Do you want to set up your office ergonomically but aren't sure what to look out for? For your workplace to be optimally adapted to your needs, not only the technical equipment but also the entire furnishing and environment must meet certain ergonomic requirements.
In this article, you will learn what equipment you need for more ergonomics at the workplace and what you should consider for healthy office work.
What is ergonomics at the workplace?
To answer the most important question right away: Ergonomics at the workplace means that the technical equipment, office furniture, and the entire working environment are optimally tailored to you.
This means that your workplace is designed in such a way that you do not experience any physical discomfort (such as back pain or a hunched posture) during your predominantly sedentary desk work. That is why proper ergonomics at the office workplace is so important: for your health.
Especially with screen work, where you remain in the same posture for hours, an ergonomic working environment is enormously important. Therefore, you should definitely pay attention to setting up your home office ergonomically as well.
In short: Ergonomic work is primarily about occupational safety, health protection, economic efficiency, and humanity. A good thing, isn't it?
Laws and guidelines on ergonomics at the workplace
In Germany, the ergonomic design of workplaces is regulated by various laws and guidelines to protect the health of employees.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), the Workplace Ordinance (ArbStättV), and the Screen Work Ordinance set clear guidelines for the ergonomic design of office chairs, desks, and working environments.
These guidelines aim to minimize physical strain and prevent long-term damage such as back pain or muscle tension. Employers are obliged to provide ergonomic workplaces and to regularly review them to meet legal requirements and ensure the health of their employees.
Checklist: What does ergonomics at the workplace include?
You should consider these tips for proper ergonomic seating:
Optimal working conditions are not possible without ergonomic office furniture. The following checklist will help you set up your office or home office ergonomically and thus improve ergonomics at the workplace:
- An ergonomic office chair
- A height-adjustable desk
- An ergonomic mouse
- An ergonomic keyboard
- The ideal viewing distance to the screen
- Optimal movement and reach area
- Proper lighting
- The perfect indoor climate
Proper ergonomics at the workplace ensures that you feel comfortable at work long-term, your productivity increases, and – most importantly – you stay healthy.
The Aeris 3Dee: For perfect ergonomics at the workplace, the right office chair is a central element.
1. The ergonomic office chair
Of course, the right office chair is the central element of ergonomic measures.
"Sitting is the new smoking":
That's why investing in an ergonomic office chair pays off long-term for your health. You should adjust the desk chair exactly to your needs:
First, adjust the seat height of your office chair so that when you sit, an "open" angle (90°) is formed between your upper and lower legs. This ensures good blood circulation.
❗Important: Do not sit at a right angle!
If you use an ergonomic office chair with a backrest, make sure it has a so-called lumbar support. The lumbar support can be adjusted to the (S-shaped) curvature of your spine.
It is also important that your desk chair can be adjusted to your weight. This provides you with maximum seating comfort.
What should you look for in an ergonomic office chair?
💡 Tip: You can find out in detail what you need to consider when choosing an ergonomic office chair here . In the article "How to find the optimal seat height for your chair", you can learn more about how to determine the right height for your office chair.
2. The height-adjustable desk
For an ergonomic office, a height-adjustable desk is also important. Because it is important that you move around at work and regularly switch between sitting and standing.
This variety is good for your back and posture, and regular standing ensures that you don't get tired as quickly. Movement stimulates circulation and increases oxygen saturation in the blood.
An ergonomic desk gets you moving - in the truest sense of the word.
How long should you sit at work?
💡 Tip: As a rule of thumb, you should stand for one-third of your working time and sit for two-thirds. This has been proven to increase physical and mental performance.
The Aeris Active Office Desk has a split worktop. This allows you to quickly and easily switch between sitting and standing and effortlessly incorporate natural movement into your workday.
The Aeris Active Office Desk
Our Aeris Active Office Desk is the ideal solution for your sit-stand workstation.
If you don't have enough space, make sure your desk is height-adjustable and that you can easily convert it into a standing desk.
Do you already have a desk at home, but it's not height-adjustable? You can still do something for more ergonomics at the workplace!
Desk risers can quickly turn your normal desk into a sit-stand desk.
Admittedly, this is not the optimal solution, but it's better than nothing, right?
3. The ergonomic mouse
The first "human-machine interface" on the desk is the mouse.
First things first: The ergonomic mouse is not a clumsy invention of the industry to boost the sale of computer mice.
Rather, it plays a crucial role in ergonomics at the workplace.
The hours of unnatural, rigid hand posture when using conventional PC mice often lead to wrist pain and even tension throughout the arm.
In particularly severe cases, this leads to complete immobility of the hand, the so-called "mouse arm" (also known as RSI complaints), or long-lasting chronic discomfort.
Around 15 percent of all office workers suffer from these problems. Of all computer users worldwide, as many as 25 percent complain about regular wrist pain.
For correct ergonomics at the PC workstation, you need an ergonomic mouse.
Ergonomic mouse prevents mouse arm
An ergonomic mouse prevents exactly this problem.
Unlike normal mice, it is symmetrically shaped and designed for a vertical hand posture.
This means that the natural hand posture (thumb pointing upwards) is supported. This reduces tension in the hand muscles.
In principle, the shape of an ergonomic mouse resembles a glove. It is thus optimally adapted to the human hand, and the hand rests relaxed on the mouse. A good PC mouse contributes significantly to employee productivity.
If you are an employer, definitely consider this purchase. It's worth it!
How do you recognize a good ergonomic mouse?
💡 Tip: Of course, ergonomic mice are available in various sizes, for left- and right-handers, and with different functions and buttons.
Therefore, be sure to consult an expert and compare different models.
4. The ergonomic keyboard
The continuous use of conventional keyboards also has negative physical consequences. Aching hands and tense shoulders - caused by the rigid hand posture - are not uncommon.
Anyone who sits in front of the computer all day and has to type a lot can attest to this.
The problem: If the discomfort becomes chronic, pain-free work is no longer possible. In addition, the error rate increases because concentration decreases.
Even if you have an ergonomic office chair for your VDU workstation but don't use ergonomic devices, you run the risk of soon suffering from back pain. Initially, the tension only starts in the wrist area. However, since the human body is very complex, the tension can spread very quickly to the entire shoulder and neck area.
With an ergonomic keyboard, like this one from Logitech, it is important that your palms rest on a cushion.
What are the advantages of an ergonomic keyboard?
An ergonomic keyboard enables a natural hand posture and fatigue- and pain-free work.
It is important that the keyboard is A-shaped (the key field is divided into a block for the left and a block for the right hand) and that the palms rest on a cushion. This spreads the hands further apart and prevents them from being bent. This significantly relieves the wrists and is therefore essential for perfect ergonomics at the workplace.
When typing, the hands are not bent outwards but form a line with the forearm. This natural writing posture helps you work concentrated and error-free without your muscles cramping.
Even if an ergonomic keyboard costs a bit more, this investment ultimately pays off not only for you but also for your employer. Sick days due to back pain can be significantly reduced.
What must an ergonomic keyboard absolutely have?
💡 Tip: No matter which keyboard you choose, it is important that it absolutely has a cushion for your palms.
5. Ergonomically setting up the screen
The next question you need to ask for perfect ergonomics at the office workplace:
How do you set up the screen ergonomically correctly?Setting up the screen ergonomically correctly takes some time. Because the most favorable position for a screen is not the same for everyone.
But a screen optimally adapted to the user is also ergonomically "worth its weight in gold".
Eye complaints as well as headaches and back pain, which can arise from an incorrect viewing distance or an unfavorable monitor height, are avoided.
To find the correct screen position, you should try different variations. Each position should be tried for a full day.
As a general recommendation, the distance to the screen should be between 45 and 80 cm. In addition, the viewing angle should be between 10 and 20 degrees. As a rule of thumb: The screen edge should be slightly below eye level.
Good monitors are also adjustable in all directions.
This means they can be adjusted in height, tilted, and swiveled along the vertical and horizontal axes.
There are four different basic positions for setting up the screen:
- High and close: The screen is placed high up (at eye level) and kept at a close viewing distance.
- High and far: The monitor is at eye level. The viewing distance is at least 70 cm away.
- Low and close: The screen is positioned lower. The viewing distance is approx. 50 cm.
- Low and far: The monitor is positioned lower and at a distance of approx. 70 cm. The viewing angle is approx. 15 degrees.
To set up your workstation ergonomically, you should definitely use an ergonomic keyboard and an ergonomic mouse. Furthermore, your monitor must be correctly positioned for you.
How big should a monitor be?
💡 Tip: Use a monitor that is at least 24 inches. This ensures a sufficiently large field of view.
6. The optimal reach and movement area
For perfect ergonomics at the workplace, the reach and movement area must not be neglected. This refers to the area of the workstation that can be reached without having to leave the sitting or standing position or bending or leaning unnaturally.
All work equipment that can literally be "grasped" horizontally or vertically with the hands is thus within your reach and movement area.
When designing, a distinction is first made between the inner and outer reach area.
The inner reach area includes everything you can reach with bent arms. All frequently used items should be located in the inner reach area.
These include, for example, your computer mouse, keyboard, or telephone.
The outer reach area includes the area that can be reached with an outstretched arm – but in a relaxed posture! Ideally, only items that are not constantly needed for work should be located here.
For example: notepads, pens, hole punch, and mobile phone.
In fact, by skillfully selecting your office furniture, you can positively influence the scope or size of your reach area to make your work process as healthy as possible.
This includes a workstation like the Aeris Active Office Desk, which not only allows for height adjustment but also has two work surfaces, always offering a sitting and standing work surface.
This significantly increases your reach and movement area.
But also an ergonomic office chair that actively supports your individual movements increases your reach area. Due to its lateral flexibility, the desk chair, for example, always ensures an optimal posture to the work surface.
A combination of a height-adjustable desk and an ergonomic office chair like the Aeris Swopper significantly expands your reach and movement area.
7. The right lighting
Of course, natural daylight is always best for your computer workstation. However, make sure that you never place the desk directly in front of a window.
Whether it's directly into your eyes or over your shoulder onto the screen:
Avoid direct sunlight!
This harms your eyes and can lead to headaches in the long term.
Even with artificial light, make sure that you do not have direct lighting if possible. Wall spotlights or desk lamps that you can turn to indirectly illuminate your ergonomic workstation are particularly suitable, for example.
How should the desk lamp be placed on the desk?
💡 Tip: Turn your desk lamp so that no shadows fall on the keyboard or notepad when writing.
8. The right room climate
Like the right lighting, a good room climate is also an important requirement in everyday work. The best tips and ergonomic guidelines are useless if the air in the office is stuffy.
At an office workstation, the temperature should be at least 18°C and at most 24°C. The optimal value is exactly the average, i.e., 21°C.
Plants help you to continuously improve the indoor climate at your workplace.
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However, temperature alone is not enough to achieve a good room climate. Humidity also plays an important role. At a computer workstation, humidity between 30 and 70 percent is acceptable. The ideal value here is also exactly in the middle, at 50 percent.
What do plants do in the office?
💡 Tip: Plants help you to continuously improve the indoor climate at your workplace. It's best to get advice from a specialist retailer. The experts know exactly which type of plant is ideal for the office.
Positive consequences of ergonomics at the workplace: Fewer sick days
Worldwide, medical professionals have long agreed: More ergonomics in the workplace contributes significantly to improving health. Recent studies also show that employees who work at ergonomically designed workstations have significantly fewer sick days.
Proper ergonomics in the workplace reduces employee sick days.
A study by an international team of researchers from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam found that employees with chronic back pain had only half as many sick days if their office chair was optimally adjusted for them and the workstation was ergonomic.
134 test subjects aged between 18 and 65 years were examined. Their back pain was so severe that they were unable to work for an average of six months a year.
The subjects were divided into two groups.
The first group was treated with conventional painkillers and physiotherapy. The second group received a twelve-month integrated therapy, which primarily focused on seating posture at the workplace.
With the help of an "ergonomics officer", the workplace and especially the office chairs were designed ergonomically.
The impressive result:
The conventionally treated group was able to return to work on average four months later than the group whose workstation had been ergonomically designed. The ergonomically modified group was able to work fully again after 88 days, while the other group only after 208 days.
This result clearly shows how important ergonomics in the workplace is for the health of employees.
Now that you know what to look for to have an ergonomically perfect workstation and what equipment you need, nothing stands in the way of healthy office work!
