Work From Home: Seating Ergonomics That You Must Know

Working from home or the office, a sitting job of 8-9 hours can increase the probability of unwanted health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal, brittle bones, colon cancer, back pain, deep-vein-thrombosis, depression, and even dementia.

Those working from home face even more challenges due to the lack of an appropriate workstation and sedentary work habits such as sitting in a slouched position, using a laptop with prolonged bending of the neck, and sitting in the same position for extended hours. It damages your health, and you experience frequent headaches, lower back pain, joint pains, and other musculoskeletal disorders.

Here comes the role of seating ergonomics. It details the appropriate body posture, habits, and behaviour employees should practice during office hours. This can make your workplace a healthy environment and increase productivity without hampering your health, even when working from home.

Here are the simple yet helpful tips that can improve your health and productivity simultaneously:

1. Check your body’s alignment

Here’s the checklist for your body’s alignment while sitting on a chair:

• Your feet should touch the floor
• Your legs should not be crossed
• Your shoulders are in a relaxed position
• Your elbows should be close to your body and inclined between 90 to 120 degrees.
• Your thighs and hips are well-supported and parallel to the floor

2. Keep your screen at eye level

Screens that are too high or too low below the eye level cause strain in the eyes, followed by headaches. It is good to adjust the screen level not more than 2 inches above your eye level with one arm’s distance from your eyes.

3. Check the position of your arms

Your desk should have enough space to position your wrist while you type. Bend your elbows at an angle between 90 and 120 degrees while typing. Prefer a chair with an armrest to give a break to your arms while not typing.

If you are using a mouse, it is important to keep it on the same surface as the keyboard to prevent wrist or muscle strain.

4. Support your lower back

Most of us experience lower backache problems due to poor sitting posture, so make sure that the chair’s backrest fully supports your back. For this, you should press your lower back firmly against the back of the chair. You can also keep a seat cushion, back cushion or a rolling towel to maintain the arc of your back.

Read more– Natural Remedies for Lower Back Pain

5. Take regular breaks from the screen

Too much screen time can cause strain on your eyes, make you tired and hamper your sleep quality. It is good to take regular breaks from the screen for 5 mins. Meanwhile, you can use a cold compressor or simply shut your eyes and plan your next task.

You can also use blue rays filter screen that will cut the blue rays from the screen, causing strain in the eyes.

6. Keep stretching in between

Sitting for long hours can reduce blood flow and increase muscle stiffness. It can also deposit excess body fat around your waist and elevate unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Therefore, it’s good to keep stretching the muscles of your hips, legs, shoulder, back, neck, and wrist at regular intervals. You can also simply take a walk for two minutes to normalise the blood flow in the body.

7. Use a speaker or headphones for extended calls

Bending your neck while on mobile can cause stiffness in neck muscles and even damage ligaments over time. So it’s good to use a speaker or headphones while on a long call on mobile.

8. Invest in good furniture

The best way to develop a comfortable workspace is to invest in good furniture. Getting a comfortable chair and table will solve half of your problem. Your chair must have a backrest and armrest, and prefer seats made of fabric, not synthetic or leather.

Whether working from home or the office, it’s important to develop a comfortable workspace by implementing seating ergonomics. This includes investing in comfortable furniture and practising healthy habits and behaviour at your workstation. This will increase your productivity and efficiency but also boost your morale and help you stay fit even with long sittings.

Disclaimer: The information given in this article is true to our best knowledge. Still, we recommend that you consult your doctor if you have any condition due to seating.