The Importance of Setting Up an Ergonomic Workstation at Home

In today’s day and age of remote working and home offices, having an ergonomic workstation at home has never been important. 

If you want to ensure that you’re taking care of your body, you’re going to want to consider the ergonomics of your workstation. 

To help, our ergonomics experts are shining a light on why setting up an ergonomic workspace is important and how to go about creating one for yourself. 

Did you know that some 16 million American adults suffer from chronic back pain? 

Without a proper workspace, it’s safe to say that your back will suffer at one point or another. When we consider how much time we spend working, it’s easy to see how this could unfold. 

Ergonomics helps to prevent muscle musculoskeletal injuries from happening as a result of your workplace setup. This takes into account how anything from your seating to your desk will affect your back, your neck and even your eyesight. The goal is to put as little physical stress on your body throughout your workday as possible. 

Comfort level impacts your engagement and productivity.

In addition to your physical health, an ergonomic workspace is also going to benefit your mind. 

When your physical body is at ease, you’ll find that you’re more engaged in your work tasks. As a result, your productivity will increase as well as your happiness. Suddenly, your body and mind are no longer in pain from hours of screen time. 

Consider a standing desk.

To start making your workstation more ergonomic, let’s start with your desk.

If you’re working with a traditional sitting desk, it’s time to consider a standing desk. Even switching between a sitting and a standing desk will do wonders for your back and your neck. 

You can switch between sitting and standing each half-hour. This is great for elongating your spine and encouraging blood flow throughout the workday. 

If you’re unsure about what will work best for you, invest in an ergonomics assessment which can now be done virtually with companies like Solutions Northwest Inc.

Invest in your office chair.

Next, it’s time to talk about your office chair.

While your dining room chair is getting the job done, it’s not helping your back pain. This is why choosing an adjustable and supportive ergonomic chair is crucial. It should be at the correct height and provide good lumbar support.

As a simple rule, you want your elbows to be bent at 90 degrees when typing on your computer or using your mouse. 

For some specific  advice on an ergonomic chair, contact an ergonomics consultant for an assessment.

Align your equipment properly.

You are going to want to be directly in front of your computer monitor and your keyboard. 

Many people have their computer monitor placed too low or too high. To correctly align your monitor, you want your monitor to be at eye level and an arm’s length away. This helps to keep your neck properly aligned and prevents your back from slouching. 

Check out our guide on the perfect monitor height and setup here: “The Ergonomic Way to Sit at Your Desk and View Your Monitor”.

Contact an ergonomics consultant for a virtual ergonomics assessment of your home office.

If you want to be productive, happy and healthy throughout the workday, having an ergonomic workstation assessment is a must. Due to social distancing and COVID-19 restrictions, companies like Solutions Northwest Inc. are now offering affordable virtual ergonomics assessments. This is an investment every remote worker should make.

This is the best way to ensure that you’re turning in your best work and not having to compromise your mind and your health. If you want to take your work-from-home routine seriously, it’s crucial to start with your workspace. 

Do you need a virtual ergonomics assessment?

The ergonomics experts at Solutions Northwest Inc. are now offering affordable Virtual Ergonomics Assessments specifically for remote workers (all you need is access to e-mail or a smart phone).

Looking for More Tips on How to Create an Ergonomic Workspace? Contact us at SolutionsNW.com, we will be happy to help you!

At SolutionsNW.com we value the importance of a positive workplace culture. Part of a positive workplace is a safe workplace, Contact Us to schedule an ergonomics consultation or ergonomics assessment for your office today.

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