Home-Office Checklist – Healthy Work

Since Corona, working from home has become more widespread than ever before. In times of pandemic, many employees set up their own workplace in their home. However, the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Working Hours Act must also be observed at home. This is the only way to work healthily and safely. We provide you with a home office checklist.

Basic Requirements for Home-Office Work

The first question is whether the job is generally suitable for working from home. Work that has to be done from the desk or involves telephone calls, for example, lends itself to this.

In addition, working from home requires a high degree of self-organization. Ideally, the employer offers support in this regard, for example in the form of a seminar on time management. In the following, we explain which points are important for healthy working from home. With the home office checklist, it’s a piece of cake for both employer and employee

Ergonomic Workplace

In order to work healthily, it is first necessary to have a sufficiently dimensioned workplace. An area of 160 cm x 80 cm is optimal. As a minimum, 80 cm x 60 cm is sufficient.

To ensure sufficient rest after work, work and private areas must be sufficiently separated. This is best achieved with a separate study.

Light is also an essential factor at work. The room used needs daylight, ideally coming from the side, and additional lamps if necessary.

Regular ventilation promotes concentration and also makes a significant contribution to healthy working.

Furniture

The right office furniture is also crucial for health. An office swivel chair with five casters is ideal here to prevent it from tipping over. An adjustable backrest as well as height-adjustable armrests and an adaptable seat are also extremely important. A height-adjustable desk is also necessary for optimal ergonomics.

Sitting Position

With a correct sitting position, tension and other ailments can be effectively avoided in the long term. When working at a PC, the view of the screen should ideally be slightly tilted downwards. The height of the desk is optimally adjusted when the upper arms form a right angle when resting on it. A perfect seat height is characterized by the upper and lower legs being at a ninety-degree angle when sitting.

The Right Work Equipment

A PC workstation also requires suitable hardware. This includes, for example, an anti-reflective screen with a size of at least 17 inches. Ideally, the PC is operated using a mouse and keyboard. The touchpad of a notebook is too tiring in the long run. Fast Internet access is also necessary to enable remote teamwork.

Work Organization

When it comes to self-organization, regular breaks and statutory rest periods must be observed in particular. This includes, for example, a break of at least thirty minutes after six hours of work, and a rest period of eleven hours after working hours. To ensure this, a strict separation of work and private life must be made. For example, work documents must be kept outside the private sphere.

Communication With Colleagues or the Employer

To avoid isolation, regular communication with colleagues and the employer is necessary. If problems arise while working in a home office, it is also necessary to ensure that feedback can be given to the employer. This is the only way that any adjustments can be made.

Home-Office Checklist

In the following section, the individual requirements are again summarized in a checklist.

• Basic requirements
  • Activity is suitable for home office
  • Ability to organize oneself
• Design of the workplace
  • Sufficient working space, at least 80 cm x 60 cm
  • Separate work and private areas
  • Enough light, if necessary, with artificial light sources
  • Regularly ventilate the workroom
• Furniture
  • Individually adjustable office swivel chair with five castors
  • Height-adjustable desk
• PC workstation
  • Sufficiently large LCD screen, at least 17 inches
  • Mouse and keyboard
  • Fast Internet access
• Sitting position
  • Slightly downward directed view of the screen
  • Tabletop forms a right angle with upper arms
  • Correct seat height, upper and lower legs form 90° angle
• Organization
  • Regular movement breaks
  • Observe statutory rest breaks
  • Do not mix work and private life
• Communication
  • Ensure regular exchange with employer and colleagues
  • Feedback to the employer possible in case of problems and wishes