With the growing remote work trend, 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. Set internal deadlines ahead of actual due dates and find an accountability partner for regular check-ins. Additionally, time-tracking apps can increase awareness of how you’re spending your hours and motivate more focused work. Finally, create a visible system for tracking progress to maintain momentum even without external oversight. To stay organized, break larger projects into weekly milestones by identifying 3-5 key priorities at the start of each week. Then, make these goals visible in your workspace using a simple kanban board with “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Complete” columns.

Keep this work from home ergonomics checklist in mind when transitioning into remote working:

But, when you’re already at home, distinguishing where work ends and the rest of your life begins can be difficult. Being able to shift spaces to accommodate your needs and preferences is important for maintaining your focus. If you set up your laptop and stake your claim at the kitchen counter, you might frequently be joined by the spouse and kids walking through for a snack or to do the dishes. Make sure your space is out of the way of high-traffic areas to reduce distractions.

You might be moving about the house quite frequently to find a space to work, and if you don’t have a laptop, lugging your PC computer around is going to be a pain. This simple CPU trolley makes it easy to move your computer to the nearest outlet or to tuck it away out of sight. For people who spend all or most of their work day at their computers. Positive and negative tilts are available to further help wrist orientation. Part of maintaining good posture is making sure you stretch and move around to give your body time to adjust. Go for a walk, or run out to grab groceries on your lunch break just to leave the house.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, “home office” became the norm for many, mostly white-collar office workers, and the number of employees who performed telework in the EU doubled between 2020 and 2021 3, 4. WFH appears to be here to stay, with many companies downsizing their office space and adopting enduring policies regarding remote work, profoundly changing the conceptualization of the workplace 5,6,7. Hence, it’s critical that you take out some time to carefully consider your home-office ergonomics when working remotely so you can enjoy better health and well-being along with improved productivity at work.

BMC Public Health

  • In an effort to stem the number of coronavirus infections, millions of Americans are now working from home, transforming kitchen tables and bedrooms into temporary home offices.
  • The top of your screen should be at eye level or just below and approximately one arm’s length away.
  • Working from home can affect posture in various ways, depending on where and how you work.
  • I’ve worked from home for over 15 years, so I’ve had to transform many boring spare rooms into comfortable, Instagram-worthy, ergonomic office spaces.
  • Many physical therapists (PT) are consulting patients via telehealth or E-visits.

Moreover, WFH might trigger a number of mediating processes (e.g., coping, self-regulation) that could nevertheless result in a null relationship between WFH and well-being. We suspect that the influence of any moderators and mediating processes may also depend on the timepoint of investigation (e.g., pre-pandemic, during the lockdowns, post-pandemic). For instance, Leitner 15 found that work-family conflict and family-work conflict were only relevant mediators of the relationship between WFH and well-being at the beginning of the pandemic. Future studies should investigate mediators and moderators of inter- and intraindividual associations of WFH and different indicators of well-being.

Ideally, for 30 minutes, it’s best to sit for 20 minutes, followed by 2 minutes of standing and 8 minutes of movement. While it may not always be possible to take a break once every minutes, make sure you do it whenever it’s convenient for you. Once you adjust the height of the chair, ensure that the armrests allow you to position your arms at the right height and angle for the use of a keyboard and mouse. If you regularly work on a laptop, you should ideally invest in a separate ergonomic keyboard. Moreover, you should also ensure that you place the keyboard at elbow height.

  • It is important to note that workplace injuries must occur while work is being carried out.
  • The increase in WFH stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the urgency of understanding its association with well-being.
  • This means having a good internet connection, a decent webcam and microphone, and a professional or neutral background.
  • Besides using Freedom to block distractions, keep your digital environment well-organized to hop back into your tasks.
  • Because remote work offers flexibility, it sometimes leads to overworking.
  • It describes the current research on how long we should stay in each posture along with the importance of movement.

Don’t Position Your Monitor Incorrectly

Many of us, including the HSPI team, work hybrid or entirely remotely. The office can now be in the comfort of your home or even on the road if your job requires frequent travel. With this shift from traditional office settings to more flexible working environments, it is important to ensure that office ergonomics is applied no matter where your office may be. Whether working from home, in a coffee shop, or on the go, applying office ergonomic principles can make a difference in your physical and mental well-being. This article explores practical tips and strategies for incorporating office ergonomics into your non-traditional workspace.

Sometimes a laptop screen or a regular standing monitor can’t be positioned how you want it. Monitor arms allow you to adjust for proper viewing distance and heights relative to your keyboard and other working devices. To begin, position your chair and adjustable standing desk at heights that maintain your arms at a 90-degree angle when typing. There has been much debate over whether you should sit or stand at your workspace. Some people have even started using sit-to-stand work stations and are spending quite a bit of time standing while working. This is meant to relieve stress and strain on your low back and neck.

Ensure you dedicate time to social activities that can get you out of the house, like meeting up with a friend to see a movie, play mini-golf, go for a hike, head to the gym, or get dinner. Creative projects like painting, gardening, or home improvements can also feel nourishing. For example, you can set up Pomodoro Session #1 to run on weekdays at 11am, with both your Work and Sleep blocklists activated.

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. In this article, I’ve provided some practical tips and advice on setting up and using an ergonomic workspace at home based on the model WHS laws and guidance from Safe Work Australia and Comcare. Following them can protect you from injury and illness, enhance your comfort and performance, and enjoy the benefits of remote work. These postures can cause strain on your neck, back, shoulders, wrists, and eyes.

Buro Tidal Mesh Back Chair Review (

To help maintain boundaries, create a mental transition between work and home by taking a short walk before starting and after finishing your workday. This simple “fake commute” helps your brain switch between work and personal modes with greater ease. Ergonomics is the study of people’s interaction with their working environment.

Evidence based guide and tips for successfully working from home from the Centre for Transformative Work Design, which is part of the Future of Work Institute at Curtin University. There are videos, blogs and radio interviews led by Professor Sharon Parker on all aspects about how to manage your health and wellbeing particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. For more than a quarter of a century, HSPI has supported workplaces in their design and implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.

There are many ergonomic accessories you can use to help your posture and comfort which brings us to the final item on the checklist. As part of a complete remote work strategy, creating clear goals and tracking your progress provides structure and motivation for continuous improvement. For accountability, services like Focusmate or Flow Club connect you with partners for virtual coworking sessions that recreate a shared office atmosphere. Establishing genuine human connection is a crucial part of remote work, as it provides valuable support, motivation, and growth opportunities. To counteract isolation, schedule occasional non-work check-ins or virtual coffee breaks to maintain the social connections that naturally develop in offices.

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. Some adjustable-height desks let you save settings, so multiple users can quickly access their preferred desk height. At your workplace, you might have ergonomic office supplies to make your working experience more efficient. Keep this work from home ergonomics checklist in mind when transitioning into a remote working environment. Most office employees have been setting up to work from home — many for the first time — for the long haul.

You can also consider joining industry-specific Slack communities or forums where remote workers exchange ideas and offer peer support. Even 60 seconds of deep breathing between tasks helps reset your nervous system and preserves mental clarity during busy periods. Because remote work offers flexibility, it sometimes leads to overworking. Therefore, set firm start and end times, and honor them as you would in a traditional work from home ergonomics office setting. Without the inherent structure of an office environment, creating your own schedule becomes essential.

Work-from-home employees need to ensure that they maintain a proper posture while sitting, and it’s only achievable if you use an adjustable office chair. Hence, the understanding and application of ergonomics are critical regardless of your physical working space. Whether you are working at home or in the office, applying ergonomic principles optimizes your health and performance at work.