As Australian’s face the task of working from home and setting up their home office, it can be very expensive, but ergonomic office design on a budget is possible.
You need to keep in mind a few key things:
When it comes to working from home, poor ergonomics can result in neck, shoulder, wrist and lower back discomfort.
To help you mitigate some of those shortcomings and accomplish the goal of an affordable working from home ergonomic setup, here are some details of the office furniture and equipment you may need.
DESK When you need to buy a whole new desk to setup your home office, the best place to start is a height adjustable standing desk.
Merit Desk
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/merit-height-adjustable-electric-desk/
A complete desk at an affordable price, the Merit has an 80kg weight capacity and 2 stage leg with 69-118mm worksurface height to suit different height users. Simple to use up and down buttons, transitioning up and down at 25mm per second.
Or WORKSTATION If you have a desk at home, there are several sit-stand desktop converters that will transform your home office into an active workspace.
Arise Sit Stand Workstation
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/arise-sit-stand-workstation/
The Arise features easy height adjustment via two activation paddles, and gas spring to offer smooth supported height transition. A support groove on the worksurface allows the user to mount their smart phone and tablet. The Arise has a small size available to suit smaller desks with a laptop or single monitor, and medium size option to suit dual monitors.
Vertilift Pro Electric Workstation
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/vertilift-pro-electric-sit-stand-workstation/
The Vertilift Pro is incredible value for an electric workstation. It has a shallow footprint to suit narrower desks and features a handy USB charge port. The addition of a single or dual monitor mount is available.
CHAIR Everybody needs an ergonomic chair! Kitchen chairs are often too low to sit at kitchen tables, so that impacts your elbows and neck. If you are doing most of your work siting down, an adjustable chair will ensure you are working at a good height and your back is supported.
Ergo Advantage Chair
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/ergo-advantage-chair-choose-your-specs/
The Ergo Advantage Chair is made in Australia, durable with a 135kg weight rating and comes with a 10 year warranty. The chair has a 20mm Visco overlay on the seat which provides superior comfort, and one of the best affordable ergonomic chairs.
Ergoform Chair
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/ergoform-chair/
The Ergoform Chair is a great option for taller people as the chair features a seat slide, and a large seat measuring 500mm deep. It has a contemporary rectangular back and delivers excellent comfort and extraordinary value, with a 160kg weight rating and 7 year warranty.
MOUSE If you have a limited budget, just having an external ergonomic keyboard and mouse for your laptop will make a big difference.
It gives you a lot more flexibility, you can then raise the height of your laptop to a better position.
Logitech Wireless M185 Mouse
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/logitech-wireless-mouse-m185/
A simple reliable mouse that is so small and unobtrusive. The sculpted design feels good in either hand and offers more comfort than a touchpad of a laptop.
EZ Minicute Vertical Mouse (Right or Left)
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/ez-vertical-mouse-by-minicute-right-hand-wireless/
A vertical mouse works by supporting the hand in an upright neutral posture that eliminates forearm twisting. By holding your arm in a handshake position rather than the traditional twisted over position, you are helping reduce the pressure on the wrist
KEYBOARD Kensington Advance Fit Full-Size Slim Keyboard
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/kensington-advance-fit-full-size-slim-keyboard/
The Kensington Keyboard has a narrow footprint for a keyboard with the number pad included. This narrow footprint is great as it helps to bring the mouse closer into a more neutral position helping to relieve or prevent shoulder pain.
MS Ergonomic Contoured Keyboard
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/ms-ergonomic-keyboard/
Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard reduces fatigue and delivers a slim, refined design with split keyboard, improved cushioned palm rest and time-saving shortcut keys.
Evoluent Compact Keyboard
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/evoluent-compact-keyboard-wired/
The Evoluent Compact Keyboard is lightweight with a low sleek profile making it a pleasure to type on. The absence of a numeric keypad makes it more compact for travel and allows the user to bring the mouse in closer.
LAPTOP STAND / MONITOR STAND / MONITOR ARM
You do not want to be too close to your screen as you can suffer from eye strain and neck pain. Ideally you want your eyes to be in line with the top of the screen, and you want the screen to be about arm’s length away. If your laptop or monitor is too low or in the wrong position you can benefit greatly by using a laptop stand, monitor arm or monitor platform where applicable. Fellowes Compact Portable Laptop Riser
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/fellowes-compact-portable-laptop-riser/
Eye-Right Monitor Arm
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/eye-right-monitor-arm/
FOOTREST If you’re working at a kitchen table or desk that is too high for your feet to reach the floor, then you will need a footrest to support your feet.
Kensington Rocking Footrest
https://www.ergonomicessentials.com.au/product/kensington-rocking-footrest/
The Kensington Rocking footrest tilts simply by foot pressure to support lower limbs while sitting at your desk. A free-floating platform with a design that provides surface bumps to help massage tired feet. We hope that this overview has given you some clarity on what to consider when setting up an affordable home office. If you have any questions or want to order any of the products mentioned above, give us a call on 1300 798 658 or contact us at sales@ergonomiceessentials.com.au
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