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38% of remote workers work from bed

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Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#51
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a consensus best pick for home office chair at this point?

I have a crappy $80 ikea office chair. It’s served me well for years and is light years ahead of random dining room chairs - if people are using those for extended periods of time I’m not surprised they’re getting injured - I’ve been there and it’s why I got a half decent chair.

I’ve seen folding chairs on Zoom calls. I get why those people want to go back.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a prior job I routinely took a nap during our sprint demo/retro/planning. Kind of absurd really that one can sleep through a meeting with nobody noticing.

Serious question, how do your coworkers perceive their own Jobs, do they share your perspective?

They agree (and agreed, as the napping was in a past job) that a lot of meetings we are taken do don’t help us do our jobs. Not sure if they nap during them.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#53
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Piano bench and good posture

Is this for real? Can people really sit on a piano bench all day?

It's totally for real, and I stand up and walk a little every hour or so, or I'll get tired and start slouching. WFH eliminated my chronic back pain, and I credit the bench.

As I understand it, the key is the good posture. My back pain was caused by weak lower back muscles. Maintaining good posture exercises those, where comfy chairs only relieve the immediate discomfort at the cost of long-term health.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#54
post #28

Anyone complaining about the pain doesn't know how to work in bed. lie face down and prop your chest up with a pillow. you can work for hours that way. When that gets tiring, roll over, and brace yourself against the backboard or wall with the same pillow to support your lumbar. repeat for zero back stress computer programming.

What about neck, my neck hurts this way.

if it's because of muscles, you should really be training your neck but adjusting your pillow to support your head works as well. it's a bit more finicky though. If it's flexibility you've gotta do more stretches just for your health.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#55

> but a whopping 50% still say the pain and discomfort of working from home is enough to send them back to the office. I want a breakdown of remote work preference by dollar amount spent on office chair. I think this would be revealing.

I use a $3999 Hale Aircomfort Zero Gravity Recliner with Air Massage [1]. I have three 27" monitors that are attached to a motorized sit/stand desk, purely so I can adjust their height as I adjust my depth of recline. This is an investment in my health that my employer doesn't seem to want to even discuss.

Recent survey asked "Are you missing equipment that is only available at the office?" No, it's the other way around thanks.

[1] https://relaxtheback.com/products/hale-aircomfort-recliner

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#56
post #14

> but a whopping 50% still say the pain and discomfort of working from home is enough to send them back to the office. I want a breakdown of remote work preference by dollar amount spent on office chair. I think this would be revealing.

Is there a consensus best pick for home office chair at this point?

Both Neutral Posture and BodyBilt build really good ergonomic chairs.

http://neutralposture.com/

https://bodybilt.com/

I've had a BodyBilt from even before the DotBomb so I never understood the fuss about Aerons.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#57
post #14

> but a whopping 50% still say the pain and discomfort of working from home is enough to send them back to the office. I want a breakdown of remote work preference by dollar amount spent on office chair. I think this would be revealing.

Is there a consensus best pick for home office chair at this point?

I bought an used fully loaded Aeron for $320, delivered, on Craigslist 2 years ago. I wasn't sure it would be worth full price, so used seemed like the way to go.

I wouldn't think twice of spending full price ($1500?) for one now. But I doubt it will ever need replacing... it was built in 1998(!!), like a tank. Some time later I bought a new gas strut for $50 (the old designs wobble) and some Atomdoc castors so it would glide over the hardwood floor.

Adjusted it once when I first got it. Vastly reduced my back issues - though a chair is just one part of back care.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#58

> but a whopping 50% still say the pain and discomfort of working from home is enough to send them back to the office. I want a breakdown of remote work preference by dollar amount spent on office chair. I think this would be revealing.

I've worked from home since March 2020 and I sit in a crappy folding chair from Costco. My office sent me a chair, and I also tried a kitchen chair, but I found the folding one the most comfortable, in that it doesn't lead to back pain after long use, while the others do.

I've found the most important thing is setting the heights of my screen and keyboard properly, that seems to be the main determinant of discomfort.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#59
post #33

Maybe this is because a lot of tech workers are living in cities? Where space is expensive? There's no reason to live in a city if you work remote.

There are plenty of reasons to live in a city that have nothing to do with work. I can walk to the library, cafe, grocery store, park. I can ride a bike to the beach, go to the opera, shows, etc.

I mean, I can't go to the opera _right now_, but soon enough I can.

Re: 38% of remote workers work from bed

#60
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems impractical for employers to pay for an addition to your house if you don’t have a room (let alone moving you to an entirely new building if you don’t own).

In which case employers should just increase wages to take into account how much is saved on office space. Then workers might be able to afford larger houses or apartments.

Wouldn't landlords just raise the rent to compensate?
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