Since 2020 gave us the worldwide ‘work from home trial’ that nobody asked for, it has become much more common for companies and employees to use home or remote working as the norm.

Whether you work from home full time, part time, hybrid, or flexibly, it is important to ensure that your have a suitable setup and routine to protect your work-life balance as well as taking care of your physical and mental health.

Create a dedicated space:

If you have a separate room that can be closed off once work is done for the day, this would be a huge benefit to the work-life balance. Many people don’t have this luxury, but if you can find a space that can be separate enough to not cause a distraction during non-working hours then this works really well too.

• Where possible, avoid having your workspace in your bedroom. Studies show that working in the room where you sleep destroys the mental association between that space and rest, leading to insomnia and increased stress.
• If your workspace needs to be in your bedroom or common area, consider ways to hide it when not in use e.g, a curtain.
• Consider ergonomics when setting up your space. Keep your screen at eye-level and use a supportive chair to prevent neck or back pain.
• Ensure that lighting in your work area is suitable and that you are free from glare and not straining to see your screen or paperwork.
• Use drawers, storage boxes, files and shelving to avoid clutter and keep your workspace organised. If files often come home from the office, create a strong organisational system and routine for regularly returning files that you have finished with.
• Set boundaries with other members of your household. Discuss your need for uninterrupted and quiet time during your working hours.

Support your physical and mental health:

It is important that the environment in which you work from home is quiet, clutter-free, and that the work area is Health and Safety checked. HSE have a free downloadable checklist for your home workstation: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck1.htm

Your employer has the same health and safety responsibilities for you whether you are working at home or in a workplace. Guidance for Employers managing home workers health and safety can be found on the HSE website: https://www.hse.gov.uk/home-working/employer/index.htm

• Like in the office, you should ensure that you take regular 5-10 minute breaks away from your screen. Ideally during these breaks you should step away from your workstation to move around, or at least stretch and change posture.
• Get regular eye tests, especially if you notice any discomfort such as tired eyes or headaches. You can ask your employer to arrange this if the reason is your Display Screen Equipment (DSE).
• Avoid isolation by arranging check-ins on the telephone or by video call, with team members and managers.
• Use lunch breaks and your saved commuting time to take a walk, do some light exercise or catch up with a friend.
• Monitor your mental health, look for changes in your mood, your communication and your stress and anxiety levels. Keep your manager informed and call your GP if there are any concerns. You can also find lots of information, resources and support via Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk and the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/
• Get outdoors as much as you can, regular time in green space works wonders for your mental health.

Establish a good routine:

Even when working from home it is important to maintain a routine which mimics a typical day in the office. Dress as if you are going into the workplace, take a full lunch and other screen breaks and utilise what would be your commute time.

• Ensure that you have a clear start and finish time.
• Using a calendar to display your available days and hours to colleagues will help stay within that routine. Your colleagues and manager will know when It is appropriate to contact you and you can rest assured that Teams calls won’t be coming in on your days off.
• Don’t be tempted to return to your computer during non-working hours.
• If your computer needs to be left switched on outside of your work hours (maybe for IT Team, Updates or Maintenance), turn off the sound and the screen so that you are not disturbed.
• Take all breaks away from your desk, don’t miss out on annual leave or feel the need to push through sick days just because you are at home.

Stay Social:

Agree on communication times and methods with your colleagues and managers, attend remote meetings and ensure that you remain an active member of the team. Use breaks and saved commute times to speak to friends, family or to go outside and interact with other people.

Security and Technology:

When you are working from home, the technology that is in place must be fit for purpose and regularly maintained as it would be if you were in the office. You must ensure that security and policies are upheld as it would be standardly within the workplace, for example promptly running all software updates or allowing access to the IT Team.

• You will need a secure, fast broadband. Your router should be WPA-2 or WPA-3.
• Consider others in your household – are they also going to be using the Internet at the same time? Will they be downloading large files or using online games which would slow down your connection during work hours?
• Your computer and any necessary mobile devices would normally be provided by your employer. Ensure that you are aware of any IT or Security Policies specific to the use, maintenance or security of these items.
• When you step away from your workstation, lock your screen (so that it would require a password to access), just as you would when in the office.
• Ensure that when working from home, you are using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your company data. Your employer should put this in place.