You spend up to 8 hours sitting at your desk a day. Making sure that space works for you just as hard is essential. Uncomfortable chairs, messy desks, and poor lighting can impact even the most diligent worker’s comfort and productivity. It can even cause injury over time, such as back pain, eye strain and fatigue. So, ensuring your workstation is as ergonomic as possible is vital to staying happy and healthy.
Understanding Workstation Ergonomics
Ergonomics in the workplace is the process of designing or arranging workstations and products to fit the people who use them to increase comfort and decrease body and eye strain while at work.
Making sure your workstation works for you can keep you more comfortable while at work – boosting productivity and focus. It also helps to reduce the risk of common strains such as back strain, eye strain and sore shoulders.
Choosing the Right Ergonomic Office Furniture
Setting up the best ergonomic workstation starts with the furniture. Desks and chairs are some of the best ways to refresh your workspace and make it instantly more comfortable.
Ergonomic Office Desks
You’ll need to have your desk at the right height for you. You should be able to rest your elbows on the desk with your shoulders relaxed. If they’re scrunched up, your desk is too tall. For too-tall desks that can’t be changed, raise your chair. For desks that are too short, you’ll need to adjust the height. That’s where adjustable desks come in handy. They’re easy to make taller or shorter depending on who is using them. And allows you to stand up and sit down as you need.
Looking for new ergonomic office desks for your workspace? Enquire with our expert team today.
Ergonomic Office Chairs
Having a supportive chair helps to banish back pain and hip pain. Choose a chair that supports the natural “S” curve of your spine and that can be adjusted to enable your hips, knees, and ankles to comfortably rest at a 90-degree angle. You could also use a foot rest if your chair is too high. If the chair has armrests, position them so your arms sit gently on the armrests with your elbows close to your body and your shoulders relaxed.
Looking for new ergonomic office chairs for your office? Get in touch with our expert team today.
Setting Up Your Ergonomic Computer
Staring at a computer that is incorrectly set up can result in eye strain, a sore neck, and stiff shoulders. Not to mention arm and wrist pain. So setting up your computer correctly is essential to a comfortable work day.
Monitor Placement
Computer monitors should be set up an arm’s length away from your face with your eyes level with the top of the screen. If you need to use multiple screens, they should be placed directly next to each other so you can use eye movements to see all the screens with minimal neck movement.
Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse
Where you place your keyboard and house will also help to prevent neck and shoulder pain. Set the keyboard in front of you so your wrists and forearms are in line and your shoulders are relaxed. Make sure your mouse is in easy reach on the same surface and turn up the sensitivity so you only need to use small movements to point and click what you need.
There are different types of ergonomic mice and keyboards so you might need to explore different options depending on your needs.
While you are typing, using a touchpad, or using a mouse, keep your wrists straight, your upper arms close to your body, and your hands at or slightly below the level of your elbows.
Laptop Users
Laptops pose unique risks as they aren’t really designed for working on for long periods of time. The keyboards are cramped and the screens are too low. So you might find that you need to use a laptop stand to raise the screen and an external mouse and keyboard for more comfortable use.
Whether you work from home or in an office, setting up an ergonomic workspace is essential for your overall health. You spend a lot of time at work so it should be as comfortable as possible and pose as little risk as is manageable to keep you feeling happy, healthy, and productive. Check out the rest of our office furniture to kit out your office no matter whether you’re in a private office or hot-desk space.