The Ultimate Guide to a Functional Ergonomic Office

Whether you’re working from home full time or would like to spread your wings into the world of ergonomics in your office, Flomotion Studio are experts in active working and making sure your workspace is built for you.

Office ergonomics are important for workers as they can help prevent injury, boost productivity and encourage higher work quality overall. Studies have shown the effect of upright and slouched sitting postures on the respiratory muscle strength in healthy bodies, and the linked journal discusses how altered body position influences the respiratory muscle strength and function. The study by Costa et al. reports significantly lower maximum in-and-out breath pressures in supine and semi-upright sitting positions, when compared to the sitting position in healthy young adults.

The study confirmed that “the body position has a vital role in the cardiopulmonary physical therapy.” Positions could influence the performance of respiratory muscles, and therefore it is beneficial for workers to consider the positions they sit, stand and rest in to better their health and performance.

Office ergonomics allows for full flexibility in your working position, allowing you to adopt a comfortable, yet physically sound position which is beneficial for you and your health.

If you’re just starting out with setting up your ergonomic workspace, or want to make sure you have it set up just right, this ultimate guide to a functional ergonomic office is for you. From what we recommend you buy, to the best office set-up and what to focus on so you’re comfortable while you work, this guide will help you.

When beginning to put together your own ergonomic office, it’s important to make sure you have the correct equipment, furniture and the right tools for the job. So, what do you need to get started?

The perfect adjustable desk is one that works for you and your environment. Some people prefer (or can only use due to a lack of mains power available) manual rising systems, powered by a crank and others prefer to use electronically powered rising systems.

We’ve covered at length the benefits of working at a sit-stand desk, but ultimately it comes down to being able to have the choice to move. Whether you’re best focused on the task at hand by sitting and perching, or you prefer to stand and fidget while on the phone, a standing desk gives you options.

Overall, using a standing desk has lots of benefits including reducing the risk of weight gain and obesity, as well as improving your overall posture and productivity.

We also have available a range of frame-only options, if you already have a desktop you’d prefer to keep. Our frame-only options are suitable for a majority of desktops and feature 160kg of lift capacity, and award-winning height control panel. You may prefer the Airflo or Skyflo standing desk frames – and we’ve provided a handy comparison of the two below – or if you have a corner desk, the Skyflo Corner Standing Desk Frame is perfect for you.

Whether you’re working from home or in the office, it’s integral you are comfortable and positioned correctly and an ergonomic chair is perfect for this. There’s a range of stools and seats available which encourage more movement, and better posture.

The British Heart Foundation has found that most of us could benefit from spending less time sitting down, and that applies even if you’re keeping active. Their article, “Are you sitting too much?” entirely reflects the core beliefs of Flomotion Studio, and discusses changing sedentary behaviours for more active habits, even in the workplace.

Our ergonomic chairs are also perfectly paired with our height adjustable desks, allowing you to move freely and find your best combination of sitting, standing and perching throughout the day.

If you’re not sure where to start, we have provided an extensive guide on what to look for when shopping for an ergonomic task chair which details everything you need to know such as adjustable supports, as well as stuff you wouldn’t even think about including the fabrics and materials used to make your chair.

A good ergonomic chair gives you the option to choose from sitting, perching and standing – and our range of ergonomic chairs are fully flexible meaning you can even sit in them ‘backwards’ and still be comfortable and fully supported!

Chairs not your cup of tea? We also stock a range of ergonomic, comfortable stools. Designed to work perfectly with your sit-stand desk, our stools can be adjusted between low and high working heights, all the way to a sit-stand position.

Finding the right chair or stool for your ergonomic needs can be difficult, especially if you’ve never considered your options before. Get in touch with us at Flomotion and visit our showroom, where we can help you choose the perfect chair and also tailor the adjustments to you.

A monitor arm can help with fully customising your ergonomic workstation to your body, as standard monitor mounts can be restricting with how they move. A monitor arm allows you to swivel the screen, tilt, and move the monitor up and down relative to your height and whether you are sitting or standing in that current moment.

To prevent overall tripping hazards, and ensure the desk is fully accessible, it is important to pay attention to the cable management below and around your working area. Cable management trays and slinkies allow you to keep your desk area clean and tidy, and also can help lengthen the life of your cables (preventing friction and tension on the wires which can cause stress tears and breaks).

Another way to keep your desk area organised is to purchase a storage solution for your desk. Whether this is an under desk drawer or a pedestal with storage drawers, keeping everything in reach but organised is fundamental to a comfortable, ergonomic workspace.

When looking into the ergonomics of your workplace or office environment, you should consider various factors and key areas to focus on. When discussing ergonomics, you will want to pay particular attention to things labelled “ergonomic factors”. These factors are what you, or your business should pay attention to in order to make sure you have the best possible fit between employees and their work.

Ergonomic factors (or human factors) usually describe three connected items – the job at hand, the individual themselves, and the organisation.

• The Job – For a job to be described as ergonomic, a job and the tasks it involves should be designed to pay attention to the physical and mental limitations and particular strengths of the person completing the job. This will include items such as: the role itself; the overall workload; design of equipment used (suitability for tasks, size, and shape); the surrounding working environment; and how to access information to be used.
• The Individual – For the employee, which could be yourself or your team, you should design jobs and use equipment that will make best use of the person’s full capabilities while paying attention to health and safety and increasing overall productivity.
• The Organisation – Taking a look at your organisation from an ergonomic perspective means looking at how business-level decisions affect people’s actions and behaviour. This will include: organisational culture; how the organisation is managed, supervision and leadership; the approach to teamwork; and decisions made on working patterns and hours.

When looking into your organisation, it is important to assess the visible and physical potential ergonomic hazards. A poorly designed and set up workstation will mean you and your employees are more likely to sit in awkward and uncomfortable positions, affecting their long-term physical health.

The below graphic from Mayo Clinic provides information on how to set up your ergonomic workstation:

You should pay close attention to your chair, keyboard and mouse, telephone, desk and monitor. Additionally, you may find benefits from purchasing a footrest, should your chair be too high for you to rest your feet flat on the floor.

Other areas to focus on include whether the office or working area is well lit to prevent eye strain, the temperature of the room (being either too hot or too cold can make for uncomfortable working conditions), and in particular whether there is sufficient space for comfortable working and the ability to move around.
They may not be something you’d first think about when considering ergonomics, but space-saving devices such as desk drawers and cable tidies can all work towards a complete and comfortable working space.

You should try to keep the weight of your head directly above the base of support (your neck). Try to avoid craning your head and neck forward – it’s best to try and prevent ‘text neck’ which can put an extra 50-60 pounds of force on the neck over a prolonged period and it’s this that causes the damage. 

For your shoulders, you should keep these relaxed and try to prevent any tension and tightness across your upper body. While this can be difficult in tense situations and when you’re feeling particularly stressed, you will feel the benefits in the long run when you focus on relaxing these areas.

Your arms should be at a comfortable 90° angle with your hands at or below elbow level. Your wrists should be straight. You may find it beneficial to purchase a wrist rest.

You should place your monitor at an arm’s length away from you, and place it centred in front of you, above your keyboard. The top third of your monitor should be at seated eye level, to keep your head and shoulders in correct alignment.

Most importantly, your feet should not dangle. If necessary to have your seat comfortable, your feet don’t touch the ground, you should purchase a footrest to prevent tension on your knees and ankles.

Your chair height should be adjusted so your knees are level with your hips, and your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and the chair itself should support your spinal curves.

Under the desk, you should make sure there’s plenty of space for your knees, thighs and feet. If you don’t yet own a standing desk, and your desk is too low and can’t be adjusted we recommend placing sturdy blocks or boards under the desk legs to raise it ever so slightly to allow for plenty of space, and if it’s too high then raise your chair (and purchase a footrest to prevent your feet from dangling).

We understand it can be overwhelming when beginning to set up an ergonomic workstation for the first time, but Flomotion are on hand to help. Whether you would like video tutorials on how to build your desk or chairs initially, or would like a complete office consultation on ensuring your setup is right for you, we at Flomotion can provide you with the right advice.

For more information on how we can help you, send us an email at hello@flomotionstudio.co.uk, give us a call on 01603 951595 or read our extensive resources.