WFH equipment - I need help!

[daisy443]

Please help me invest in some wfh equipment to make the day more comfortable and save my posture!

I work from home 2 - 3 days per week. We live in a 1 bed flat with no space for a proper office chair or a permanent desk/screen, so I sit at the dining room table but always eventually move onto the sofa as our dining room chairs are not that comfy for long periods.

I feel like I'm bent like a prawn over my laptop half the time and starting to get back ache. I'm looking for anything that will make our chairs comfier and improve my posture while I use them, or anything to help me work on the sofa with better posture!

Any and all wfh equipment recommendations welcome 😊

What about something like this?

Qutool® Lumbar Support Pillow for Office Chair Car Memory Foam Back Cushion for Back Improve Posture Large Back Pillow for Computer, Gaming Chair, Recliner Double Adjustable Straps https://amzn.eu/d/8MI0plR

I would also look at a laptop stand-means you can have it at eye level which should help with the posture etc
Amazon Basics Laptop Stand with 6-Angle Adjustment, For Laptops 10 (25.4 cm) - 15.6 Inches (39.6 cm), Silver https://amzn.eu/d/glni42u

If you can't have an office chair and screen setup, then surely wfh isn't feasible for you?the way you're working, even with something to make dining chairs and sofa more comfortable, would presumably fail your employer's DSE/VDU assessment. Are you allowed to work full time in the office because of not having suitable space at home?

Your employer should be making sure that you have a suitable home set up, and providing equipment if necessary.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/home-working/worker/index.htm#:~:text=Your%20employer%20has%20the%20same,you%20as%20a%20home%20worker.

Can't you swap a dining chair for an office chair?

It's up to your workplace to do an assessment and provide the necessary changes. If you don't have the room, then you should be in the office. You will get terrific back pain if you carry on.

Is there any space for a wall mounted fold up desk? And then maybe one of the ergonomic kneeling chairs that fold up?

NB you can get some pretty small office chairs - they don't need to be hulking great things. I would just get rid of a standard dining chair and use a different comfy mini office one instead. No reason you can't eat sitting in it as well. Another thing that is useful is a monitor arm - raises your screen up and you can swing it away again when done - or if a laptop, use a collapsible stand to help you work at the right eye height.

Thanks for this, I've just bought one for husband and I as we bother work from home.

Should work provide a chair?

get an inflatable yoga ball, you'll need a large one to reach a table though.

This was my first thought too. Worst case scenario, what about adding a lumbar support to the back of the chair and a foam cushion to the seat?

As another PP said, you also need to have the top of your screen/s at eye level. Invest in a laptop stand and keyboard to make this happen.

Finally, not sure if it can be accommodated or is really the problem here but you could get a fold-down, wall mounted desk like the ones Pith & Stem sell?

I'm new to this role so will be putting together a list for my employer to purchase - the issue is that I don't have space for a chair, so they can't buy me one

The problem with laptops is that the keyboard joins on to the screen but ideal screen location and keyboard location are different. But an external keyboard and mouse wouldn't be that expensive and then you could raise the laptop up on a laptop stand.

If you don't have space for a chair or desk, then should you really be working from home?

yes I second using a separate keyboard and mouse, makes a massive difference to be able to raise up the laptop.

With back pain, I'd also ask occupational health for input on how to facilitate working from a standing posture. Ideally switching back between standing and seating.

This is what’s necessary here….

You’ll cripple yourself in the long run if you use a laptop on the sofa all day….

I've worked from home for over 20 years and most of the time I sit on my sofa, with my feet up, and with my laptop on my lap, and I've always found thst much more comfortable than sitting at a desk. I turned one of the spare bedrooms into a lovely office a few years ago, which I do use for Zoom meetings, but I still tend to work on my sofa for 95% of the time. I've had back problems since I was in my early 20s, and slipped a disc completely last year. I've tried all sorts of different furniture and equipment over the years, but have never found anything that puts less strain on my back than sitting on the sofa.

yes you can get a good adjustable electric standing desk that could double up as a dining table.

Get a proper chair and a decent laptop riser and work at the table.

I did atge second and third but didn't have a proper chair until lockdown 2. I now have a spasming piriformis muscle which causes pain in my lower back and left leg. It is getting fixed with a lot of (thankfully work funded) physio.

I also take calls in the kitchen using the counter top as a standing desk.

Ask work to send occupational health round to do an in person assessment- even the slightest adjustment makes an enormous difference - as well as posture/position they will likely know of all the various gear in the market to suit your space

Does your contract state hybrid working? If it doesn't and just mentions office based then they have no legal requirement to supply DSE equipment for home use as you have an office available to you to use 5 days a week. If it does mention it then yes they should supply any DSE equipment for you for at home.

If you honestly don't have space for a chair at home then they may supply a sit/stand desk or they may ask you to go to the office 5 days a week.

It is very difficult to modify dining chairs into office chairs as the height can't be adjusted. As others have said, laptop riser and separate keyboard and mouse/touchpad will help but the chair is a big problem, your employer should not be letting you work from home without a display screen assessment and suitable equipment. I have an inflatable wedge which I use if I have to spend long periods at a computer at home (I only WFH for maybe half a day a month), it makes our dining chairs comfier but I still couldn't work a whole day that way.