The right workstation is critical for creating a safe and healthy work environment and can have a huge impact on all employees, especially those with a disability. The UK has a long tradition of health and safety legislation, but recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 28.2 million working days are lost due to work-related illness or workplace injury each year. How we set up our workstations might be partly to blame for this, and maximising your workstation and surrounding space is important to create the correct environment.
Rearrange your equipment
Before you get down to work, it’s important to make sure that your desk is arranged properly. You can’t expect to be productive if your equipment is all over the place, so it’s worth repositioning your essentials.
For example, it’s recommended that your computer screen should be placed at around an arm’s length away, and your keyboard and mouse should be next to each other so that you can move your hand from one to the other with ease. You should also ensure that your telephone is within easy reach so that you don’t strain yourself while you’re using it.
Simply rearranging your equipment is a quick and easy way to make your workstation a more comfortable place to be.
Lighting
The quality of lighting in your office can affect your mood and your well-being. Poor lighting whether it’s dim lighting or harsh lighting from overhead fluorescent lights can cause eye strain, stress, and fatigue. Conversely, the best kind of light you can have in your office is natural light.
If you can control where your workstation is situate, choose a position with a window to get this boost from the sun. If you don’t have control over lighting at your workplace and aren’t lucky enough to have your workstation near a window (much less a corner office surrounded by windows), try getting outside more for your breaks and see if you can get a desk lamp that simulates daylight to maximise your workstation potential.
Declutter
One of the best ways to declutter and get organised in your workspace is to free it from needless paper and email. You need to trash both paper copies and items you don’t need piling up on your desk and digital file that are just taking up space on your computer or in your email inbox. By approaching each file or paper with a sense of urgency to trash it if you do not really need it, you are creating a freeing environment that not only helps you feel more free and empowered but actually makes you more organised. There will be less to sift through (i.e. waste time looking and searching) and more time focused on the project you really need to complete or that deadline you need to meet.
Taking breaks
Chaining yourself to a desk or eating your lunch at your workstation isn’t a recipe for success – it’s a recipe for disaster. Without taking adequate breaks from work, employee productivity, mental well-being and overall work performance begin to suffer. Overworked employees often deal with chronic stress that can easily lead to job burnout. While this not only negatively affects employee health and well-being, it negatively affects the bottom line, too.
This is why it’s important that employers start encouraging employees to take breaks throughout the workday – especially lunch breaks. These breaks are essential in helping employees de-stress and re-charge for the rest of the workday. Regular breaks can also help improve overall job satisfaction.
For further advice and assistance in maximising your workstation and choosing the correct one for your office or home office set up please contact us here.