Ergonomic consultant assisting you in your office

Ergonomic tips

Correct sitting posture at your workstation

Try to sit with good upper and lower back support most of the time at work.
Avoid leaning forward for long periods as this places stress on your lower back.
Your feet should be comfortably flat on the floor with your upper & lower legs at an approximate 90° angle.
Your elbows should be at the same approximate height as your keyboard. If the keyboard is too high, you may need to lower the height of your desk (if possible) or raise the seat height of your chair and use a footrest.
Learn how to adjust your office chair and trial different positions for your own comfort.



Your monitor should be positioned at approximately arm’s length from your usual seated position for visual comfort. The top tool bar of the screen should be at approximately the same height as your eyes. If it is too low, you may be at risk of developing neck pain from looking down at the screen. If it is too high, it can cause both neck pain and eye strain from looking up. The monitor should be angled vertically to avoid glare on the screen from overhead lighting. Your monitor, keyboard and mouse should be positioned directly in front of you on your desktop, in a straight line with your shoulders. If you place them on an angle, you are at risk of developing one-sided neck and shoulder pain.



Avoid holding your desktop telephone with your neck & shoulder. This can cause severe neck and shoulder pain if done frequently. If you need to write or use your keyboard & mouse while on the telephone, invest in a hands-free headset or consider using speaker-phone if it will not disrupt your colleagues.



Laptops are very convenient but pose many ergonomic problems if used intensively. Their screens tend to be smaller, lower and darker than desktop monitor screens. Working long hours with your laptop placed on the desktop can cause pain from excessive neck and shoulder flexion. The laptop screen and keyboard cannot be separated, which encourages users to lean forward to key. This can lead to poor posture. Consider elevating your laptop so the top tool bar is at your eye level. You can do this by placing it in a laptop riser. Many risers have a built-in document holder which can elevate your source documents directly in front of you. This can reduce neck pain from looking down at documents placed flat on the desktop. Another solution is to use a docking station at work. Never use your laptop keyboard in an elevated position – this can cause wrist pain. Instead, use a separate keyboard and mouse.