Checklist: Are you working from home safely?

Rushabh Savla, or ‘Rush’ as everyone calls him, is a Tide member and founder of R&D Physio.

With the rapid transition to working from home brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, physio Rush was keen to help people adjust so he got in touch with us at Tide to share his expertise.

“Multiple surgeries and injuries quite literally threw me into physiotherapy. My personal mission has always been the driving force behind the mission of my business, R&D Physio: to inspire and empower people to push beyond their potential.

“We’re online physios. We help people get expert diagnosis, treatment and advice from their own home. As a result of the coronavirus, many employees have found themselves working from home so we want to help.

“Employees are sitting through hours of virtual meetings, often working longer hours to help their business through the coronavirus crisis. Workers are moving less and this can result in aches, pains, stress and anxiety.

“It’s always been vital that employers safeguard the physical and mental health of their employees for a healthier, happier and positive workforce. Now more people are working from home, we’re working with companies to help them keep their teams moving and active during the home confinement.” 

If you’re working from home, use R&D Physio’s questionnaire below to check you’re working safely.

Questionnaire: Are you working from home safely?

Answer each of the questions below. The aim is to answer ‘yes’ to each question. If you can’t, have a look at your set up to see if you can turn your ‘no’ into a ‘yes’.

• When sitting down at your desk, are your hips at a 90-120 degree angle and feet flat on the floor? 
• Can the height and angle of your monitor, keyboard and chair be adjusted? 
• Are you able stand occasionally while continuing to work? 
• Is the top of your monitor or laptop screen at the same level as your eyes? 
• Is your screen a minimum of 50cm away from your eyes? 
• Can your wrists remain flat when you’re typing? 
• Are your shoulders relaxed, with upper arms parallel with your torso? 
• Are the items you use most all available within easy reach? 
• Are you getting up at least every 1 to 2 hours for a break? 
• Do you include movement in your daily routine? 
• Do you include downtime away from screen use (leisure activities, not including watching TV, using your phone etc)?

If you need help turning ‘no’ answers into ‘yes’, you can get in touch with R&D Physio at info@r-d-physio.co.uk 

Free online physio consultations

R&D Physio are currently offering free consultations to NHS, key workers and anyone with elderly parents.

“We need to look after each other, now more than ever and this is our small way of giving back to the community.” 

For any questions or to book an online consultation, get in touch with R&D Physio at info@r-d-physio.co.uk. 

You can find out more about Rush’s company at the R&D Physio website.