Setting Up Your At-Home Work Station

Many of us are going on week 3 of working from home and lets face it, not everyone is lucky enough to have a well lit, quiet, ergonomically correct home office. However, we are here to help you set up a workspace that minimizes discomfort, saving you from future aches and pains. Here are a few tips to get you started…

Lighting. You want a bright workspace, but not too bright. Set up your workspace in a well-lit area, that is not too harsh on the eyes. If you’re able to have a window near by, natural light can help to decrease the strain on your eyes and increase productivity.

Body Position. When sitting comfortably at your workspace, pay attention to the following areas:

• your feet should be flat on the floor
• your thighs and forearms should be parallel with the floor
• your wrists should be flat while typing
• you should be looking forwards at your screen, not down at it

If this is not the case, you may have to adjust your chair, table and/or screen.

**Special Consideration: when working on a laptop, you may have to alternate between having the screen at eye level and lowering the laptop to allow the wrists to be flat while typing.

Screen Adjustments. When sitting at your workspace, the computer monitor should be approximately 20-40 inches from your eyes and be glare-free. The top of the screen should be around the same height as your eyes when sitting in an upright position. Ensure the print on the screen is large enough and the brightness is appropriate so that you’re not squinting while looking at the screen.

Remember, the body is meant to move! Do your best to get up and move around every 30 minutes, or try making your own standing desk to give yourself some variety. Happy working!