How to Navigate Work With School-Age Children at Home
Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, many parents are unable to access childcare during work hours and, in many instances, must take on the role of full-time caregiver and educator, all while working from home. Angela Spangler, MS, AEP Ergonomist and IWBI Director of Market Development, recommends getting creative with your kids.

“Try to introduce special activities where everyone can engage together. Think of ways to gamify your time at home and keep your kids active. Make goals and get them excited about the downtime they have,” Spangler said.

Whitney Austin Gray, Ph.D., WELL AP, LEED AP, Senior Vice President of Research at IWBI, recommends proactive planning to take control of your days while balancing parental duties.

“We’ve been in a reactive phase. When you look at the science of burnout, our brains are overwhelmed by constantly responding to request after request. As we accept that lockdowns won’t end overnight, it’s important to take power back, even if you feel that the space around you is out of control” Gray said. “That means cognitively sitting down and making plans, thinking about proactive steps to get back control of your day.”

Looking to the Future
As you work to master your work-from-home environment, keep these final takeaways in mind: remember empathy for everyone involved, be gentle to yourself, stay calm and don’t panic, adhere to national health recommendations, take microbreaks throughout the day, keep positive, and embody the core values important to you.

As offices open again in the future, remember the changes you made at home and advocate for safer, healthier, and more wellness-focused spaces in your workplace. Prioritize the actions that will support your health and wellness, and tune into upcoming IWBI webcasts for discussions on information, resources, and best practices for prevention, preparedness, resilience and recovery in the fight against COVID-19.