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The advent of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) has meant that most of us have gone back to working from home (WFH).
Although WFH has brought a whole host of benefits to our working routines (meetings in pyjamas, anyone?), trading in our office cubicles for a home workstation setup — no matter the perceived perks — does have some problems.
If you’re often sweltering in Singapore’s heat, having neck/back discomfort or joint stiffness, your productivity levels could take a hit (I mean, who can stay focused with all that perspiration dripping down your leg or that nagging ache?).
Here are 5 common WFH issues and how to deal with them:
1. It’s too hot and humid at home
Sweaty thighs? Sweaty back? Sweaty everything? With Singapore’s oppressively humid climate, working from home is like literally being in the hot seat (even when your boss isn’t pinging you incessantly). Of course, we can try to crank up the air-conditioning, but it’s expensive, bad for the environment, and sometimes doesn’t alleviate the issue.
One way to tune down our discomfort is to ensure that our home office chair is made out of breathable materials. A chair that does that is office chair maker Ergomeister’s latest FAEZ8ERG, which features its proprietary premium Air-scape Mesh.
Dr Seow Kim Seng from Macquarie Chiropractic says: “In a full leather seat, the material has limited breathability and captures the moisture from our perspiration, which can be a problem for people with skin conditions. The fully-breathable mesh material in the Ergomeister chair is much better.”
Unlike other chairs that have a high percentage of polyester in their meshes, the Air-scape Mesh on the FAEZ8ERG is made of 70% nylon and 30% polyester. Thanks to the strength of nylon (it’s stronger than polyester, which is more prone to wear-and-tear), the chair also retains your body shape much better, providing you with maximum comfort.
2. Having to sit in the same position for long hours
The lines between work and rest have become increasingly blurred, with back-to-back Zoom meetings now the norm. Many of us continue to stare at our screens even after our work day is done — we video-call our friends, play MMORPGs or watch the latest Netflix show.
Sitting for too long has been linked to a whole bunch of problems, from obesity to increased cancer risks to poorer mental wellbeing. Other than increasing your physical activity or investing in a standing desk, it also helps to be proactive when it comes to ensuring your comfort when seated.
Get a chair that has adjustable support features so that you are seated in the correct posture. The chair should also promote active sitting, which promotes healthy dynamic movement (when you engage some of your muscles).
Case in point: The Ergomeister FAEZ8ERG features customisable supports designed to give the user the most ergonomically optimal experience during those looooong video calls; its adjustable features also help promote active sitting and the user can also change their position regularly as part of healthy sitting.
3. Neck and back aches
Another effect of prolonged sitting that most of us may have experienced are neck and back discomfort. This can also make us feel like we’ve aged a couple of decades.
This is because sitting for too long shortens and tightens our hip flexors, and our back and neck muscles work overtime to compensate for this.
What can we do to reduce the risk of these aches and pains? Apart from getting up to stretch regularly, having a suitable chair helps.
The Ergomeister FAEZ8ERG comes with a Lumbar+ Extra Response elastic lumbar support for your lower back. This feature helps encourage good posture by filling in the “gap of the concave” in the curvature of your lumbar region. It also adapts to your body and responds to your movements while you are sitting down to provide you with better support.
The FAEZ8ERG also comes with an adjustable headrest, which can be adjusted up to a height of 10cm. It can even be adjusted backwards and forwards, to suit people of all shapes and sizes.
4. Stiff arms and shoulders
The stiffness saga continues. Have you stood up after sitting for too long and felt like you’d been “frozen” in one position for hours? This issue could stem from — you guessed it — poor posture. A lack of support for our wrists, arms and shoulders is another possible culprit.
So how do we circumvent this? Again, a good chair is key. The Ergomeister FAEZ8ERG has adjustable armrests in all directions. It does not just go up and down to adjust to your height, it even can be rotated and go back and forth.
Dr Jenny Li, Honorary Secretary of the Chiropractic Association of Singapore, suggests maintaining a natural 90 degree angle in your elbows as you type. The adjustable armrest of the FAEZ8ERG is ideal in helping you achieve this and stave off those pesky stiff arms and shoulders.
5. You want to lie back and relax, but you also need to work
Let’s face it. We’ve all wanted to lie down halfway through WFH especially after emerging from a 2-hour-long meeting. Sorry boss, it’s not because we’re lazy or tired, but because we’ve been stuck in the same position all day.
However, with non-stop virtual meetings and tight deadlines now the norm, lounging on the bed with your laptop isn’t really an option (oops, forgot to turn off the camera!). Plus, there’s the risk of falling asleep for real…
What can we do then? One excellent compromise is to get a chair that will allow you to recline sufficiently and adopt a relaxed position for some respite. Anyone who has ever attempted this with their dining room chair might have almost ended up falling backwards. Ouch!
You guessed it — the Ergomeister FAEZ8ERG comes with tilt and recline functions. It can recline up to 135 degrees, which means that you can rest comfortably without compromising your posture.
In fact, the BBC reported in 2006 that Canadian and Scottish researchers have discovered that 135 degrees is the best position for long office work as it helps to prevent disc slide and compression.
If you’re caught up in back-to-back meetings, that doesn’t mean your back needs to suffer as well. The FAEZ8ERG’s tilt tension control encourages dynamic body movements so that you can lean back in your chair with minimum effort, but has enough resistance to provide back support at any position throughout the tilt range.
By all means, if you really do need to take a quick power nap before you carry on, you can tilt the chair all the way back for some shut-eye with the FAEZ8ERG’s 3 wire-line controlling mechanism that allows the smooth transition from an upright to a full-recline position. The chair is also made from Lightweight Aircraft Aluminum — if it can support flight, you can rest assured the chair won’t collapse in the middle of *ahem* naptime.
Just remember to wake up in time for the next Zoom call!
An upgraded ergonomic office chair, perfect for WFH
As WFH is the new norm, ensuring optimal comfort and protecting ourselves from pain is extremely important.
Ergomeister’s FAEZ8ERG is a significant upgrade from its earlier FAEZ5ERG with the addition of the Lumbar+ Extra Response, as well as the ability to adjust the headrest in all directions.
In addition, the FAEZ8ERG claims to be one of the top ergonomic chairs in the market, due to these features:
- German Air-Scape 3 Layered Mesh
- Lumbar+ Extra Response
- All Direction Head Rest Support
- Adjustable Back Rest
- Adjustable Arm Rest
- Ultra-Strong Nylon, Fibre Glass, and Anti-Corrosive Aircraft Aluminium
In fact, national sprinter Timothee Yap is one fan of the chair, who adds that it “has a classy look and can match both office and home-office vibes.”
If you’re still on the fence about getting your own FAEZ8ERG, Ergomeister is offering a 60-day trial for the chair with free delivery in just 1 hour. The FAEZ8ERG also comes with a 15-year warranty.
Here’s to making this WFH season more comfortable with a top-of-the-line ergonomic chair — so that you can ramp up your productivity without the distraction of aches and pains. Find out more about Ergomeister’s FAEZ8ERG and take it for a test run now.
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39A Jln Pemimpin,
06-05A, S577183
Halcyon Building
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