Week 1: Could your home office kill you?
I would
like you to read the article Could
your home office kill you? published at http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131204-could-your-home-office-kill-you and
comment on/discuss it. Besides, describe your study room/home office. Are you a
homeworker? If not, can you imagine working from home? Will more people work from home in the foreseeable
future?
I work mostly from home, but I am self emlpoyed, so my situation is a bit different. Still I have a big desk, a ball on which I am sitting, and if I didn't "move" a lot, I exercise on it. Same my husband, and we're feeling pretty well :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it would be good for employers to watch out for those home workers, because usually they're lazy in terms of their safety and health. Althought after a while home workers start to take care of themselves, when they start to feel worse etc...
So I don't know, what else to say, actually... everything is said in this article....
I work mostly from home, but I am self emlpoyed, so my situation is a bit different. Still I have a big desk, a ball on which I am sitting, and if I didn't "move" a lot, I exercise on it. Same my husband, and we're feeling pretty well :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it would be good for employers to watch out for those home workers, because usually they're lazy in terms of their safety and health. Althought after a while home workers start to take care of themselves, when they start to feel worse etc...
So I don't know, what else to say, actually... everything is said in this article....
Geez, that's on of the topics that scares me. I'm a remote worker myself with incredibly high work fluctuation - sometimes I have totally nothing to do and I can go for a jog or meet my friends somewhere in the city, but there are days when I am basically taped to my desk, sitting all the time and not going out for few days straight! The worst thing is, my productiveness during those days is so high that I actually praise them - but health risks of sitting all-the-damn-time are inavoidable...
ReplyDeleteHowever, it should be a worker responsibility to take care of his own house. I think it should be possible to ask your boss for a financial grant to enhance your working space, for example to buy a special chair or something. But boss shouldn't be concerned about smoke detectors in someone's private home! That's too much.
*that's one. :)
ReplyDeleteTo start with I think that in Poland employees do not care too much about work conditions and nobody really puts pressure on them.
ReplyDeleteIn my former company, and let it be the euphemism, "conditions were just average". Your space was no wider than one meter, there was no division between coworkers and our office was more than fully packed.
So now when I work from home I find it a great relief - I am relishing my huge table with all the papers, lots of fresh air and what is the most important - the temperature. I can set as I want and I do not nedd to consult with anyone.
As for me, remote working works!
I meant employers of course.
ReplyDeleteI've worked remotely for years - but for the wrong employers I thinks! No-one ever offered me extra money to buy ergonomic equipment or better take care of myself in home :( But when I worked remotely - I loved it. I was well organized, always managed to do the laundry, prepare lunch and walk my dog during the breaks. But then I got a stationary job that I had for over a year and somehow I just can't get back to my fine home-working routine. I feel less organized, have worse efficacy and suddenly I find myself really aching to talk to someone during the break or get a question or an advice from my more experienced colleague that I used to have next to me. So, while I know that working from home is a wonderful option for some, it's just not for me anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe article was a great read. It was something completely new to learn that in other countries there are regulations for people working from home and they're being taken care for in better way than it's happening in Poland.
Assurance for homeworkers by the employer money which can they use to purchase ergonomic equipment and proper instructions of working conditions is a very good idea. Smoke detectors, sufficient ventilation? I do not know if it's not too much..
ReplyDeleteProbably remote working has a lot of advantages - inter alia saving time on commuting, deciding about time at which you must to start of work, breaks, and the lack of permanent control by the employer. What is good for one may not be as beneficial for others. Despite these advantages, it seems to me that I couldn’t work this way - the whole day at home. For a long time it would be more punishment than a privilege. I like to talk to people, to stay in their company. I know that this kind of job isn’t for me.
I don’t have a separate room to work or study at home, only a small desk on which is a computer monitor plus laptop. With good use of space will be also additional place for a book and a cup of tea. I recently bought the most comfortable armchair which I found in the store, so my comfort of work has significantly improved.
Working from home is surely a perfect option for some people - most of all for the well organized ones with a lot of self-discipline. For me it is a brilliant idea. Luckily, some of my projects can be run from my computer at home. I truly appreciate the fact that on some days I can just wear my most comfy pyjamas, eat and drink in front of monitor without caring to look like a professional.
ReplyDeleteBut surely work from home would never replace a real contact with colleagues. I am also aware that it may be difficult to set hours of just working and not browsing the Internet, playing with a cat or just chatting with your family. On the other hand, too much work can push out your personal life from your own house. So to work this way you really have to keep discipline.
I assume that in the future more and more companies will try remote working in some departments (like IT or marketing). The technology will enable it for sure. And that will be an incredible advantage and possibility for those who just can't leave the house so easily (like some disabled people). But some duties would never be performed outside the office and without face to face relations (like developing a project or determing the budget). Partially we can conduct some meeting virtually but eventually we will have to meet our partners.
Additionally, for those who may work from home but still have some difficulties organizing it, I'd recommend to read these few tips: https://www.futuresimple.com/blog/10-tips-for-organizing-your-desk-and-desktop-for-better-efficiency/. I'm sure they'll help a bit:)
My home office partly kill me. Partly becouse was time that I worked in home and now I know this is the worst for me to stay in the same place 24h a day. I need breath the freshness of changing localization by the day time.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I only can study in home, in school I can't concentrate everybody are bother me to think. Learning new things i love to do in place where I fell sure. In building where is loud and where people dont tolerate each other for me is bad place.
I think is great that law regulate some working condition and other aspects. That is necessary i think.
I don't like to work at home, for me home is place for relax, do hobby and sleep - it is not place for work. I can't focus on things which I have to do when I'm at home, that is why when I have to study I usually go to school - to the library - and I learn there. I know that going somewhere to study compared to just stay at home costs at least one hour, because you have to physically go to desired place, but for me this one hour is worth its cost - because I can focus better when I'm not at home.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion people will work from home if it will be profitable for the employeer, what I mean by that is if the cost of office space would be hight enought so it would be cheaper to give every employee insurance and equipment, then employeer probably would preffer to hire people which would like to work from home.
Besides that not all kind of work could be done from home, many people have to work with specific equipment or in specific infrastructure and it is just impossible for them to work from home.
Well, the article helps to get an idea about how the remote workers are treated in other countries. At the same time, I don't think all this "taking care about employees working at home" stuff really makes much sense. What I mean is, lack of control and regulations is the point of working that way. When the employer starts telling the workers what chair should they sit on, or where should they put their desk, that pretty much defeats the point of having a remote job. Of course, this works both ways - I'd never expect my boss to be responsible for me breaking my leg at home, just because I had his project open on my laptop. When someone decides to work from home, he should be able to take care of himself, just like he would after, or before, regular job.
ReplyDeleteAnd when it comes to my own experience with "home office" - I'd say the best part is that it can be whatever I want it to be. Sometimes I want to get all professional, sit at a clean desk and all that stuff, and sometimes I will just sit on my bed with a laptop.
I don't think I could work from home because of several factors. First of all, when I'm at home my ability to focus is lowered, secondly, my working environment hasn't been perfectly adjusted for my needs yet. Besides, I think there are better things to do when you're at home. Though, I must admit, working from home, still wearing pyjamas, drinking good coffee not from a dispenser, sounds really great.
ReplyDeleteIt really is quite surprising that other countries have regulations and safety measures for people working from home! Smoke detectors? Isn’t it too much? I believe more and more people will work this way, because there are many professions that allow you to work via Internet. Also, communication through the Net is as popular as a regular face to face chat.
ReplyDelete