It gets to 3pm in the day and your back is well and truly killing you? You find yourself readjusting yourself so many time during the day because you slip into bad posture? If you’re spending 8+ hours a day hunched over a desk that was probably designed in the nineties, you need to make some changes.
That’s where companies like Atama Furniture come in, helping Australian workplaces understand that investing in proper ergonomic furniture isn’t just nice to have, you need it to stay healthy.
Most offices expect humans to be robots, sit at a desk and screen all day with little to no bathroom and lunch breaks, lno chatting and definitely not free time dedicated to your personal hobbies.
The thing is, we aren’t robots. poor ergonomics doesn’t just make people uncomfortable, it costs businesses a fortune in sick days, reduced productivity and workers comp claims.
What ergonomics actually means
What does the word “ergonomic” actually mean? Real ergonomics isn’t about fancy looking chairs or standing desks that make you feel virtuous for five minutes before your legs get tired.
The real meaning behind it is about the way a places designed to fit how the human body actually works. Not forcing bodies to adapt to poorly designed furniture.
The basics of ergonomics are pretty straight forward. Your monitor should be at your eye level so you don’t have to move your neck up and down a lot all day, your feet should be flat on the floor not crossed and your arms should be pretty close to parallel to the ground when typing.
Sounds basic right? You’ll be surprised how many offices mess it up.
And here’s something most people don’t realise, ergonomics is personal. What works for someone who’s 6’2″ isn’t going to work for someone who’s 5’4″.
Chairs that actually support you
Chairs is the first place to start since you have to sit in it all day. Average and normal office chairs look professional and stack up nicely to be stored away. But there’s little to no effort put into the actual comfort and support of the chair. Good ergonomic chairs cost more, that’s for sure, but when you break it down per hour of use over several years, it’s actually pretty reasonable.
If you want to adjust your chair so that you can sit in different positions then you can find different adjustable chairs. Seat height, backrest angle, armrest height and width, lumbar support position are all things that can be adjusted.
Everyone’s body is different so the chair needs to adapt to you, not the other way around. The seat should support your thighs without putting pressure behind your knees and the backrest should follow the natural curve of your spine.
Your arms should also be supported by arm rests, no arm rests are asking for problems. They take the weight off your shoulders and neck while you’re typing. But if you cant adjust the arm rests then it makes it difficult to put them at the right height.
Desks and desk accessories
Desks at the wrong height can cause actual health problems. And most desk heights are at the wrong height. People are different heights; therefore your desk should be adjustable so you can have it at the perfect height for yourself.
Standard desk height is around 720-730mm, which works fine if you’re average height with average arm length. But depending on how short your arms or legs are you may be working at the wrong height.
Adjustable desks are the great option. You can change the height all you need and if different people work at your desk this is the perfect solution. But here’s the thing, most people who get standing desks use them for a week and then they sit all day anyway.
Keyboard and mouse position matters more than you might think. Too high and you have to hunch your shoulders. Too low and you’ll be bending your wrists.
The monitor situation
How you have your monitor positioned also makes a massive difference. Your monitor should be about arm’s length away, with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level. Also not on an angle. You should adjust it to make your neck neutral so it doesn’t have to crank in any direction.
You can develop a thing called tech neck, which sounds scary. And it kinda is. Its that forward head posture that puts strain on your cervical spine. Laptop screens are particularly bad for this because the screen and keyboard are connected so you cant put them at different heights.
Creating movement in your day
Having the perfect set up is all well and great but if you don’t get out and move around during the day then you are still bound to be sore and uncomfortable. You need to be moving and getting your blood flowing.
Having regular breaks is the best way around this. Nothing crazy but take a quick 5 minutes walk around your office or house very few hours. Get a cup of coffee or have a stroll down the road for a minute. This doesn’t have to be a big production, even just standing up and sitting back down helps reset your position and gets your blood flowing.
The key is giving people choices about how and where they work, rather than forcing everyone into the same setup all day.
Setting things up wrong is almost as bad as having poor furniture. I’ve seen people with expensive ergonomic chairs that are adjusted completely wrong because nobody showed them how to use all the features. So make sure to read the instructions before you set it up or even chuck on a youtube video to get the feel of everything and what someone explain what to do.
The work from home factor
Working from home is a very common thing these days. And lots of people love it for good reason. Kitchen tables, couches, beds were all not actually made to be worked at for the whole day The short term solution during early covid lockdowns has become a long term reality for many people, and it’s showing up in increased injury rates.
Companies are starting to realise they have a duty of care for home workers too. Some are providing furniture allowances or letting people take office furniture home. This helps make sure that their team is working in a proper environment and avoids injuries.
Long term thinking
Good furniture last a long time too. So invest in some good quality pieces and they should last for years to come. You’ll probably end up save money on messages and physios too!
Your working environment should be supportive and comfortable so you are able to be as productive and healthy as possible.
