11 Office Ergonomic Tips for Easing the Workplace Stress Caused Due to Working Long Hours!

Author: Neelima Reddy

“No day in your working life will be so bad if you follow the right ergonomic techniques.”

Usually, an employee working at the desk has a habit of working for longer hours without following proper ergonomic techniques. In order to avoid stress throughout the day and work with maximum alertness, you need to follow some ergonomic techniques.

Ergonomic techniques are very important to ease the stress and work with maximum alertness. When you spend maximum amount of time in front of your desk, you should be aware of how the arrangement and design of your equipment can impact your health, comfort and overall productivity.


These tips are highly effective for modern workers.

1. Create a great computer work space!

In designing your office work space, it is essential to think creatively and innovatively. Employees with longer limbs experience a greater risk with congested work space, so ensure that the space is large enough.

Provide proper place for the equipment and the things that are essential to make your dream workstation.

2. Right way to organize the desk or workstation!

Standard desk sizes are not suitable for everyone’s needs, so choose the desk that is right for you. If the desk is for a group of people, then prefer adjustable furniture.

• Organize the desktop to access the things easily without any strain.
• Place frequently used objects at a closer distance to avoid excessive extensions.
• Accommodate the place below the desk suitable to your legs at correct height and the place should be free for stretching.
• Use a foot rest if your feet don’t rest flat on the floor after adjusting your chair height.
• Use matte finish on the work surface to minimize the glare or reflections.
• Use a document holder, if you need to refer documents during keying.

3. Make suitable chair adjustments!

Begin your work with correct chair height. To arrange the chair in an ergonomic position, just stand in front of the chair and adjust the chair height to your knee length.

Adjust the chair’s backrest in order to support your lower back. Then tighten the chair’s backrest, so that it does not give away with your body weight.

Throughout the working day, re-adjust the chair to your various body postures. Don’t stay in a single static position for long hours. Alternate your posture between sitting and standing positions when you are performing daily tasks. Take small breaks and walk for few minutes.

4. Maintain accurate ergonomic monitor distance!

You need to sit in an awkward position if the monitor is too close or too far to your eyes. Finally this can lead to an improper ergonomic posture thus causing eye strain. Forward leaning can fatigue the eyes and put stress on the torso because there is no support for your back.

Follow the below tips to reduce the eye strain:

• Clean monitor surface.
• Attain optimum comfort by adjusting the contrast and brightness.
• Maintain right distance from the monitor to the user i.e. 18-30 inches.
• Place the monitor at an angle of 90 degrees to the windows.

5. Seek right ergonomic keyboard!

Do you spend most of your work time in typing? Using the keyboard and placing it can greatly affect the risk of getting RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Follow these techniques in order to reduce the risk of these injuries:

• First make suitable chair adjustments, then place your hands comfortably at your sides. Your forearm should be at an angle of 90 degrees with your upper arm.
• Place the keyboard in such a manner so that your arms should be parallel to your thighs.
• If needed, place a keyboard tray to achieve right ergonomic posture.
• Follow right typing techniques.
• Set the keyboard at a closer distance from you to avoid unnecessary trouble in reaching the keyboard.
• Gently press the keys and don’t hold them down for extended periods.

6. Exercise at your desk!

Desk exercises offer relief to computer users from pain, stiffness and posture problems. Computer work at office involves maintaining same posture for long periods resulting in muscle stiffness and tension.

Practice simple stretching exercises which can be performed at the desk. Stretching exercises improves flexibility and decreases the risk of injury, physical stress and improves performance.

7. Light your working area!

Improper lighting can cause visual discomforts like burning eyes, eye strain, itching, and blurred vision. So, adjust the lights to reduce the glare and also position your monitor at an angle to reduce the reflection.

Reduce the eye fatigue by following the below tips:
• Avoid intense lighting in your working area.
• Monitor should be at an angle of 90 degrees to the windows.
• Use desk lamps, instead of overhead lights.
• Use monitor shield to reduce the glare due to overhead lights.

8. Know the right usage of input device!

Whatever might be the input device you use, make sure that it must be within your reach and don’t hold it too tightly so that there is less stress on the muscles. If you are not feeling good with your mouse, try an alternate one like trackball or touch pad.

Placing the input device too close or too far can cause discomfort in your forearm, shoulder, elbow and wrist.

Follow these tips to overcome from these discomforts:
• Place the mouse at your comfortable reach for natural relaxation and comfortable eye-hand coordination.
• Avoid bending wrist upward and ensure that you are sitting lower than your elbow height so that holding the mouse can be easier for you.
• Make sure the mouse surface is stable.

9. Give priority to the work habits!

Working at the desk can cause discomfort on your upper extremities and on your eyes. So, to avoid these discomforts, you need to learn some work habits.
• Take frequent breaks for every 20-40 minutes, get up and walk around for 2-3 minutes.
• Don’t stay in one static position for longer hours, change the posture periodically.
• Provide your eyes with vision breaks for every hour.
• Stretch your neck, back, and hands for every hour.
• Substitute the mouse usage by using alternative keystrokes.

Follow these work habits, so that you won’t experience any stress on any part of your body.

10. Identify Proper usage of laptop computers!

Work on a laptop computer only when it is on the table but not on your lap. If you need to use it very frequently, it is better to use separate mouse and keyboard to reduce the stress on your hands and wrists.

Techniques you need to follow while using laptop computer:
• While typing, place your hands straight so that your wrists should not bend and should not be resting on your lap, table, or on a palm rest. Use palm or wrist rests to give support in the break.
• If the table you are using is too high for keying, then use a laptop holder by tilting the laptop towards you.

11. Know how to use the phone at your desk!

Avoid placing the phone receiver between your shoulder and neck as it can cause strain on your neck muscles. Use a headset or put the call on speakerphone to reduce the stress on neck muscles.

You can notice an amazing improvement in your work related discomforts and also in the quality of your work after following these techniques.

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Easy Guide To The Best Ergonomic Chair Tips

Author: Helen Hecker

If you're willing to purchase a used chair you might be able to find a used ergonomic chair, ergonomic office chair or an expensive chair like the Aeron chair online or on eBay. If you spend just about all of your waking hours at your desk, you know you require an ergonomic office chair that works with your body to spare you from needless backaches and fatigue. The word ergonomics is often used when speaking about working at the computer in a way that promotes beneficial posture and body form.


Incorrect ergonomics can cause back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, and additional medical issues. When shopping for or purchasing an ergonomic chair online, finding the best ergonomic chair depends a great deal on what sort of work you do whether at home or outside of home. More attention should be given to ergonomics when shopping for or purchasing anything that we are going to be using every day.

Ergonomic task chairs and seating generally have a lower back design for better movement in a computer workstation; these task chairs are obtainable with or without arms. Ergonomic intensive-use chairs or seating, a.k.a. 24/7 seating, is for dispatch room security monitoring areas, control rooms, and 911 emergency dispatch offices. Tilt choices on the industrial chair mechanisms in addition to cylinder height must be weighed depending on the task to be managed.

There are a lot of extra-large ergonomic chairs that are outstanding for security guards as the size of this chair provides for equipment to be worn on the belt and not to become fastened on the arms of the chair. Managers' chairs often have a knee tilt mechanism, which is ideal for multitasking; it makes it easy to go from computer work to telephone conferences with extraordinary ease. Ergonomic intensive-use chairs are very long-wearing and particularly need to be ergonomic in purpose, since workers are generally sitting for many hours.

The tilt mechanism sustains support when you move and recline; it's better to have your back somewhat reclined while seated at your desk. The foremost section of the seat should slope downward somewhat and permit a fist-size opening between the back of the knees and the front edge of the seat pan to keep down pressure at the back of the thighs. The chair reclines or tilt adjustment modifies the angle of the whole seat as it is relative to the floor.

Remember, a lumbar support cushion properly positioned behind the small of the back may greatly help to accentuate lumbar support. The hydraulic seat height adjustment permits the user to adjust the chair so their feet can rest upon the floor or footrest and the upper body is properly lined up with the computer monitor and with the keyboard and mouse. Rubber locking casters are of value on stools to prevent tipping.

It is also essential that the user shift body position throughout the day. A lot of chairs come with a built-in lumbar adjustment which may be adjusted by turning a knob on the side of the chair. Just about every ergonomic task chair comes with a hydraulic seat height adjustment, which is in all probability the single most important adjustment mechanism on a chair.

The best ergonomic chairs, such as the Herman Miller Aeron Chair, begin at approximately $400 or so. Ergonomic chair prices do vary greatly and first-class materials and construction will cost more. Some online stores will allow you to rent ergonomic chairs and additional high-ticket ergonomic equipment; you can test a chair for a month prior to determining if you want to purchase it and if you choose to keep the chair, the stores will apply the rental price towards the total cost.

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Top 5 Most Important Ergonomic Furniture Items

By Sharon Stage



Not everyone has heard the term "ergonomic furniture," but anyone who sits at a desk or computer throughout the majority of their work day knows that office furniture can, quite literally, be a real pain in the butt. Pain in the back, neck, and shoulders is quite common among office employees, and many people actually develop chronic conditions such as migraine headaches and posture issues as a result of poorly designed workstations. For these reasons, it is important to equip your workstation with the proper furniture and supplies, in order to reduce the amount of pain you experience and maximize overall productivity levels. Here is a list of the top 5 most important ergonomic items to have:


1) Office Chair

This is obviously the piece of furniture that most influences your comfort while at work, because it supports your back and hips while working. Ergonomic office chairs should adequately provide cushioning to your lower back, and also have a backrest that encourages you to sit at a comfortable angle. Ergonomic office chairs made with quality design in mind have been proven to increase productivity by at least 8% throughout the work day.

2) Office Desk

The placement and structure of your desk affects the angle of your wrists, elbows, neck, and head while working. Ergonomic desks will position your monitor directly in your line of vision and allow your wrists to be supported while you type. Desks should also be easily adjustable, in order to allow customization for your particular body type.

3) Computer Mouse

An ergonomic mouse should allow your posture to remain neutral while you operate the computer. This means that the mouse is at the correct height and can be accessed easily, without twist or strain. It should also be equipped with a special non-slip surface that will reduce tension in the arm as a result of securing hand placement on the mouse, and will often come with extra programmable features.

4) Computer Keyboard

A good computer keyboard is actually considered to be a solid treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. Ergonomic keyboards are usually split in two pieces, in order to eliminate awkward arm and wrist positioning, and can reduce the instance of tendinitis and chronic wrist pain. They can also be adjusted to accommodate a range of different sizes and posture needs.

5) Armrest

While most standard office chairs are equipped with armrests, they may not be positioned to provide the support necessary for repetitive computer-related tasks. For that reason, many companies now make separate armrests that can be clipped to the front of the desk and aligned properly to provide maximum protection against arm and shoulder pain. The overall benefits of an ergonomic armrest are reduced tension and relief from chronic pain.

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