working from home

[Flute56]

I do office work and since lockdown two years ago I worked from home every day. This was good because It meant I did not have to travel to the office which was quite far away. However I have a mild eye condition which means I cannot see a computer screen fara way and need the screen near to my face. Unfortunately working from home on a laptop meant that in order to get as close to the screen to see what I am doing I was sitting hunched over the table. In the office we have desktop screens that we plug our laptops into and the screen is on a swinging arm which can be brought near up to your face. That is perfect for me and I can sit upright. Sitting hunched over the laptop at home day afterd day gave me a sore leg. I had an MRI scan and I have prodruding discs in my lower back so consequently I have sciatica which is mild.

My office got me an orthapedic chair and they are supposed to make you sit with good posture. I still sit hunched at home because of the laptop situatioon. I cannot go on like this because it is going to make my back worse because i cannot sit upright at home and I am unable to bring the laptop close to my face. I am starting to get very worried about this because I do not want to end up in chrinoc pain. I also play the piano and sit hunched with my face close to the music because I just cannot see the music from sitting up straight.

I wish lockdown had never happened because if it wasnt for that, I would not have sciatica because I never sat hunched up at work because we had proper equipment. I have an excellent physio which I have seen on occasions but he does not know I have an eyesight issue. I was asessed over the phone for the chair by my work place and when I told my physio he laughed and said how on earth ccan anyone diagnose the right chair over the phone. You need to see the person and study their body etc and then make a decision as to what chat is appropriate. A person who is not medically qualified who diagnoses over the phone by asking a bunch of questions is not the right way to go about it and I agree. I have an orthapedic chair at home which work got me and I am about to get one for the office but again I was assessed over the phone which susrprised me because I assumed they would come into the office and see me and my work environment and then tell me what chair to have but they are not doctors or trained physiotherapists so what the hell do they know about what chair is right for me. My physiotherapist that I still have if I need to see is absolutely excellent. I had a previous one who was rubbish and changed to the one I have now who is ten times better

Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated

Ask your work to provide a screen to plug to your laptop for wfh? Alternatively you can buy a pretty cheap laptop holder for a few pounds and add a keyboard/mouse

Yes, all you need is a monitor, keyboard and mouse- it makes your set up entirely different.

Ok, well the problem doesn't seem to be the chair it's the screen ring too low, small and far away so the logical answers would be:

• can you ask to return to the office if that set up worked better for you?
• can you ask for a screen to be provided for your home?
• can you ask for an arm that attaches to your home desk to be provided for the screen?

Get a screen at home. Or a laptop riser or both.

My work have provided laptop stations including keyboard, mouse and monitor. It struck me as the least they can do.

Goodness, that sounds awful!

If you haven’t already, I would explain to your employer the issue you are having, and that the support they have provided to date has not helped. They should provide equipment to help you. This could be a desk, screen with arm (as you describe); or if you don’t have capacity for a desk you can get stands for laptops that raise the height etc to make it more comfortable.

You may need to be quite ‘punchy’ if they’re not doing anything , but ultimately, they would be responsible for any long term injury you sustained at work, so should take it seriously. If your manager isn’t helpful I would ask to speak to the person responsible for Health & Safety in the business (maybe HR, but often a separate business area).

Good luck - you definitely can’t continue like that!

Can you not replicate the office set up at home with a laptop stand and monitor? Even if work won’t provide them they’re not expensive when weighed up against being in pain.

I have same set up at home as I do in the office, laptop and monitor + keyboard, work provided mine but if they hadn’t, theses are inexpensive so I would have purchased myself, rather than cause back issues which can also mean expensive treatment to put right. If you’ve saved on commute costs can you not justify purchasing?

It is extremely easy to do a DSE over the phone - or on line, or over Teams, etc., etc. Surprising that your physio doesn't know that. We all (11,000 of us) had them back in 2020 due to the lockdowns. A suitable ergomomic chair is essential for working whether at home or in the office, but it is only part of a DSE assessment. You don't "diagnose" the chair - it's the whole working environment. If you are only telling people half the story, then they can't give the proper advice. Your problem isn't the chair per se - it is your eyesight and the way you are sitting. I have seen people manage to slump perfectly well in the best ergonomic chairs going! What you need is a proper (probably larger) screen, mouse and keyboard, and more than that you need to learn to use the accessibility features of the software. No matter how bad your eyesight is you should not ever be sitting up against the screen - having the screen that close will make your eyesight even worse. These days it is the software that you adjust to your eyes more than the equipment.

thanks its not a laptop raiser I need. I can put my laptp on top of a pile of books to raise it which I have done. I need to bring it closer to me which an arm will do. My work do not provide home workers with a desktop screen or keyboard or mouse. I have already asked this and the answer was no. You have to provide those things for yourself

They really should be providing this equipment, but if you've exhausted all options with them, including asking for an occupational health referral then can you afford the £100 it would cost to sort this yourself?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1home-Ergonomic-Computer-Rotation-Dimensions/dp/B01MR397OH/ref=sr112sspa?adgrpid=53558531659&hvadid=259090868132&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9046177&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3285001557912167921&hvtargid=kwd-300146924050&hydadcr=2817881821120&keywords=monitor+arm+desk+mount&qid=1685307396&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1&smid=A1PFW4PC5IFLDF

And about £70 for a monitor from Argos/curry's/Asda/Amazon

I know that work should provide all of this but can you afford to get yourself set up properly by yourself? Surely it would be worth it as the current situation isn't working, it wouldn't cost a fortune.

They need to make reasonable adjustments. Have your work got a proper HR department who can arrange an Occupational Health appointment for you?

Can an optician not offer advice?

What is the mild eye condition that can't be corrected with glasses?

Are you using built in Operating System accessibility features to make things easier for yourself?

support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/discover-windows-accessibility-features-8b1068e6-d3b8-4ba8-b027-133dd8911df9

I have macular degeneration but I have the dry not the wet which is slower to develop and ive had it for 13 yearsm My general eyesight is good, its just reading that is a problem. I read book using a magnifyer because glasses dont make the print large enough and use widows magnifyer on the computer. Doing this I see very well

Have work told you you MUST wfh - in which case I can't see how they can not let you take the screen from the office, home with you.

or

Are you opting not to go to the office where you have the right screen set up ? In which case the answer is different.

This ^^

I have crap eyesight as well, and the screen on my tiny HP laptop is too small. I have two wide-screen monitors, a mouse and a keyboard to enable me to work efficiently. I work with large spreadsheets and need both screens.

Your work should provide you with the means to do your job.

In the short term can you just increase the font size? Or is is bespoke software that you can't adjust? Or try pressing ctrl+ and it will enlarge everything on the screen.

I have increased the size of the font on my laptop. I am not allowed to take any office equipment home. They have provided every desk with a desktop screen a keyboard and mouse. A note went round recently to say some desks have a mouse missing so if anyone has taken one home could they return it. They have calculated the number of staff to the number of office equipment and you just cannot take anything home. It is in our contract to work some days at home and some at the office. We have been doing this for years. I would not want to work full time at the office because it is a two hour journey each way and very exhausting

Your work should be providing you with a monitor and keyboard.

if they really won’t, the truth is that while expensive versions abound, perfectly serviceable cheap versions also exist. You could easily acquire a monitor and keyboard and setup a proper workstation for very little money . Your employer shouldn’t want you doing this because they should want to be in control of all devices attached to you laptop, but if they refuse such a basic provision, I would just get yourself set up properly.

While you shouldn't have to do it I would take @Ponderingwindow's advice. Have a look on Freecycle or post on the local Facebook pages.

You have my sympathy.

Ask on your local fb /next door sites if anyone has a monitor to sell. I wouldn't be surprised if you get one.

Or £60? monitor and £8 mouse. I know your work should provide this equipment, but if they havn't after 3 years, maybe it's worth the investment - I imagine the investment might even reduce your need for physio and offset the cost.

Then it's really quite simple. Buy yourself a monitor, keyboard and mouse. They're not expensive. However I find it incredibly strange that your company don't provide these. Have you ever done a DSE assessment? They're a legal requirement and given the current issues with you back and the very easy solution of spending around £100 to give you what you need, I'd be amazed if they didn't.

Work is not obliged to buy equipment for you so if you want to work at home buy yourself a monitor keyboard and mouse

Work should provide appropriate equipment for WFH.
They are not doing this and you could take it up with HR.

However, for your own health, buy your own equipment.
You're saving on travel costs after all plus you're investing in your own health. You really don't want to fuck about when it's your eyesight and your back waiting for work to solve this.

Keep the receipts in case you can claim back from work but, really, £200 or thereabouts in this context would be money well spent from your own pocket.