Prevent complaints: organise your work in a healthy way

An important factor in preventing complaints is the way you organize your work.

• Discuss the division of tasks with colleagues and manager. Alternate the screen-related tasks with other tasks as much as possible. Avoid peak crowds by working with schedules.
• Make agreements about answering e-mail and ad hoc work. If you get a lot of email, schedule periods of the day to respond to it so you can focus on the other work tasks in between. In the same way, see if there is structure to be brought to the ad hoc work.
• Put your work attitude into perspective. It contributes to taking breaks on time, your urge to perform has a limit, your perfectionism is curbed and that you work with schedules as much as possible. So a method in which you continue to take good care of yourself. A high degree of dedication to the work results in higher muscle tone in the large neck-shoulder muscles, research shows.
• Support each other as colleagues, work together and talk to each other. Don't leave bottlenecks unaddressed, discuss them with the manager. Good cooperation with colleagues and the manager can prevent stress.

• Before you start working, activate your body so that your head is also in action. First, do a wall-sit. Pay attention to an upright posture, knees at a 90-degree angle. Keep your back and shoulders against the wall, in a sitting position without a chair, preferably for 30-60 seconds. Check out the Wall-sit Challenge. On this site you will find many exercises.
• Organize work in such a way that you are regularly on the move. Alternate 2 hours of work with at least 10 minutes of interruption. For very intensive (computer) work, such as entering data, an interruption after 1 hour is necessary. Take a 20-second relaxation break every 10 minutes. Try to move during all interruptions, even if you only stretch well!
• The exercise advice is: 2-3 times per hour, 2-3 minutes of walking. Even if you work from home. Get up regularly to grab a drink, walk up and down the stairs or make a phone call while standing.
• Plan variety with your schedule. For example, make appointments for meetings, visits or other matters that involve movement in your agenda in such a way that there are periods of up to 90 minutes of computer work.
• Allow exercise or recovery time between your appointments.
• Use break software as a tool to encourage regular rotation of computer work. Behind the screen you are usually completely absorbed in the work, a signal to interrupt the work is welcome. Especially with a high workload!
• Consult or meet while walking.
• Easy-to-perform exercises for neck, back, and shoulders include:
  • Standing and dynamic movement.
  • Picking apples above your head.
  • Turning shoulders forward and backward.
  • Bend head to left and right shoulder.
  • Arms behind the back, hands folded and stretching the chest.
  • Just a nice wave.