How can you design a remote work system that supports productivity and ergonomics?

Having worked from home, and run a remote work environment for about a decade now here are my recommendations. As an employee working remotely prioritize creating a comfortable work environment and setting a routine that will ensure you can take breaks and feel like you are in a working place while in your home office or nook. Investing in a standing desk and lumbar support is very helpful if you are struggling with back pain in or out of the workplace. As an employer, provide a mix of mandatory and voluntary digital work spaces where people can socialize and collaborate on their work so they can feel less lonely and more fulfilled. Also if possible provide a budget to provide employees with ergonomic equipment to work from home with.

OK, here we go: 1. Define your requirements: Task analysis, technical requirements and security. 2. Choose Your Workspace: Ergonomic furniture, dedicated workspace (when is possible) and equipment provision. 3. Optimize Your Workflow: Task management tools, collaboration platforms and regular check-ins. 4. Enhance Your Communication: Video conferencing, chat platforms and clear communication guidelines. 5. Maintain Your Wellbeing: Flexible hours, regular breaks and wellness programs Additional Tips: Training and support, performance metrics and feedback mechanism.

As a system engineer, the best way to move forward for me used to be to take a step back, analyse, understand, scrutinize, understand the source and then lay down the requirements. In doing so the constraints which might go unnoticed usually got captured as well. Tools and resources will vary but the common between all should be an interface allowing clear view with collaboration between users. System engineers sometimes have the tendency to get too "involved" in the work, generally because they love what they do, but this will take a toll on the work life balance in the long run. My suggestion will be to create a daily schedule consisting of all key elements of one's life - family, personal time, no screen time, work etc.

So we've decided to work remotely. Great! Requirements? Well, we need more than a laptop, a phone, and a daily Zoom call for sure! I've seen companies do just this though and presume employees will work just as if they were on site. This approach rarely works. I appreciate this topic. I worked from home during COVID-19 (on a 10-person team) and later remotely for a gaming company. We had little guidance and painfully got the job done in my opinion. Regarding requirements, this article's questions are great! Use them, but use them this way: -- Boldly work WITH team members to define remote work requirements TOGETHER. Get their buy-in and ideas, define expectations, test methods, adapt, and always improve through feedback.

We must be mindful that family members don’t always see us as “occupied working while at home”. Pets are also a consideration, specifically that a dog or a cat may attempt to “join you” during an important video meeting. Closing the space off from others in the home may be needed to ensure separation of work and family is maintained.

You need to ensure quality workspace ergonomics, consider a sit and stand desk so that you can adjust your working environment based on what work requirements are for each day. Some days you may need to sit and be very focused, others you may want to stand and have the ability to move around more freely. A quality monitor(s) to display work on makes a very large difference in productivity.

A day's work for most can be done in a few hours with the right setup. Setup is not only about the materialistic things as mentioned above but a healthy workplace is maybe more important for quality work done with utmost diligence. Any resource will be happy to come to the office or join a teams call if they are comfortable and enjoy their work.

Choosing and designing remote workspaces can open up very promising opportunities to increase satisfaction and productivity while decreasing costs. But to do it best, we can think a bit outside the box. The traditional "safe" approach may be to replicate an "office desk environment" in our house focusing on physical/low-distraction features. This is fine for many cases. I think we can do better if we collectively consider the individual, team, project, and workflow for more creative and flexible workspace designs. For example, give workers Wi-Fi hotspot equipment to go to a park to get away and be creative. Provide cameras, headsets, and a Zoom room to "sit" with others during breaks. This is all part of workspace design too.

In the realm of systems engineering, crafting an effective remote work system involves a holistic approach. Prioritize your team's well-being and productivity by providing ergonomic essentials such as comfortable furniture and accessories. Ensure a robust technology infrastructure, including reliable internet connections and necessary hardware. Foster seamless communication through platforms like video conferencing and project management tools. Clearly define workflows, set expectations, and establish transparent guidelines to maintain efficiency. Support your team with training sessions on remote work best practices and ongoing technical assistance.

Whether working remotely or on-site, we need effective, optimized workflows. I believe remote workflows can enable us (or force us?) to be more automated and thus presumably more productive than working on-site. Also, lessons we learn from optimizing our remote workflows can be brought back on-site to increase our productivity in the office. It is a Win-Win! Workflows are more than processes/tools though. To be effective, they need to include work ethic and culture like willingness to collaborate and be transparent with employees and leaders.

Optimising workflow might feel like a cumbersome at first. However, it can bring down the time we need to perform certain tasks drastically, especially highly repetitive ones.

You must address prototyping and testing vs. dynamic requirements. This applies to software development, where allowing an effective 'early' integration with other system components is vital to stabilize/control your design. Remote control via remote automation is the best way to tackle the problem. You must have of course a very effective 'daily' management and sustain an ongoing 'problem solving' approach with the other team members. In a nutshell, continuous prototyping/ fast debugging/ integration cycles with 'real-time' project governance; this approach will assure your confidence and trust in the workflow. Ultimately it will make more effective and productive your work, with increased confidence and quality of life.

Adopting a “communicate early and often” approach is fundamental in designing a remote work system that supports productivity and ergonomics. 1. i.e., Establishing a routine for regular check-ins and updates. 2. Foster an environment (safe) where members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. 3. Create systems for ongoing feedback relating to the remote work setup.

Some will say thay overcommunicating is generally better than not communicating enough. However, not everyone is willing to communicate goodly; no response is still a response. Also, expect unclear response when we are the one not communicating clearly.

Adopting a “communicate early and often” approach is fundamental in designing a remote work system that supports productivity and ergonomics. 1. i.e., Establishing a routine for regular check-ins and updates. 2. Foster an environment (safe) where members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. 3. Create systems for ongoing feedback relating to the remote work setup.

I agree with Brenda wholeheartedly. Some more tips: Appreciate and reward your people in formal and informal ways—and individualize the rewards in ways each can best receive them. Create opportunities for people to connect around shared interests. Set up virtual get togethers that are purely fun so your people can get to know and connect with each other. Create and hold them to clear expectations around performance and outcomes so they can experience clear wins.

Remote work leads to working through breaks, lunches or even later than normal hours. You must ensure you take time away from your workstation for meals and breaks. Working remotely at home with pets allows me to factor in time away from my desk to walk the dog or engage my cat for a few minutes throughout the day. You personally need the break and your pets will appreciate the attention while you are home but normally don’t engage with them.

Years after the intensity of Covid infections has subsided, many companies are still offering hybrid/remote work options to increase employee retention. Maintaining the physical and mental well-being of remote workers should be prioritized. Sometimes, simple adjustments is all you need. For example, I find it helpful to dedicate a workspace that is free from clutter with an ergonomic chair that provides support for a neutral posture. An adjustable desk converter that allows to switch between sit and stand positions is useful. Also, one shouldn’t ignore the importance of frequent breaks for stretching and taking short walks, which additionally help the brain to reset.

Remote work is not a design-implement-use process. It is more like an iterative process where the company must continuously ensure that all aspects continue to work.

Consider a manufactured commute when first adjusting to remote work. It helps you to develop a schedule and routine; this can help increase focus and ensures you have keep a dedicated schedule so that you do not fall into the trap of working too much and neglecting your well being or other responsibilities.