Home office ergonomics: a practical setup guide (and ergonomics training)

Good home office ergonomics comes down to five adjustments: your back supported by the chair, feet flat on the floor, the screen straight ahead with its top edge at or slightly below eye level, elbows close to your body and wrists straight while you type. Add the one people forget most: moving and changing position throughout the day.

This guide walks you through setting up your workstation step by step, with a table of adjustments for each part of the body, a checklist for home and for the office, and what to do if you work from a laptop on the kitchen table. At the end, you'll see how ergonomics training can help the habits stick.

Why ergonomics matters more when you work from home

At the office, your workstation usually comes ready: an adjustable chair, a monitor, a desk at a standard height. At home, you often work wherever you can. A laptop on the kitchen table makes you look down, and a dining chair isn't built for an eight-hour day.

Ergonomics means fitting the workstation to you, not the other way around. It doesn't have to cost much: most adjustments can be made with things you already own.

How to set up your home office, step by step

1. Your chair

Start here, because everything else depends on how high you sit. Adjust it so your feet rest flat on the floor and your thighs are roughly parallel to it. Sit all the way back, with your back against the backrest. If the chair doesn't support your lower back, a small cushion or a rolled-up towel helps.

2. Your screen

Place it straight in front of you, not off to one side, about an arm's length away. The top edge should sit at or slightly below eye level, so you look at the center with your head straight.

3. Keyboard and mouse

Keep them close, at elbow height. Your arms hang relaxed, your elbows stay close to your body and your wrists stay straight. If you have to reach for the mouse, bring it closer.

4. Your feet

Flat on the floor. If raising the chair to reach the desk leaves your feet dangling, use a footrest. A sturdy box or a few thick books work too.

5. Lighting

Position the screen so the window is off to one side, not behind you (glare) or behind the screen (backlight). In the evening, add some ambient light: working with the screen as your only light source tires your eyes.

Only have a laptop? Raise it on a stand or a stack of books until the screen is at the right height, and plug in an external keyboard and mouse. It's the cheapest change and the one you'll notice most.

Adjustments by body part

Breaks: good posture keeps moving

Not even the best chair makes up for hours without moving. The idea is simple: change position often and get up regularly. A few easy ways to do it:

• Stand up after every task or meeting, even if it's just to refill your water glass.
• Take calls standing up when you don't need the screen.
• Look away from the screen now and then and focus on something far away.
• If you work in time blocks, use the break between blocks to move. We cover that in these time management techniques.

Moving also helps your mind switch off. If the tension isn't only physical, take a look at our guide to managing work stress.

Checklist: home and office

If you work from home

• A fixed place to work, not the couch or the bed.
• Laptop raised, with an external keyboard and mouse.
• A chair with a backrest, plus a lumbar cushion if needed.
• A makeshift footrest if your feet don't reach the floor.
• Window to one side and ambient light for the evening.
• A reminder to get up and move.

If you work at the office

• Adjust the chair when you arrive, especially if you share a desk.
• Reposition the screen: straight ahead and at the right height.
• Bring the keyboard and mouse closer before you start.
• If something can't be adjusted, mention it to whoever manages the space.

One important note: this guide is about work habits, not medical advice. If you have pain that doesn't go away, gets worse or bothers you outside work, see a professional such as your doctor or a physical therapist.

Where Game Strategies fits in

Reading a guide helps, but habits stick through practice. Our safe workplace courses and health and well-being courses include three games closely tied to this topic:

• Ergo (45 min): office ergonomics training as an investigation. You find out why so many people at a company are getting hurt and learn to design a healthy workstation, adopt proper posture in the office and at home, and avoid physical and mental fatigue during the day.
• The Office (45 min): office health and safety. You spot the risks around your desk, tell physical risks from environmental ones and learn how regulations say to reduce them.
• Larus (1 h): healthy lifestyle. The keys to staying active, eating a balanced diet and getting good rest, and how to turn them into habits at work and at home.

All three are included in the annual license at €299 per person (VAT included), with one year of access to all 71 games in the catalog. When you finish each course, you get a certificate of completion you can add to LinkedIn.

If you run a small business with remote staff, the admin panel lets you assign these courses and see who has completed them. Still, the game teaches you how to set up your workstation. The real change happens when you raise the screen and move the chair.