Lesson video

My name's Mrs. Antrobus.

Welcome to Computing.

I'm glad you could join the lesson today.

Today we're gonna be learning about Remote Working.

Welcome to today's lesson from IT and the World of Work.

Today we're going to be learning about remote working.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to consider the benefits and drawbacks of working remotely on physical and mental well-being.

During the lesson, we'll be using these keywords.

Let's go through them now.

Mental health.

Mental health, how well you cope with day-to-day life, how you feel and how confident you are.

Ergonomics.

Ergonomics, the process of organising an efficient and safe workplace.

Physical health.

Physical health, how healthy your body is.

Remote working.

Remote working, working somewhere other than in a traditional office setting.

Today's lesson will be broken down into two parts.

The first part will evaluate impacts of physical and mental well-being.

The second part, we will look at creating a positive working environment.

Let's get started.

Well-being is a state of feeling of being healthy and happy.

It involves taking physical exercise, talking to people, eating well, sleeping well, and learning new skills.

Mental well-being describes your mental health, how well you cope with day-to-day life, how you feel and how confident you are, good self-esteem.

It involves identifying stress indicators, taking time to rest, being kind to yourself, and also talking to others.

Name two things you can do to support your mental well-being.

Think about this.

Let's just check your understanding before we go any further.

Pause the video for a moment and we'll come back in a moment.

Okay, what did you come up with? Identify stress indicators, take time to rest, be kind to yourself, talk to others.

Did you think of any other examples? Okay, let's move on.

Well done.

Your mental well-being affects your concentration, decision-making, motivation, and interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

Employers who promote positive mental health and offer support for their employees often see a reduction in the number of days people are off work and stronger team dynamics.

This has got to be good for the business if their people are happy.

Maintaining your physical well-being involves making good lifestyle behaviour choices.

This can help you to maintain your physical health and avoid preventable diseases and conditions.

It includes eating a balanced diet, getting the right amount of exercise and fresh air, avoiding substance abuse.

Okay, let's check your understanding again.

Give one example of a good lifestyle choice.

Pause the video and give it some thought.

Okay, what did you come up with? Eating a balanced diet, getting the right amount of exercise and fresh air, avoiding substance abuse.

Well done if you identified those good lifestyle choices.

Did you think of any other examples? Poor physical well-being, for example, due to lack of sleep or poor nutrition, can cause fatigue, illness, and decreased efficiency in the workplace.

Promoting physical health, for example, walking meetings, standing desks, wellness initiatives, can lead to better morale and lower healthcare costs for a company.

For good overall well-being, it's essential that the balance is found between physical and mental health.

Apps can encourage physical activity.

I'm sure you're all aware of different running and fitness apps that are available.

Technology enhances access to learning.

People can actually study for a university degree online.

Wearable technology can track your fitness.

For example, heart rate or number of steps taken each day.

People with diabetes can track blood sugar levels and receive warnings if it's high or low, helping them to manage their well-being.

Technology allows flexibility in choosing a working style.

However, technology can have some disadvantages.

For example, use of technology can reduce sleep quality.

It can lead to eye strain or poor vision.

It can lead to repetitive strain injuries.

They are injuries often to the hands and wrist due to people being on computers for a long amount of time.

Overuse of technology can lead to loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

I'm sure your parents or people that you know have told you about the dangers of being online or using technology too much.

Let's now have a look at task A.

You're going to define mental and physical well-being and you're going to evaluate the benefits and risks of using technology to support mental and physical well-being.

Pause the video and have a go at the task.

How did you get on? Let's have a look at some examples.

Define mental and physical well-being.

Mental well-being is all about your mental health, how you cope with everyday life.

You need to talk to friends, think about how you can manage stress, and take time to switch off and rest.

Physical well-being is how healthy your body is.

You need to get enough exercise and eat healthy.

How does your response compare to the example? Well done for having a go.

Okay, let's have a look at the example for question two.

Evaluate the benefits and risks of using technology to support mental and physical well-being.

Technology can be a great support to some people in keeping physically healthy.

Lots of my friends have step counters to encourage them to exercise and my Mum and Dad use their watches to track their heart.

Health technology can also support mental health.

I set reminders for break times and I can work collaboratively with friends online, which helps me to feel more confident about my work.

Unfortunately, some people can overuse technology, which can mean they damage their eyes, exercise less, or even become depressed.

How does yours compare to the example? If you feel like you've not included enough information, maybe go over some of the content of the video so far.

Okay, let's move on to the second part of our lesson, create a positive working environment.

It is important to create a workspace that is ergonomic.

This means creating a safe and effective workspace so that you can work as efficiently as possible.

How to create a good remote working environment.

Identify the things you will need and have everything close by.

Work in an airy room with a good window and plenty of light.

There's nothing worse than being in a room with no natural daylight.

Set break times and stick to them.

Sit correctly.

It's important that you don't slouch over your computer or you would end up with back pain.

Support your back and wrists.

This will help you to avoid symptoms like RSI that we talked about earlier.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

Give three ways to create a good working environment.

Have a go, pause the video and we'll come back in a moment.

Okay, what did you come up with? One, identify the things you'll need and have everything close by.

Two, work in an airy room with a good window and plenty of light.

Three, set break times and stick to them.

Four, sit correctly.

And five, support your back and wrist.

Well done if you were able to identify them.

A bad working environment includes not having what you need close by, having the wrong type of chair to sit on, poor lighting, the monitor position too high or too low, leading to neck strain or vision problems, lack of ventilation.

Everybody needs fresh air.

No windows.

Not taking breaks.

Give three features of a bad working environment.

Pause the video and give this some thought and we'll come back in a moment.

Okay, how did you get on? Let's have a look at some suggestions.

One, not having what you need close by.

Two, having the wrong type of chair to sit on.

Three, poor lighting.

Four, the monitor position too high or too low, leading to neck strain and/or vision problems. Five, lack of ventilation.

Six, no windows.

And seven, not taking breaks.

How did you get on? Were you able to remember them? Okay, now we're going to take a look at this image and we're going to answer these two questions.

Do you think this is a positive working environment? And can you highlight the positive aspects based on what we've learned so far? I want you to pause the video and have a deeper look and then we'll come back.

Okay, how did you get on identifying those positive aspects? Did you spot the window for ventilation and natural light? Did you notice that the resources are close by, such as pens in a pot.

There is a fan for ventilation to circulate fresh air.

There is a height adjustable chair, so that person sitting there doesn't get back ache and has a good posture.

There are reminders set in online calendars for regular breaks.

Now we're going to move on to task B.

You are going to create a design for a positive work environment based on what you have learned so far.

I want you to annotate your design to highlight the choices you have made.

Pause the video and we'll come back with an example shortly.

Okay, so here you can see the design created by Andeep.

Let's have a look at Andeep's annotations.

He's included a window for natural light and ventilation, also a fan for ventilation.

There is a wrist rest to help prevent repetitive strain injury and a clock so you know when to take a break.

He's also included a lamp and is an additional light source.

He's also ensured that a necessary equipment is stored near the workstation and that there is a height adjustable chair and monitor stand.

Andeep has created a really detailed design and annotation.

How does yours compare? Did you include all of the detail that was required? Well done if you did.

So we've come to the end of today's lesson, and you have been fantastic.

Well done for all the hard work you've put in.

Let's just summarise what we've learned today.

Mental well-being affects concentration, decision-making, motivation, and interpersonal relationships.

Employees who promote positive mental health and offer support for their employees often see a reduction in the number of days people are off work and stronger team dynamics.

Poor physical well-being, for example, due to lack of sleep, poor nutrition or sedentary behaviour, can cause fatigue, illness and decreased efficiency.

Promoting physical health, for example, walking meetings, standing desks, wellness initiatives, can lead to better morale and lower healthcare costs.

Thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing you next time.