The ergonomic home office

It is becoming more and more popular to perform office activities at home – in the home office. An increasing number of employers encourage their staff (those for whom it is possible) to work part-time at their homes. The advantages are as numerous as obvious: less traffic jams, less workstations needed at the office, more freedom and responsibility for the employee, et cetera. But does the employee consider ergonomics when creating his or her home office?

Ergonomic rules
The ergonomically responsible workstation is determined, apart from the main rule of ergonomics – man is the basis – by three principles:
• all elements of the workstation and the total working environment (room, climate, lighting), the so-called hardware (computer, monitor, keyboard and such) and the furniture (table/desk, chair) play a role.
• the separate elements should be adapted to the body size and proportions of the user and his/her tasks.
• the separate elements should be matched: if you have an ergonomic chair, but your table/desk is too high or too low, you will still end up with a physical problem.

Apparently, there are still people who do their office work sitting for hours on end on a straight chair at the kitchen table or lounging in a sofa with a laptop on their knees. It’s such a pity since there are many solutions that are ergonomically safe.
There are as many ways of creating a home office as there are houses – and people. Everyone decorates his or her home office after his or her own preferences, only limited by the space available. The manufacturers of office furniture have recognized this trend and have extended their assortment with products that can match the style of the rest of the house. In general, these desks, chairs, cabinets and such are beautiful and range in design from practically compact to trendy.
However, this nice furniture has to meet the same demands as “real” office furniture. It is only ergonomically correct when the user knows how to make them fit his or her individual size and proportions. It all starts with deciding how to select the right furniture for your personal needs and comfort. This initial step is where it can go wrong, very wrong.
If you have to work on a computer often and for a long period of time, it is essential that the working environment be organized in an ergonomic manner. Monitor work affects the user’s health, not only putting strain on the eyes, the (lower) back and the upper body, but the user’s psyche is also under stress. However, this article is limited to the physical complaints and how these can be prevented.

Defects
For the specifications of an ergonomically sound workstation, please refer to the article ‘Checklist workstation’ in this magazine. The most common defects of the home office are:
• the desktop can not be height-adjusted
• the desktop is too small: the distance between eyes and monitor is too short and there is not enough room to place documents
• the monitor, mouse and keyboard are not correctly positioned
• there is not enough leg space
• the lighting is inadequate
Too often, the home office is tucked away in some otherwise lost corner or a part of a room is provisionally dedicated as the “office.” It is true that not everyone has the luxury of a separate room for his or her home office, but using a part of a room or some lost corner eventually leads to physical problems.
When purchasing furniture and other articles for the home office, some basic aspects must be taken into consideration:
• the table/desk and the rest of the furniture (cabinets and such) must have a matt, non-reflecting surface
• glass or metal surfaces are not recommended as these reflect (sun)light and absorb and give off heat
• there must not be too big a difference in color or model, as this distracts and creates an unorganized impression
• the most important elements are the desk and the chair

Variation
Another crucial factor for the healthy workstation is the type of the work at hand. Four hours of working on the computer is really the daily maximum. Computer work must be varied with other tasks that differ from monitor work in order to lower physical as well as mental stress levels. These other tasks can include meetings, short conferences, making calls, doing chores or even DIY activities.
Create the interior of the home office in such a manner that you have to get up regularly, for instance to clear away finished documents or get coffee. If the home office is upstairs, this is even better to get a little exercise. Use your free time (make sure you have enough of that – take breaks and stick to the standard office hours as much as possible) to do some exercises, walk the dog or take a rest. This is better than plowing through hours on end. Variation prevents over-exertion of the eyes, back and upper body because they are then used in a different way or not at all.

Suggestions
In the case that the workload consists only of computer work, we suggest that the work is divided into two or three blocks, each including a five or ten minute break (or longer, depending on the intensity/complexity of the task, but definitely not longer than 20 minutes). Use these breaks to do some exercises, for instance, take a walk. Try to exercise the entire body. Take several deep breaths, in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth. Some other suggestions are: hang up the laundry, water the flowers and plants, walk the dog and so forth. The purpose of taking a break in work is to lower tension in the eyes and other body muscles, to stimulate blood circulation and to keep performance level high.