WFH Ergonomic Tips: Your Work from Home Ergonomics Checklist

Find an area of your apartment that is free from clutter and is close to electrical outlets. The way that you use the mouse of your computer and the other input devices can also have an effect on your health. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that can be developed because of the way that you use the mouse of your computer. Home-based work is becoming a common feature of Australian workplaces. Following the shift to working from home during COVID-19 – and the staged return to usual workplaces – many businesses are adopting approaches that blend working from home and in the office.

Prior to the widespread pandemic, an increasing number of people had already been saying goodbye to feeling stressed – doing an exhausting daily commute to work. It comes as individual workers and businesses saw remote working’s potential. Companies have seen there has been an increase of productivity of as much as 77%. Individuals, on the other hand, noticed that working remotely could be good for stress and heart health. View Comcare and Safe Work Australia guidance on managing work from home including checklists and tips.

A desk set at the proper height for using your keyboard

However, these are soft guidelines that will vary with your height. If you must use a laptop, perhaps consider purchasing either a separate monitor or a separate keyboard to connect to the laptop. That way your keyboard and monitor can be separate from one another, allowing you greater flexibility.

• Finding what makes you comfortable can greatly improve your workday.
• You also want to try to distribute your weight evenly between your feet.
• Some people have even started using sit-to-stand work stations and are spending quite a bit of time standing while working.
• This means more and more people are working at a location other than their business office.
• Keep objects you use often — such as the phone, stapler or printed materials — close to your body to minimize reaching.

If you don’t have a footrest, try using a small stool or a stack of sturdy books. If your desk has a hard edge that’s not rounded, pad the edge or use https://remotemode.net/ a wrist rest. This protects your wrists from a problem called contact stress that can happen as a result of extended contact with a hard edge.

Your Home Office and Your Health

It features six sharp blades, a wide head, and intuitive controls, and it proved very effective during our testing. It’s quiet, comfortable to hold, capable of lasting up to six hours on a full charge, and USB rechargeable. The deal price is about $2 higher than the lowest sale price we’ve seen, but this deal is still a good value. In a perfect world, experts say you’d re-create your usual office setup at home.

Following the principles of ergonomics, it is essential that while sitting, your forearms and thighs should be parallel to the floor. An adjustable chair with good lumbar support will help minimize neck and back strain, thereby saving you from chronic neck/back pain in the future. And, if you don’t have a chair with an adjustable height but you need to move up, you can put a firm, thick pillow under your butt for extra height, says Khastoo. Again, the goal is to get your knees to a 90-degree position while keeping your feet flat and positioning your keyboard within easy reach. If your thighs lightly touch the underside of the desk and it’s comfortable for you, you should be good to go, adds Khastoo. Social distancing still can be followed by using remote or virtual ergonomic assessment techniques where ergonomists can obtain the most pertinent information to recommend an optimum workstation setup.

Mental health

If you raise your chair, make sure you can still keep your feet flat on the floor. If not, you’ll need a footrest to give proper support to your legs and feet. 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 work from home ergonomics constantly, and you can place the monitor at a level that’s comfortable for you. “I highly recommend wearing supportive shoes and possibly standing on a softer surface than a hardwood floor,” notes Geisel. Otherwise, it can put unnecessary strain on the muscles in your feet and even mess with your posture.

Taking a few moments to ensure that your home office is set up properly can help you reduce repetitive stress and strain while working. This can minimize pain, improve posture, and improve your overall productivity while working. Sometimes a small stack of books can be used to ensure the monitor is at the proper level when working. If you have a higher cafe-style kitchen table, you need to use a chair that allows you to sit higher while working. In that case, you may also need a small box or stack of books to place your feet upon to keep your hips and knees in an optimum position while working.

The Right WFH Posture

You also want to try to distribute your weight evenly between your feet. If you spend hours at your desk each day, it’s worth it to invest in a great office chair with that lumbar support. We’ve recommended the Steelcase Gesture for years because it’s highly adjustable to fit a variety of body types and sizes, and it has a supremely comfortable cushion and adjustable lumbar support. You might be able to find one of these chairs at a huge discount at your local office-liquidation store or one of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores. An external keyboard allows the flexibility to raise the laptop monitor to an ideal height for a neutral neck posture.