Resource guide
A Practical Guide to Office Ergonomics
Office ergonomics means arranging your work and equipment to fit the person using them. For desk work, that includes the chair, work surface, screen, keyboard, mouse, lighting, and the way tasks are spread across the day. The most useful setup is one you can adjust as your work changes.[1]
A new chair can help, but it works as part of a larger setup. If you raise your seat to reach the keyboard, you may also need a footrest. If you move your monitor farther away, you may need larger text. Small changes tend to work best when you consider their effect on the rest of the workstation.
1. Get the chair and desk working together
Begin with a seated position that feels supported. Your back should meet the backrest, your thighs should rest on the seat without pressure behind the knees, and your feet should have firm support. Adjust the backrest or lumbar support to fit your back. Set the armrests low enough that your shoulders can relax, while leaving room to sit close to the desk.[2]
Now bring the work surface into the picture. With your elbows near your sides, you should be able to reach the keyboard and mouse without lifting your shoulders or leaning forward. If the desk is fixed and too high, raising the chair may bring your arms into a more comfortable working position. Add a stable footrest if your feet no longer reach the floor. If the desk is too low, see whether the desk or keyboard surface can be raised instead.
Look below the desk, too. A drawer, computer tower, or storage box can push you away from the work surface or limit where you put your legs. Clear enough space to sit close and shift your position. For more detail on supported sitting, see A Guide to Neutral Posture.
2. Put the keyboard, mouse, and screen where you use them
Keep the keyboard in front of you and the mouse next to it, at about the same working height. When these items are close, your elbows can stay near your body. If a full-size keyboard pushes the mouse too far to the side, a shorter keyboard or separate number pad may make the layout easier to use. Keep your wrists generally in line with your forearms rather than holding them sharply bent while typing or using the mouse.[3]
Place the screen you use most directly in front of you. Around an arm's length away is a useful place to start, then adjust for the size of the display and how easily you can read it. If you keep leaning toward small text, try increasing the text or interface size before moving your body closer. The top of the screen will often be around eye level or a little lower. People who wear bifocals or progressive lenses may find a lower position more comfortable.[4]
With two screens, arrange them around how you actually work. If one carries most of your work, center that one and put the secondary screen beside it. If you use both equally, bring their inner edges together and sit facing the space between them. The aim is to avoid turning your head or torso repeatedly to view your main work.
A laptop needs a slightly different setup. Its keyboard and screen move together, so adjusting one also changes the other. For longer sessions, use an external keyboard and mouse, then raise the laptop screen or connect a separate monitor.[5]
3. Arrange the desk around your tasks
Put the items you use repeatedly within an easy reach. That might be a notebook beside the keyboard for one person and a phone or reference document for another. Move supplies used only occasionally farther back. This layout should reflect your day rather than a picture of a perfectly tidy desk.[2]
If you copy information from paper, try placing the page on a holder near the screen. If calls and computer work happen at the same time, a headset or speaker function may be more practical than holding the phone while typing. The point is to give regular tasks a comfortable place to happen.
4. Check what you can see
A screen that is hard to read can pull you forward even when the chair and desk are arranged well. Adjust text size, contrast, and brightness until you can read from your usual seated position. Make sure the screen is far enough away to view comfortably without making details too small.[4][6]
Notice where light comes from during the day. A window behind the screen can be uncomfortably bright; one behind you may reflect on it. Blinds, a small change in desk position, or a different screen angle may help. If you read or write on paper, a task light can illuminate that work as long as it does not shine into your eyes or reflect off the display.[6]
5. Make changes of position part of the day
A supportive setup should allow you to move. Sit upright for some tasks, lean back with support for others, stand when it suits the work, and step away from the desk regularly. Calls, printing, and transitions between tasks can all provide natural opportunities to change position. There is no single seated pose to maintain for the whole workday.[2][5]
If you use a sit-stand desk, check the equipment each time you change its height. The keyboard should still be easy to reach, and the screen should still be comfortable to view. Spending all day standing is no more useful as a fixed posture than spending all day sitting.
If the setup still does not feel right
Some issues become clear once you watch what you do repeatedly. Are you reaching for the mouse hundreds of times? Leaning toward one screen? Sitting forward because the armrests hit the desk? Change the part of the workstation linked to that task, then see how the new arrangement feels during normal work.
If discomfort is persistent, recurring, or worsening, an equipment change alone may not answer it. Tell your employer about the workstation and tasks involved. An ergonomic assessment or appropriate healthcare guidance may be useful, especially when the furniture cannot be adjusted to fit or a medical condition affects your setup. Our Managing Workplace Discomfort resource will cover this in more detail. For help with specific controls, see Chair Adjustment Guides.