Working remotely

Working safely in temporary locations

Working in remote locations such as hotel rooms or airport lounges often means not having access to your usual equipment, furniture and creature comforts such as adjustable seating and good lighting. This may require some creativity to ensure comfort.

If you regularly work remotely and use a laptop as your primary computer you should carry with you a separate keyboard and mouse and a portable laptop raiser/stand. The Roost Laptop Stand is a good example of a portable laptop stand. The alternative is to raise the laptop on something sturdy such as a box or books so that the top of the laptop screen is just below eye height.

Consider packing a few simple items to maximise your health and comfort:

• a small pillow to place in the small of your back to provide supplementary support when sitting in fixed chairs
• a stretchy resistance band which you can use to do some stretches in your hotel room
• a tennis or lacrosse ball to massage tight areas in muscles or trigger points. Self-massaging is “especially great for the gluteal (butt), hamstring (backs of legs), and paraspinals (muscles on either side of the spine).”

The following short videos contain practical tips to optimise your postural health and safety when working remotely:

• Healthy use of laptops everywhere (planes, trains and in hotels)
• Healthy use of Smartphones
• University training modules on using mobile technology devices