Bring Office Ergonomics to Your Home Office

Yahoo! is the most recent large corporation to require workers to come into the office to work instead of telecommuting, but surveys have shown that working from home results in happier employees.

If your company offers the option, working from home is a great solution for employees with health problems, transportation issues, or family obligations. Unfortunately, the trade off for being able to work in PJs and blast your music without snarky comments from coworkers is that your workspace at home is probably not as ergonomically-friendly as the one in your corporate office. Here are a few suggestions to help you get even more comfortable when working from home.

Maybe you're like the guy in the photo above, working at a makeshift workstation in your kitchen. If you have the space, try moving from your kitchen table to an adjustable height desk. There are a wide range of sizes available, and these will let you have a dedicated work area that will move with you. Moving from sitting to standing is quick and will keep you energized and alert. If you can't upgrade your desk, though, there are many other ways to easily upgrade your home office to make you more comfortable and productive.

One of the easiest things you can do to transform your office is to bring in an ergonomic chair that will adjust to fit your body. Look for a chair with arms that are at least height-adjustable and a seat height range that will allow you to rest your feet on the floor or footrest with your knees at a 90 degree angle. Many chairs also offer lumbar support, seat depth adjustment, and other features that will allow you to adjust the chair to fit your body so that you can sit comfortably all day.

If you already have a great chair and desk, adding a monitor arm or keyboard tray to your desk will allow you to position your monitor, keyboard, and mouse at exactly the height you need to avoid eye strain and alleviate shoulder problems. If your keyboard or mouse are causing you pain, try out an adjustable split keyboard like the Goldtouch V2 or a vertical mouse, like the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. We use these ergonomic items every day, and we can offer personal opinions based on actual experience.

If you have any questions about setting up an ergonomic home office, contact us via phone or chat at TheHumanSolution.com.