v-Fluence Blog

Health and the Home Office

At its core, the set up of the home office is not all that different from a traditional one. Our offices all have desks, chairs, computers and peripherals. Across both settings, abiding by the laws of ergonomics is equally important, as are proper posture and frequent stretches for the eyes and major muscle groups. However, of course, our coworkers are anywhere between 5 and 6500 hundred miles away instead of just down the hall.

As with any PR job, we often begin working at an obscenely early hour, can be found signed on to Instant Messenger late in the evening and are parked in front of our laptops on weekends and holidays. However, we don’t have the benefit of a commute, one clear distinction between us and others who work traditional workplace environments.

The benefit of a commute, you say? Don’t get me wrong. You will never hear me complain about my situation. I was made for the virtual work environment. I don’t have to pay for a subway pass or parking every month. I get to wear PJ pants and slippers instead of suits and stilettos. However, those commuters leave the house with far more regularity than I. As such, those of us who work from home need to make a more concerted effort than the general workforce to make time for physical activity.

Since starting at v-Fluence two and a half years ago, that need for (and, earlier on, lack of) physical activity has and continues to be my greatest challenge. Before I learned to master a balancing act that suits me, I was falling victim to the “secretary spread;” my backside was taking the shape of my favorite chair, I became far more easily overwhelmed with work and found it difficult to concentrate by mid-afternoon. I would frequently find my self hunching lower and lower over my keyboard as each hour passed: a Quasimodo for the digital age, holed up in my house with a hump on my back.

How have I balanced my heavy workload with making time for my physical fitness on a daily basis?

I take time out of my day to go to the gym for an hour, a leisurely bike ride or even just a 15-minute walk. Not only do these daily activities help me physically, they, in fact, boost my work output. Each break allows me to focus on something other than the computer screen, clears my head, helps to collect my thoughts and return to work refreshed and renewed. And here we have one of the greatest benefits of working for v-Fluence: the flexible schedule of a virtual office.

Now that I have built time into my schedule to get out of the house and get some exercise everyday, I see a vast improvement in my work, my personal life and the balance between the two, all without having to commute.

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