They’re not only important for when you aren’t working and need a comfortable place to rest your arms, they’re also helpful for tasks like keyboarding. Choose a chair with height-adjustable armrests that can also pivot inwards to offer your forearms full support when typing. Proper placement of your monitor is essential to prevent neck strain and eye fatigue. Position your monitor at eye level, so that the top of the screen is at or slightly below your eye level. Maintain a distance of approximately arm’s length away from your eyes, and adjust the screen angle to minimize glare.

This makes it easy to point out habits and areas in your workspace that need improvement. Pin your checklist on the wall near your computer or place it somewhere visible to keep ergonomic principles top of mind. When you work from home, it’s easy to get caught up in a project and forget to rest, but breaks are incredibly important for your health. With work from home, many employees took their office desks or equipment to homes, but some could not do so or weren’t allowed to practice this. Sitting on a chair for hours while staring at your screen can affect your physical health, especially your eyesight.

Desk Height

Another problem that routine settlement will help with is overworking or burnout. Work from home employees have a harder time drawing boundaries between work and home life; hence they spend more than healthy hours dedicated to work. After staying at home for months and following a relaxed routine, it seems nearly impossible how we used to get up at 8 and be on time at work. This is because the work from home has messed up routines for most of us. Use the employee purchase program or teacher discounts to build your ergonomic work from home. Without a proper setup, you will suffer a tough time managing work and separating it from home life.

Ditch the kitchen chair for an ergonomic chair that offers multiple adjustment points. The right chair height is key to many items on this checklist, and other adjustments can provide a personalized fit that bolsters your overall well-being. With electrical and fire safety concerns addressed, it’s time to look to the workstation.

Top 5 WFH Ergonomic Tips: Your Work-from-Home Ergonomics Checklist

Putting a firm cushion or tightly folded towel under your buttocks will raise your hips and increase the curve of your spine, making sitting more comfortable. According to the Washington State Office Ergonomic Research, the single largest class of injury claims in the office is Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD’s). If you can swing it, a standing desk makes it easier to stay productive while breaking up long periods of sitting, but you can also work from your phone or tablet. You can spend hours stooped over a computer or slouching in an uncomfortable chair.

Unlike office tables, tables for home use are usually a few inches lower. For that reason, you have to raise the height to which you place the keyboard and screen. With the remote employee experience continuing indefinitely, employees can truly benefit from health-conscious and innovative ideas for their work-from-home arrangement. If you don’t have the option of an office chair, there are some household items you can use to help you adjust.

What is a Working from Home Safety Checklist and Why You Should Make One? A Comprehensive Guide

How can you protect your remote or hybrid employees from burnout, injury, or lost productivity? We’ll explore the ins and outs of remote workplace safety and help you develop a checklist for success. Sharing a workstation means you need to adjust your computer height, chair, and furniture every time you sit down. Often, you may choose to skip adjusting the workstation altogether.

If you need to get up every time, you need something that can hamper your work. Use these tools and resources to build an ergonomic workspace that inspires your best work and fuels a collaborative team spirit. Take an inventory of all desk items, including your mouse, printer, notebooks and files. Keep your most used items closest in your primary zone followed by less commonly used items in your secondary and tertiary zones. That will help prevent unintended tweaks to your neck and back (and help you stay organized).

Using a monitor stand or adjustable monitor arm can help achieve the desired height and viewing angle. When setting up your ergonomic workspace, the first item you want to keep in mind is your chair. This is probably the most important part of your ergonomic desk arrangement because your chair is what offers you support throughout your eight-hour workday. Research has shown that using a poorly designed work chair can lead to major back and neck problems over time.

This can save you a significant amount of time and money, as well as reduce your stress levels. 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. Pack away your laptop and put your notes in a drawer, out of sight.

Work area and lighting

With 40 or more hours spent at work each week, it only makes sense that your workspace should be personalized to you and your comfort level. Having an ergonomic desk setup is crucial for staying sane throughout the work week, and also for staying healthy. During these exceptional times, people working from home can use these recommendations and ensure they can continue to work safely and productively. Choosing a vertically stacked dual-screen setup instead of a standard side-by-side setup might help reduce your neck strain. You won’t have to look sideways constantly, and you can place the monitor at a level that’s comfortable for you.

Use desk organizers, drawers, and cable management solutions to keep your workspace neat and free from unnecessary visual distractions. Your elbows should stay close to your core and your arms should be at a 90-degree angle when working at your computer. Poor postures and office ergonomics are the root cause of many desk jockeys and computer user’s problems. After your Zoom call, you’ll walk away with a firmer grasp of home office ergonomics and understand how to be more efficient and productive without the hassle of burnout and fatigue. If the screen is too low, you will end up almost resting your chin against your chest so you can see it.

OSHA Announces National Emphasis Program to Reduce Workplace Falls

You might need to spend just a little time ensuring your workspace is safe, both for you and others in your household. Tribal Habits has been a remote working organisation https://remotemode.net/blog/10-remote-work-ergonomics-tips-to-use/ since inception. In this article, we summarise some of our key lessons to help you work from home both effectively and safely into a ‘how to work from home checklist’.