Healthy in the home office - the ergonomic workplace

Ideally, you should furnish your study according to ergonomic criteria to prevent back pain or poor posture of the shoulders and neck. The ergonomic furnishing is designed to encourage movement during working hours and prevent incorrect posture. 

The desk

Your workplace should ideally be separate from your private area. Even if the choice of seating often falls on comfortable alternatives such as the couch at home, the deck chair on the terrace or the bed, this is not a permanent solution to work effectively and, above all, healthy in the long term. The workplace should be ergonomically designed: One way to achieve this is a height-adjustable desk or a combination of a sitting and standing desk. This allows you to vary your position and, for example, work standing up for fifteen to twenty minutes in an hour. If you want to be very modern, there are also treadmill desks. These allow you to walk while working. So you can keep moving even in your home office. Decide flexibly which of the variants (AmPnBsP) is right for you, or whether a combination of the above (AmPnBsP) is right for you.

The seating option

Besides the right desk, an ergonomic desk chair is a must for your home office work. Because even if you take regular breaks from movement, you will still spend a lot of time sitting. A good desk chair should provide optimum support for your spine and promote dynamic sitting. Ideally, your sitting position should allow your screen to be about 50-70cm away from you and your gaze (AmPnBsP) to be slightly lowered (AmPnBsP) on the monitor   the regular variation in your sitting posture prevents tension and relieves the strain on your intervertebral discs. Other ways to promote a healthy sitting posture are orthopaedic seat cushions or sitting balls 

Regular breaks and exercise

A home office that lasts for weeks often also means a lack of exercise. Not only the daily walk to work (AmPnBsP) is no longer necessary, but also gyms, swimming pools and other public sports grounds are closed due to the corona virus  It is important to take a regular break from sedentary activities  You should therefore take a break from exercise at least every hour. Get up and walk around (telephone calls are great for this) or do some stretching exercises. A short workout also helps to relax the muscles and prevent bad posture. Put together a few exercises for yourself to train those parts of the body that tend to become tense during your work. If you have the opportunity, use your lunch break for a walk in the fresh air. This helps to reduce stress, activates the muscles and helps you to focus on your work again after the break.

With these tips, you can help to relax and increase motivation in your home office:

• Drink enough and set yourself a goal
• Structure and organize your daily routine, so you are more motivated
• Dress in your home office as it would be appropriate at your workplace
• Plan regular snack and meal times
• Ensuring the right temperature and lighting in the study
• Give your eyes a rest
• Take time for regular exercise and a rural  balance (jogging, walking, gardening, yoga, stretching, cycling)
• Separate your workplace from your private life
• Take up a healthy sitting position

Cost absorption possible?

If the work in the home office is initiated by your employer, you can ask for a cost absorption for the installation of an ergonomic workplace. The assumption of costs is not obligatory, but it should also be close to your employer's heart that you get through the new working day in good health.

Read the entire contents of our home office blog series

• Successful working in the home office: That's how it works!  
• Healthy in the home office - the ergonomic workplace  
• Perfect time management at home - avoid these six efficiency killers!  
• Online conferencing tools - how to go online with socializing!
• Productivity in the home office
• Reward and recognition also works in the home office - but how?  
• Challenges in managing remote teams