Before the pandemics, millions of Americans were working from home. With the changing work dynamics during the pandemic, millions more worldwide joined the remote workforce. And while it is a more flexible and convenient working arrangement, it’s certainly not the best one for your health, especially when your home office is not ergonomically designed.
Poor ergonomics at your workspace can lead to posture issues, aches and pains and more serious musculoskeletal problems. However, you can make simple adjustments to your home office and improve your home office ergonomics. If you are setting up a new home office or are simply making changes to improve your home office ergonomics, this post is for you. Here we share X tips to improve your home office ergonomics so you can work more comfortably and productively.
So let’s get started.
1. Readjust Your Screen at Eye Level
For starters, one of the best tips to improve your home office ergonomics is to readjust the screen at eye level.
Most people are working on their laptops or desktops in their home office. However, their screen is not adjusted according to the eye level. To improve your home office ergonomics, it’s best to readjust your screen slightly below or at your eye level. The main idea is to have your screen correctly positioned for you, so you don’t have to slouch or crane forward when looking at the screen. If your current desk doesn’t allow for readjustment of your screen’s height, you might have to invest in ergonomic tools such as a standing desk converter that can allow you to change the height of your screen to make it more comfortable and ergonomically arranged for you.
Simply by readjusting your screen, you can ease the strain on your neck and shoulder and avoid potential stiffness in your back and neck and improve your comfort and productivity while working at home.
2. Get the Right Back Support
Another important tip for improving ergonomics in your home office is to get the right back support. Sitting for prolonged hours can strain your spine, including your neck and back. The problems intensify if you continue to sit on an office chair that’s not comfortable and ergonomically designed.
To ensure that you maintain a correct posture as you work at home and sit comfortably in your home office, it is best to invest in ergonomic office chairs that offer the right back support. Ergonomically designed office chairs helps prevent slouching, which is one of the leading causes of sprain in neck and back muscles. Moreover, it provides adequate support to your lower back and hip muscles and avoids musculoskeletal concerns while maintaining the natural alignment of your spine. Furthermore, an ergonomically designed office chair has armrests that support your arms and neck and help avoid problems such as neck and shoulder pain and muscle spasms.
Read Also: 7 Tips to Be Super Productive in Your Home Office
3. Take Care of Your Wrists
Another tip that can come in handy when improving your home office ergonomics is to keep your keyboard within your reach. Typically, your wrists experience pain and discomfort after prolonged hours of using your computer’s or laptop’s keyboard, making it difficult to concentrate and work. In turn, your wrist pain can negatively affect your productivity.
One of the simple solutions to this problem is to keep your mouse and keyboard within your reach. Make sure your keyboard and mouse are placed such that your wrists should remain straight as you type. As a result, you can avoid placing your wrist in awkward positions that can add pressure to your wrist joint and lead to wrist injuries associated with overuse or misuse of the wrist.
Moreover, to further enhance the ergonomics of your home office, you can take a step further and add a wrist rest which is one of the best ways to improve comfort, especially if you are working on a laptop.
Read Also: How to Transform Any Space Into the Perfect Home Office?
4. Make Space for Your Legs
Prolonged sitting can put a lot of pressure on your lower body, and if you are working at home and are required to sit for longer stretches, you can improve the ergonomics of your home office by creating space for your legs. Rearrange your home office set up such that your legs don’t feel restricted, and you have ample space to move your legs even when you are sitting. By creating more legroom, you can try out some simple lower body stretches without leaving your workstation and improve the blood circulation in your lower body.
If you have a work chair that’s high and your feet are dangling, investing in a footrest is a great way to improve your home office ergonomics and your productivity at work.
5. Continue to Take Short Breaks
Improving your home office ergonomics is not just about investing in the right tools and furniture and rearranging to make your home office more productive. Instead, it also includes measures such as taking short breaks, which is a great way to give rest to your eyes and prevent stiffness in various parts of your body, including your neck, shoulder, back and hips.
You can set up an alarm and take a quick break once every 30 minutes, and allow yourself a few stretches that can give your body a break it needs while boosting your productivity.
Improve Your Home Office Ergonomics and Move Towards a Healthy Work-from-Home Experience
Improving your home office ergonomics doesn’t mean you have to revamp your home office completely. Instead, by making slight changes such as rearranging your keyboard, mouse and screen, you can reduce the discomfort associated with poor ergonomics and move towards a healthy and more productive work-from-home experience.
