The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to readjust in many ways, including some companies shifting to remote work. Working from a home office has its benefits, but it also comes with quite a few challenges. Virtual offices mean added screen time which can lead to eye strain, ear problems and too much time sitting in one place.

Living and working in the same space also can lead to challenges with setting boundaries and having an appropriate office space within the home.

"I think it's really important that if you are working from home, that you have office time and family time as separated as you can have," says Dr. Clayton Cowl, chair of the Division of Preventative, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at Mayo Clinic. "And your home office needs to be a room — or at least a part of a room — where it's quiet, the light is appropriate, there's adequate ventilation, and it's set up ergonomically for you."

Occupational medicine is a specialty focused on helping workers stay at work and return to work.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Cowl, and Dr. Laura Breeher, a Mayo Clinic occupational medicine specialist, discuss tips and tricks for staying healthy while working from home.

Watch: Dr. Cowl and Dr. Breeher discuss tips for working from home.

Read the full transcript.

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

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