In the last 18 months, remote work has gone from being a fringe concept to a near-universal way of working. Now work is slowly returning to the office, people are still finding themselves working in new spaces, and in new ways. Some of these include:
Hotdesking: workspaces are fluid, and used by multiple people at different times
Hybrid work: Hotdesking works best when used in conjunction with the hybrid work model as fewer people will be in the office at any given moment, so fewer desks are required.
Coworking spaces/Work from Anywhere (WFA): lockdown restrictions lifting meant the locations available to work from has increased dramatically. From temporary offices, coffee shops or even cinemas, spaces have opened to allow people to work from a different place every day.
Here, we’ll be discussing the various components of an ergonomic workstation, along with the benefits of an optimised workspace, whether that’s in a permanent office or elsewhere.
Click on a link to jump to that section:
- How can ergonomics build a better working environment?
- Things to consider when creating a workspace
- Is office ergonomics one size fits all?
How can ergonomics build a better working environment?
Health
Pain and discomfort after working at a desk is common, but did you know that these issues can have long-term impacts on health? From temporary muscle straining to carpal tunnel syndrome, the way we work can greatly affect our bodies.
Poor posture created by many of our workspaces can cause pins and needles from reduced blood flow to muscles, or even a weakened spine if posture remains bad for years.
Safety
Ergonomics also includes minimising or removing hazards within the office. These can be cable tidies such as the Cable Spine keeping trip hazards out of sight, or keeping desks organised in a way that avoids having to stretch to reach anything.
Read our guide to preventing ergonomic hazards here.
Productivity
“A Happy Employee is a Productive Employee” – Erin L. Davis.
An employee who is uncomfortable is limited, and their work will suffer for it. By prioritising the comfort of employees, an 8-hour workday becomes less of a struggle, and productivity will increase!
Ergonomics is part of a range of methods to boost productivity in the workplace, and most of them focus on increasing comfort and decreasing stress, whether physical or mental. Alongside improving workspaces, instilling practices such as frequent breaks and more flexible work schedules can have a positive impact on productivity.
Things to Consider When Setting up a Workspace
It’s helpful to think of a workstation as machine where all the parts work together to create a functioning setup. Each piece is just as important as the rest, and all require focus.
The elements we’ll be focusing on are:
Keyboard height
Computer Screen height
Desk height
Task chair height
Unique challenges when working with a laptop
Keyboard height
If your work requires frequent typing, making sure your keyboard is set up correctly can help prevent common injuries such as carpal tunnel and repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Common mistakes people make with their keyboard positioning are:
Placing their keyboard either too high or too low, creating tension and discomfort in the wrists and shoulders.
2Having the wrong sized keyboard – if your keyboard is too small, this can force your arms into an unnatural pose, causing wrist pain.
Hunching over the keyboard while typing, creating bad posture and eventual back pain.
Computer screen height
Whether you use a sitting desk, a standing desk, or a hybrid of the two, having the right view of your computer screen makes avoiding problems such as eye strain or ‘text neck’ easy.
Your eye line should be around 5-10cm below the top edge of the screen when your monitor is adjusted correctly. The centre of your screen should also sit around 17 to 18 degrees below your eye level.
When working from different heights throughout the day, being able to adapt your monitor height will make creating an ergonomic space easier. A monitor arm is a simple addition to your desk, such as the Reach Pro (pictured), being able to move your monitor around easily will make you more likely to sit with it at the right height, and making these adjustments becomes effortless.
Desk height
Your desk is the core of a workstation, so it’s only natural that we should focus on keeping it at an optimum height. Your desk is what balances other sections such as your keyboard and monitor, so the rest of your setup relies on your desk being optimised.
Proper desk height can reduce the risk of hunching over while working, as well as allowing you to sit more comfortably as a default, reducing the risks of back pain and injury
Desks can be adjusted through simple, manual fixes such as raising the legs by putting blocks or books underneath, but if that isn’t possible then products such as the adjustable sit-stand workstation (pictured)
Our guide to finding the perfect desk height can be found here.
Task Chair Height
Before looking at optimum chair heights, we must consider how important it is to be working from an appropriate chair full stop. When working from home, many of us have had to build our workspaces from scratch, or settle for working from our beds, sofas, and dining room tables.
These might well have worked as a quick fix, but as we’ve seen remote working evolve into a more long-term practice, these unconventional workspaces can cause long-lasting back, wrist, and neck pain.
While the desk supports much of our other work equipment, it is our task chairs that support almost our entire bodies. Having an ergonomic chair set at the right height is vital to creating a comfortable, productive workspace, and there are several things to consider, such as:
Lumbar support
Armrest support
Where your feet rest
They should be flat either on the ground or on a footrest
Where your legs sit
They should be bent at around 90°, ensuring the hips are positioned above the knees, and that the chair isn’t restricting blood flow
The easiest way to make sure your desk and chair are always working in sync is to utilise an adjustable chair.
Unique issues when working with a laptop
Laptops are the perfect solution to avoid carrying an entire console to and from the office when hybrid working, but it’s all too easy to let ergonomics slide in exchange for that portability.
Luckily, the fixes are relatively simple. A laptop is essentially just a combination of a keyboard and computer monitor, so by using both sets of advice, you can negate the potential negatives of using a laptop over a traditional computer.
Find out more about how to make the most of working with a laptop.
Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
Craning neck due to low down monitor | |
Keyboard too high/narrow | External keyboard/mouse |
Eye strain from sitting too close to the screen | External monitor or the above workstation |
Is an ergonomic workspace ‘one size fits all’?
The short answer: no! Every one of us has different needs to get the perfect, ergonomic workstation. But this doesn’t mean that building it has to be a lengthy and complicated process. By following the principles laid out in this piece, you’ll be in a better, healthier position than you were before.
To get more help prioritising the ergonomics of your office workspace, talk to one of our experts by getting in touch.
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