Having an ergonomic office means ensuring your working environment is designed for efficiency and comfort. Herein, promoting healthy workspace designs and practices is key to maximize productivity by minimizing employee fatigue and discomfort.

Key features of good workspace posture
Although equipment and technology have advanced and changed, basic good posture when seated at a desk in front of a keyboard has not. However creative your workspace, these are the main points to promote among those who use your office.

Chair

• Adjust the chair height so that when seated, your knees are more or less level with your hips, i.e. your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Your feet should be resting flat on the floor or a footrest when of correct chair height and the distance. Do not cross your legs – ever. This will misalign your spine and cause neck aches and muscle pain, as well as blood circulation issues in your feet and legs.
• If your chair has armrests, your elbows and forearms should be gently resting on them when you are sitting up straight with your shoulders relaxed.
• Ideally, you should be able to sit up straight without the need for back support. Very few of us are that disciplined, however, so, do ensure that you have a chair with a backrest that supports the small of your back, and your general shape when sitting with the base of your spine touching the backrest.

Monitor

• The monitor should be an arm’s length away from your eyes. When sitting up straight, your eyes should be level with the top of the screen (not the middle of the screen, as some erroneously think).

Keyboard

• When you type, your wrists should be straight (neither bent back nor bent forward) and your hands should be below elbow level.
• If the level of your desk surface simple does not oblige, then often a keyboard tray is the solution. Keyboard trays these days come with adjustable tilt and swivel and can be fitted to most office tabletops.

Visualizing your ergonomic office
Look at this visual guide to get a better idea of workstation ergonomics. Remember to place things like telephone and other things employees might need within easy reach so that they do not have to stretch for anything while at the computer.

No matter how good one’s posture might be, it is always a good idea for employees to get up from their desk, walk around, and stretch at least once every hour or 90 minutes during the day. This is the key to staying healthy and being able to go the distance when your schedule and deadlines demand it.

And while you’re making sure that all your furniture is made to measure the people in your office, how about introducing a little color to your life with a modest office makeover? Once you’ve made sure you’ve got the basics covered, that is.

Ignoring ergonomic advice
There’s a long list of health problems arising from poor workspace organization, poor posture and from not having an ergonomic office. They include headaches, pelvic pain, lower self-esteem because of poor posture, fatigue, joint pain in the hips, knees or ankles, stomach issues such as acid reflux/heartburn, and arthritis.

Get it right every day
Following this simple guide will make a positive difference in the long term and you will stay healthy for longer – to enjoy life when you’re away from the desk. You’ll have an ergonomic office and a happier team.

This article was originally published by AZ Big Media.