Now that many of us are working from home due to the coronavirus, we need to be sure that we have the right home office setup since so we don’t create physical problems for ourselves such as repetitive stress injuries. Working from home is not like working in an office. Corporate offices are generally set up by professionals who do their best to keep employees safe and productive. Home offices on the other hand, may be a mishmash utilization of chairs, tables, couches or even a bed.

Many of us are used to working from home for an hour or two per day but not for the required eight hours thanks to the COVID-19 global pandemic. So while it is okay to sit with your laptop on the couch or use the kitchen table and a dining chair for short bursts of work (max 1 hour), these are not set up for full-time efforts.

As a result, we highly suggest that if you are now required to work from home, you look into ergonomic chairs, sit stand desks or height adjustable workstations, and monitor or laptop mounts.

Here are some of the benefits of ergonomic furniture:

• Ergonomic Chairs – these are designed to support your weight and keep you in optimal positions to reduce back neck and leg strain. Many of us sit for many hours at a time (not advisable), so it’s imperative to have a high quality ergonomic chair.

• Sit stand desks and Height Adjustable Workstations: these desks and tabletop devices easily move up and down so that you can change positions every hour or so. It’s recommended that you don’t stay in any single position for more than an hour. With sit/stand furniture, you are able to consistently adjust your position and keep your body mobile. This will reduce repetitive strain on various parts of your body.

• Monitor and Laptop Mounts: it’s important to keep your monitor or screen slightly below your eye level. This way you’re looking almost directly at the screen, not too far up or down. This will reduce eyestrain, neck and shoulder pain. We advise using a separate monitor or laptop mount (in combination with a separate, detached keyboard) to make sure your screen is eye-level.

• Ergonomic Keyboards and Mice: laptop keyboards are notoriously small and harder operate than full-sized keyboard. Standard mice put your arm in a difficult position. Both can cause wrist pain arm and elbow strain as well as shoulder injuries. By buying an ergonomic mouse, your hand will be in a prone position which is much more beneficial.

It’s very important to customize your home office for your work style and body. Ergonomic furniture is not one-size-fits-all as people require different heights and sizes. To see what’s right for you, try this free ergonomic product finder which will allow you to customize ergonomic chairs and monitor arms for your home office and your unique body type.

These are strange times for sure. Never before have computer users been asked to work from home and mass. It’s important to keep yourself safe as we move into the uncertain future.