Best Ergonomic Office Equipment For Homeworking Part 1

Many of us have recently found ourselves needing to work from home at short notice, perhaps without the right equipment to perform productively and in comfort. For many of us, it’s not clear how things are going to progress, but it is highly likely that our office landscapes and work patterns have been disrupted for good. Many of us will never go back to being permanently based in an office and will adopt a more agile and home-based way of working.

We this in mind, we have put together the following information which may help you understand what equipment you may need, and why, to work from home in comfort. A good ergonomic setup should allow you to sit comfortably with the following ergonomic and postural pointers covered.

Can You Place Your Feet Firmly On The Floor?

You should be able to sit with your feet flat on the floor as this ensures your legs are appropriately positioned to relieve pressure and allow good blood flow.

A good ergonomic office chair that has been specified with your body size in mind will go some, if not all the way to making this happen. The Best Home Working Office Chair is a cost-effective option that provides excellent quality and a comprehensive set of ergonomic features. These chairs are an ideal option as your homeworking office chair due to the individual customisation and simplicity of adjustments. Use our FREE online chair assessment form and we can advise on the best chair for you.

The chair alone may not be quite enough to ensure you are sitting with your legs in a supported, ergonomic position. For this, we recommend adding a footrest as this will bridge the gap between your feet and the floor, allowing you to sit with good posture. A footrest like the Footmate Footrest might be worth considering as this is both height and tilt adjustable and a popular choice.

Are Your Hips Positioned Slightly Higher Than Your Knees?

If your hips are positioned too low then this is going to lead to pressure and discomfort and if your knees are too hight this is going to create undesirable pressure and restrict your movement due to the proximity with the underside of your desk. An ergonomic office chair, with an adjustable gas stem will allow you to set this height correctly. However, if your chair is fixed, you could consider a seat support to raise your height. If you are sitting too high then a footrest will be required to achieve the desired height.

Are You Sitting With Good Support In The Lumbar Area Of Your Back?

You ideally need to have some form of support for the lumbar area of your back to ensure you have an upright and supported posture. An ergonomic office chair will provide good support for your back and allow an amount of adjustability so you can set it appropriately for your needs.

If your chair does not have a built-in lumbar support, then you could consider some form of removable posture support. MEDesign Backfriend and Dorsa Back Back Support are popular as they provide a back and seat support in one unit. However, there are various back supports to choose from, like our popular Portable Lumbar Support and Portable Inflatable Lumbar Support.

Read part 2 of this blog.