How to ergonomically optimise your home office or study

Electric Height Adjustable Desk

How to ergonomically optimise your home office or study

Quick question: what does your work-from-home (WFH) setup look like?

If youโ€™re one of the 10.5 million Australians (68% of working Australians) who joined the national working from home experiment due to COVID-19, you may have realised that your home office setup leaves a lot to be desired.

Just because youโ€™re working from home doesnโ€™t mean that you need to sacrifice comfort and ergonomics – whether at home or at the office, optimising your work space for maximum comfort should be at the top of your list.

And part of optimising your home office is through ergonomics.

Good ergonomics are an important – and often overlooked – part of your health and safety. If you want to optimise your home office and turn it into a better workplace, thinking ergonomically is an important first step!

And one way we can help is by including an electric standing desk in your setup.ย 

What is an ergonomic home office?

And what is ergonomics, for that matter?

In essence, ergonomics is all about designing workstations, equipment, and tools to fit the user – rather than the other way around.

On top of improving your comfort, good ergonomics also:

  • Minimises physical strain
  • Can reduce muscle tension
  • Protects you from long-term issues associated with slouching and posture
  • Reduces distractions and improve focus

Imagine a comfortable workspace where youโ€™re always at your best to work every day. No muscle aches, no slouching, and no sleepy moments – youโ€™re always active and alert.

Moreover, imagine not having to worry about the long-term effects that can accompany ergonomic problems like a screen that requires you to crane your neck, or a keyboard that forces you to twist your wrists to use it.

Unfortunately, the rush to quickly set up a workspace at home means that a lot of us never got the opportunity to think our setup through from an ergonomics standpoint!

How to ergonomically optimise your home office

While thereโ€™s a lot to love about while working at home, suboptimal workplace ergonomics isnโ€™t one of them. (Weโ€™re looking at you, those who spent months using the kitchen bench as a desk!)

The most important thing to remember is that good ergonomics are based around your body – whatโ€™s ergonomic and comfortable for one person may not be the best for another.

As a result, the most ergonomic setup depends entirely on your body!

Instead of blindly following set heights, we instead suggest adhering to the following โ€œground rulesโ€ instead, tweaking as needed to fit your body:

  • Arms – should rest on your desk at a 90ยบ angle
  • Back – should be straight, without having to hunch over
  • Eyes – should be able to see what youโ€™re working on without craning your neck
  • Feet – need to rest flat on the floor, with knees at a 90-degree angle

In order to create an ergonomic workstation, youโ€™ll need to tweak and adjust until you tick each of these boxes.

Ergonomic office equipment and accessories

In addition to our electric standing desks, Ergomotion offers a range of office furniture, equipment, and accessories that allows you to find the most ergonomic working arrangement.

In order to create a healthy, productive, and comfortable home workplace, that often involves using specially-designed office furniture thatโ€™s created with ergonomics in mind….

Choose an ergonomic office chair

Whether itโ€™s at home or the office, most of us will work seated.

Naturally, this makes your office chair one of the most important pieces of the ergonomics equation!

When we say ergonomic chair, we donโ€™t just mean any old chair – for a chair to be ergonomic, it needs to be adjustable to fit your posture, eases any back and shoulder pain, and lets you work comfortably while working.

Ergonomic office chairs support your back and provide lumbar support that allow your back, neck, shoulder and pelvic rests comfortably while you work.

These chairs are height adjustable and let you customise the height to reach a position perfect for you.

Whatโ€™s more, they also provide support for other parts of your body like your elbows, shoulders, and neck!

Finally try moving your chair closer to your office desk to avoid having to lean forward.

Click here to explore our range of ergonomic office chairs.

Get a headset

If youโ€™re using a traditional office telephone, instead of putting the handset in between your neck and head (to free up your hands) we recommend using a headset or headphones.

Most smartphones come with headphones, so this should be one of the easier steps you can take towards a better ergonomic workspace!

Holding a phone between your ear and shoulder can lead to neck pain, muscle tension, and in extreme cases, even stroke.ย 

Standing Desks

Properly adjust your monitor

One of the best ways to optimise your home office for ergonomics is to make sure that your computer monitor is positioned at your natural eye line.

The reason for this is so you donโ€™t have to crane your neck up or bend it forward as you work on your screen – something that can be a (literal) pain in the neck, especially if it becomes a habit.

If your computer monitor is height adjustable, we suggest setting it so that the top third sits at eye-level to reduce the need to crane your neck. This will help to not only reduce neck pain, but shoulder, arm, and upper back pain, too.

Our range of height adjustable desks can be made to order, with a wide range of ergonomic extras.ย 

That includes monitor arms that allow you to easily move your screen around and find the most ergonomic height for you to work comfortably and safely.

Use a reliable sit-stand desk

Standing desks are one of the best investments you can make for your home working environment, especially if your goal is to improve ergonomics.

Letโ€™s use lower back pain as an example. In many cases, lower back pain is the result of sitting for extended periods of time. Doing so compresses the muscles in your back, which can result in back pain in some instances.

And thatโ€™s in addition to the muscle damage that inactivity can result in!

The human body is designed to move, not to be stuck seated all day.

Thatโ€™s why we recommend consistently switching between sitting and standing throughout your day – something made considerably simpler with an electric standing desk!

In addition to assisting on the ergonomics front, standing desks can also help you in other ways by:

  • Reducing your risk of heart disease
  • Improving your focus and alertness
  • Allowing you to reduce sedentary behaviour

The best way to use a standing desk is to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.

Your sit-stand desk is easy to use – just the touch of a button and youโ€™ll be able to switch from sitting to standing in just a few seconds.

Optimise your home office with an electric standing desk from Ergomotion

Think ergonomically when working from home – and make your home office even more ergonomic with Ergomotionโ€™s range of standing desks!

Our range includes a variety of different electric standing desks, allowing us to provide for all sorts of workplaces – including home offices.

For all of you who have made the switch to a home office due to COVID-19, our Edesk standing desk is just what you need, with all the features you need to create a healthier, more ergonomic workplace – no matter where that is!

  • Durable, high-quality construction
  • Anti-collision technology that reduces accidents
  • Bluetooth and wireless controls available
  • Extras like cable trays and monitor arms available

Got questions? Call our ergonomic experts on (03) 9579 1454 or fill in the form to contact us today.

author avatar
Guy Director
Higher Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Ergomotion Director since 2005.

Google Reviews

Ergomotion

Google Reviews

Shelley Jensen 07/09/24

Google
Guy (the owner) delivered the desk and set it up quickly. He then gave me a lesson on how to use it and how to get the most out of it. Arrived on time and was absolutely lovely to deal with throughout the whole process. Highly recommend.

clifford sneider 06/09/24

Google
Guy was fantastic and the desk is amazing

Jo Manning 08/08/24

Google
I bought an adjustable desk from Guy a couple of years ago, got great service and good price. Recently we had a tiny issue which could not be fixed over the phone. Guy was more than happy to come out and look at it 2 days later. All fixed! I really appreciated his patience with me and accommodating us so quickly. Great old fashioned service and piece of mind. I love it. I know where to get my second desk when needed. Thank you Guy. Jo Manning

Deborah Hunt 25/07/24

Google
ergomotion were fantastic to deal with. excellent customer service and a great product.

Andrew Pieterse 14/06/24

Google
Great service and really quick shipping. It is great to know that you are getting quality parts from a Scandinavian manufacturer with your standing desk purchase rather than the cheap knock off stuff you get from other major brands. Reasonably priced for the quality too!

Janette Clarke 20/05/24

Google
Guy was very accommodating with meeting him at a time that suited me. He assembled the desk prior to me collecting so I only had to carry it inside with help (it's pretty heavy). The desk is great, the storage racks underneath with the 6 x built in powerpoints was worth the extra money. I have a functioning & tidy workplace.
Guy was brilliant, I highly recommend.
Janette

Nickel 10/05/24

Google
Have now purchased 2 stand up office desks off Guy, benchmark sales service from him, all via email, so easy; from quote to plug in, only matched by the strong quality of these machines, solid and stable. If only everything in life was this easy and reliable.

Jennifer Fadriquela 23/03/24

Google
I purchased an EDesk this month from Ergomotion, and it was a remarkably smooth transaction. Guy was eager to answer all my questions before my purchase. As a first-time buyer of a standing desk, I truly appreciated how he addressed my queries with thorough details and provided options within my budget.

The delivery process was also smooth, despite a slight delay in the ETA. Guy ensured I received all necessary updates from the courier/removalist.

I've been using the desk for a couple of weeks now and I'm satisfied with it. It's sturdy on all height adjustments and the motor works as expected. I also like oak finish because it's clean-looking and suits my room setup.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and I'll definitely recommend Ergomotion to someone looking for their desk needs.

Josh Oliver 04/02/24

Google
I've had an ergomotion desk for 10 years. It's still as good today as it was brand new. Over the years Guy has always responded promptly to any guidance I've needed (mostly help putting the desk back together after removalists take it apart).

Michael Cheung 18/01/24

Google
Great service from Guy and the team at Ergomotion! Helped with all my queries and was able to source a standing desk part for me when many others weren't able! Highly recommend!
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