More and more entrepreneurs are choosing to set up their office at home, rather than pay the overhead associated with commercial office space.  But in order to create a home office that promotes productivity and good workplace health, it is important to consider the ergonomic design of your area as well as the office furniture and ergonomic computer accessories you choose to purchase.

The following is a helpful guide to some of the basics of ergonomic home office design, and what you need to create a healthy, productive and great looking work environment.

Install proper lighting

There are several things to consider in terms of lighting your home office – each a potential lighting pitfall unless you know the rules regarding good ergonomic design.

First, you should never place your desk where direct sunlight or overhead light shines right on the monitor.  This can cause you to squint when you work, which leads to headaches and eye strain.  Instead, try and place your desk away from the harshest impact of the sun’s rays.  When choosing lighting for your work area, place small lamps behind the computer – and keep the wattage down.  Both techniques will help you maintain better health and ergonomic design.

It all starts with a great office desk chair

Besides being the place where you will spend the bulk of your time, your office desk chair can also mean the difference between good health and a variety of physical ailments – including lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and other issues.

You can avoid these problems by investing in an adjustable ergonomic chair.  These chairs conform to the unique needs of each individual, allowing for adjustments to the back rest, arm rests, chair height and other crucial areas that help determine how long hours spent at the workplace affect the spine, back, arms and wrists.

Proper Ventilation

Setting up your home office in the attic or basement of your home is not a good idea because these areas rarely receive the proper air flow needed to promote good health in your work environment.  Instead, you should set up your home office in area with good natural air flow from windows or (weather permitting) open doors.

Choosing the Right Computer Equipment

When it comes to choosing the computer equipment for your home office, YOU are the purchasing department, so you have to be educated on the best ergonomic choices on the market.  Look for ergonomically friendly keyboards and computer mouse devices that promote comfort for the hands, wrists and fingers.  Also, anti-glare monitors (or monitor add-ons) help reduce headaches and eye strain and give you the freedom to place your computer in more locations.  These all represent nominal investments, but carpal tunnel syndrome ca not be cured once you have it – so it is a good idea to err on the side of caution.

Creating a Space to Call Your Own

In order to maintain a proper “flow” in your home office, you need to craft a space that is entirely devoted to business matters.  We know you love your family, but if they are coming through and interrupting your work day it is going to be hard to get your business off of the ground.  Try and find a part of the house that meets the requirements above, but still allows you some isolation from the comings and goings of family life.

Maintaining an ergonomic office is more than just an excuse to buy cool looking furniture, it is actually the key to better health for everyone on the job.  Work environments that are not properly thought out from an ergonomic perspective have been found to cause a variety of ailments, including: carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strain, headaches and back pain.

There are a variety of ways to improve the ergonomic standing of an office, from positioning furniture correctly to improving the lighting and ventilation around the workspace.  The following are ten tips and tricks for making your office ergonomically correct - whether you’ve got one employee or one thousand.

10 Tips for maintaining an ergonomic office

1. If your feet don’t touch the floor, always use a foot rest. Providing a simple, adjustable foot rest at every workstation will help employees maintain a strong back and avoid leg cramps or stiffness.
2. Keep all PC monitors straight ahead and at eye level. If you have to crane your neck up, down or to the side in order to get a good look at your monitor, you will pay the price over time.  Keep the viewing screen level with the direct field of vision to help erase unwanted movements that can cause long-term injury.
3. Use large-barrel pens and pencils. It may sound silly, but trying to grip thin writing instruments all day can lead to cramping and even Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Stock your office supply cabinets with pens and pencils that sport a half-inch diameter or greater.
4. Reduce glare throughout the office. Align your desks and workstations so that the office lighting system does not emit heavy glare on computer screens.  Proper lighting is an often overlooked aspect of ergonomic design, yet can improve worker health significantly.
5. Don’t sit under a vent. Proper ventilation plays an important role in ergonomics and good health.  Never place desks or workstations directly in the path of a heating or air-conditioning ventilation system.
6. Design with good air circulation in mind. If there is an opportunity to place workstations close to a natural breeze or well-circulated area, do it!  This can improve worker health and well-being significantly.  The more fresh air that is available in the workplace, the lesser the impact of dust mites, mold and other potentially dangerous allergens.
7. Take short breaks throughout the day.  Many studies have shown that shifting position or changing tasks occasionally throughout the day will lessen the discomfort associated with repetitive tasks.  Something as simple as a two or three minute “micro-break” every hour can be a boon to the ergonomic health of the staff.
8. Exercise during your micro-breaks. Make sure that the time you spend in between tasks is put to good use with proper office exercises.  These simple stretching exercises are designed to reduce to the chance of carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress disorders.
9. Use adjustable chairs.  For individuals who work on the PC for many hours at a time, chairs with an adjustable arm rest are recommended.  Reaching for the mouse thousands of time throughout the day can cause great arm and wrist strain if the height of the chair is not properly optimized.
10. Get the proper back support for every chair. Finally, the most important element in ergonomic seating is proper back support.  It is highly recommended that you purchase only ergonomically-approved chairs for your office, or if you are on a tight budget, add back supports to existing office chairs.