“Ergonomize” Your Home Workstation

The COVID-19 pandemic forced remote work in many industries, where employees, especially office workers, were setting up offices within their homes. According to an article published by Forbes, remote work has increased from roughly five percent of full-time employees to a new normal at 20-30 percent across occupations and industries. This new normal has forced workers out of their comfort zones, requiring employees to set up work from home.

With the growing trend of remote work, it’s more important than ever to assess the ergonomics of your home to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your “work from home” experience.

Avoid existing ergonomic guidelines unless they make scientific sense. Ergonomics should be based on fact, research, experimentation, and theory using body mechanics as a baseline. Ergonomics is personal. What works for someone else may not work for you. Therefore, follow these simple “do not” rules:

Since the pandemic started, have you noticed any musculoskeletal changes? Stiff neck? Tingling hands? Shoulder pain? Eye strain? You probably need to “ergonomize” your home workstation, whether working, emailing, shopping, or scrolling through social media, you’re most likely using a computer or a Smartphone.

Poor posture, lack of proper equipment, and poor ergonomic information can cause a lot of distress in a number of different parts of the body. Therefore, it is important to set up an ergonomic workstation design to avoid the onset of various musculoskeletal strains and pain. There are several principles to consider, but there is not a single posture or arrangement that will fit everyone.

• Do not settle for a desk without a keyboard tray or some other way to set the keyboard height and angle correctly.
• Do not place the keyboard on top of the desk.
• Do not place the monitor above your head.
• Do not sit in a rigid upright position or lean forward.
• Do not work for long periods without moving, standing, or stretching.