How to Set Up an Ergonomic Home Office

So make the most of these movement breaks by shaking out your muscles to get the blood flowing or even doing a lap around the living room to score some extra steps, encourages Geisel. “Take a break from work and work on opening up your body — particularly your chest and hips — and they will thank you,” she adds. You’ll also want to scoot all the way back in your chair so that your butt is reaching the backrest. For more information about ergonomic home office design and other ergonomic topics, be sure to check out Weber Knapp’s website. We just redesigned our website to make it easier to find educational resources and information about ergonomic office products. Make sure that when you’re done with the workday, you’re able to put your equipment away.

By following this work from home ergonomics checklist, you’re taking a significant step towards improving your health, comfort, and productivity. Make sure your computer screen is at eye level to reduce strain on your neck. It may seem convenient, but working from your bed or couch for more than an hour a day is not ergonomic or productive, Kiberd says.

Do you like to listen to music but you’re sharing your space with someone else? If you have the ability to purchase some new equipment for your work-from-home setup, Wirecutter has some great office gear recommendations. These exceptions include increased muscle mass and the strengthening of tendons, muscles, and ligaments combined to prevent future injury.

DO customize a space to fit you

If it’s too bright in the room, it may speed up eye strain or give you headaches. If it’s too dull, you may end up in an awkward position as you try to read your screen. “You should have less light above the eyes and more light below the eyes – on the table, across the keyboard and documents,” she says. Avoid sitting right next to a window, which may cause a glare on the computer screen. “Our eyes are a muscle, so they need to move regularly as well,” she says. Every 20 minutes, take your eyes off your screen and focus on something 20ft away for 20 seconds, something which helps avoid eye strain.

Ergonomics also improves your comfort, productivity, and well-being by optimising your work environments, such as your lighting, ventilation, noise, and temperature. Flexibility can also mean being open to learning new skills, using new technologies, and collaborating with different people. By being flexible, you can take advantage of the benefits of working from home, such as saving time and money, reducing stress, and enhancing your performance.

1. Adjustable chairs allow you to have the proper height no matter if you’re at your desk or the kitchen table.
2. By being flexible, you can take advantage of the benefits of working from home, such as saving time and money, reducing stress, and enhancing your performance.
3. A typical kitchen or dining room table height is about 28 to 30 inches, so the height of your table should be fine for setting up your home office there.
4. Flexibility can mean choosing your work hours, location, and tasks, as well as adjusting your work style and pace according to your preferences and needs.
5. If you are the only person using the space, customizing will reduce the time and discomfort of sitting at a station that does not fit you.
6. Posture correctors are worn around your shoulders and upper/middle back, they are usually made from comfortable, padded material.

Check Your Shoulders, Neck, and Head

Moving from workspace to workspace brings the challenge of finding a chair that’s the right height. Adjustable chairs allow you to have the proper height no matter if you’re at your desk or the kitchen table. Studies show that Neat could play a key part in maintaining our energy levels and body weight. In the new work-from-home environment, that means consciously tapping into these activities and making sure to move every 30 minutes – outside is great, but even a different room is suitable. The main goal is that you’re moving intermittently and varying your posture throughout the day to avoid strain.

Ergonomic office chairs cater to the actual shape of your spine and come with multiple adjustment settings to best suit your body type. Your elbows should also sit comfortably at 90 degrees or higher while at the keyboard or desktop. If your wrists are higher than your elbows, this can lead to discomfort and unnecessary hand pain.

So if your feet don’t reach the floor, go ahead and grab a footstool or rest (or even a stack of oversized books) to prop up your feet so that the soles lay flat against the surface. Again, the height should be as much as it takes to get your knees to 90 degrees, according to Geisel. Whether your job has a hybrid work model or you’re remote full-time, here’s what to know about setting up the best, most ergonomic home office. Maybe sitting at a desk all day doesn’t seem like an ideal situation. With a sit-stand desk, you can shift between sitting and standing with ease.

Work From Home Ergonomics: The Don’ts

Focusing on incorporating easy habits into your day-to-day, like taking breaks, will improve posture down the line. Here, ergonomists offer tips to prevent muscle strain and boost productivity by creating a better workstation at home. Perhaps you check email one last time 30 minutes before it’s time to shut your computer down, or maybe you get into the habit of sending your workmates a message to say you’re signing off. Barnes recommends using work from home ergonomics platforms, such as books, to get your desktop equipment up to the right height if you want to create a standing desk.

Not only are risers height-adjustable, but they are also angle-adjustable so you can choose how to tip or better position your screen. You may find it helpful to roll your shoulders back throughout the day to help keep yourself from hunching over, recommends Khastoo. Some slouching is inevitable, which is why you should try checking your posture every 20 minutes or so and straightening yourself out as needed, suggests Geisel. Now that you’re not surrounded by coworkers (except maybe your roomie or partner), don’t be afraid to set an alarm for every 20 minutes to remember to check yo-self. You can place it on top of a book or two to help raise it up for optimal eye position, says Geisel. If you have an office-style chair, move the height until your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are bent at 90 degrees, recommends Geisel.

Of course, wearing a posture brace or trainer may not be enough for some folks who have spent a lifetime developing poor posture habits. Posture correctors are worn around your shoulders and upper/middle back, they are usually made from comfortable, padded material. Poor posture, especially during prolonged work hours, wreaks havoc on your productivity and overall health. An ergonomic mouse is non-traditionally shaped to better fit your palm and your fingers while keeping your wrist in a relatively neutral position.