Tech Gadgets that Make WFH Bearable
Helena Black, Corner Alliance Operations
Washington D.C.
July 9, 2020 - The onset of COVID-19 in the U.S. caused a massive relocation of employees from the office to the home, and companies had to create the infrastructure necessary to support a remote workforce. Nearly seven in 10 employees in the U.S. switched to remote work after COVID-19 hit1—higher than ever before.
Our employees are no exception - Corner Alliance swiftly transitioned our consultants to be 100% remote. We have made a few adjustments to help us be as productive at home as we are in the office. Here are the gadgets that made our transition to remote work easier.
1. Blue light Glasses
Alright, we know blue light glasses aren’t technically a gadget. However, they provide relief when staring at a screen for long amounts of time. Blue-blocking (BB) spectacle lenses, or blue light glasses, were found to partially filter high-energy short-wavelength light without substantially degrading visual performance and sleep quality 2 . In other words—they filter out the light that causes damage to your eyes and lower rates of insomnia without making it harder to see your screen.Additionally, blue light glasses help to lower reduction in Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF) 3 , the frequency at which a flickering light is indistinguishable from a steady, non-flickering light 4 . This means there is less strain on your eyes at the end of the day—saving you from constant headaches and reliance on eye drops.
Here are a few options our consultants recommend:
LensCrafters lenses with
BlueIQTM
Lenses
Warby Parker lenses with
Blue-Light Filtering
Lenses
Zenni Optical lenses with
BlokzTM
2. Dual Monitors
We have found that using dual monitors helps us increase productivity at home while using our normally-portable laptops and hardware.
Dual monitors are a good idea for four key reasons:
Dual monitors allow applications to work together seamlessly, especially when work requires quickly referencing other materials, transferring data from one application to another, or watching instructional videos.
They increase collaboration and communication when you have a video meeting app like Slack, Zoom, or Google Hangouts running on one screen and your source of reference on the other.
Setting up a docking station is a breeze (so long as you have the hardware to do it—users with newer Apple products should remember to get an adapter!)
They’re seriously simple—they don’t require extra software to communicate with your main device, and you can drag and drop applications from one monitor to another. As an added bonus, operating systems remember which application you opened on which monitor, so jumping back into work after a night off is easier than ever.
Here are a few options our consultants recommend:
LG 34GK950F-B 34" 21:9 Ultragear WQHD Nano IPS Curved Gaming Monitor with Radeon FreeSync 2, Black (also a great gaming choice!)
Samsung CF390 Series C27F390FHN - LED monitor - curved - Full HD (1080p)
Acer V206HQL Abd 19.5" HD+ (1600 x 900) TN Monitor (DVI & VGA Port)
3. Earbuds
Odds are you’re wearing headphones and earbuds way more than you ever have before, especially while working alongside a spouse, partner, roommate, or child(ren). It’s important to find comfortable earbuds that you can tolerate having in your ears for long periods of time. Many come with built-in microphones, which beat using your laptop microphones that are further from your mouth and more likely to pick up outside noises (Hello, screaming kids or barking dogs!)
It’s also important to keep your earbuds set to an appropriate volume. Former National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Director James F. Battey, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., said in a 2017 podcast interview, "if an individual is standing at arm's length from you and they can hear your earbuds, that noise is probably too loud, and if delivered for a long enough time will cause noise-induced hearing loss." We want to avoid that!
Here are a few options our consultants recommend:
Airpods Pro
Pixel Buds
VANKYO X200 Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds in-Ear TWS Stereo Headphones with Smart LED Display Charging Case IPX8 Waterproof 120H Playtime Built-in Mic
4. Webcam
Working remotely has added several communication challenges - especially when it comes to nonverbal cues. Many laptops have built-in webcams, but the video is usually choppy and grainy. Laptop webcams are often limited to 720p resolution, with sensors below five megapixels. In non-technical terms—very slow. This can result in frustrating video conference calls.
We’ve been enjoying some fun customization by adding unique backgrounds to our Zoom meetings (we use Canva to create the image).
Here are some options our consultants recommend:
Mevo - Live Event Camera
Razer - Kiyo Webcam
Logitech - HD Webcam C615
5. Mouse
Modern computer users use their mouse almost three times more than their keyboard4. For those of us using laptops with touchpads, a good mouse is essential. Finding one that has ergonomic support to protect yourself is even better, since musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) like tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and epicondylitis cases are among the most frequently reported causes of lost or restricted work time, accounting for 33% of all worker injury and illness cases5.
A study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) showed that increasing mouse height and angling the mouse topcase can improve wrist posture without negatively affecting performance6. In fact, using a vertical mouse can decrease the exposure to biomechanical risk factors for computer mouse use-related musculoskeletal disorders7. That’s a mouthful; but basically your hand will feel a lot better!
Here are some options our consultants recommend:
Logitech - MX ERGO Plus Wireless Trackball Mouse - Graphite
Adesso iMouse E9 - mouse - USB
Wireless Mouse 2.4G Ergonomic Vertical Optical Mouse with Nano Receiver, 4 Adjustable DPI 800/1200/ 1600/2400,Rechargeable Li-Battery, 6 Buttons
Upgrading your home office with these essentials will improve communication between you, your colleagues, and your clients, and increase your productivity. In some cases, you may even be preserving your long-term health.
What are your recommendations for gadgets that make remote work easier? Drop a comment below!
1Hickman, B. A. (2020, June 30). Reviewing Remote Work in the U.S. Under COVID-19. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/311375/reviewing-remote-work-covid.aspx
2Leung, T. W., Li, R. W., & Kee, C. S. (2017). Blue-Light Filtering Spectacle Lenses: Optical and Clinical Performances. PloS one, 12(1), e0169114. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169114
3Ide, T., Toda, I., Miki, E., & Tsubota, K. (2015). Effect of Blue Light-Reducing Eye Glasses on Critical Flicker Frequency. Asia-Pacific journal of ophthalmology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 4(2), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1097/APO.0000000000000069
4Wells, E. F., Bernstein, G. M., Scott, B. W., Bennett, P. J., & Mendelson, J. R. (2001). Critical flicker frequency responses in visual cortex. Experimental brain research, 139(1), 106–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210100721
5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Safety and Health Topics | Ergonomics | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved July 2, 2020, from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/
6Odell, D., & Johnson, P. (2015). Evaluation of flat, angled, and vertical computer mice and their effects on wrist posture, pointing performance, and preference. Work (Reading, Mass.), 52(2), 245–253. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-152167
7Quemelo PR, Vieira ER. Biomechanics and performance when using a standard and a vertical computer mouse. Ergonomics. 2013;56(8):1336-1344. doi:10.1080/00140139.2013.805251
Author
Helena Black, Content Marketing Specialist for Corner Alliance, supports her mission to bring empathy to the workplace through thoughtful communication. The Minnesotan-native worked across many industries before settling in at Corner Alliance.