Working at a Screen at Home Equipment and Ergonomics in the Home Office

As a rule, employers provide employees with the necessary IT equipment for working from home. The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) offers important recommendations for setting up a mobile computer workstation in its informational brochure“Working from Home—Not Just During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic”(PDF).

According to this guide, simply using a laptop with a keyboard and touchpad can already improve the ergonomic conditions in a home office. Using a separate keyboard and mouse further improves ergonomic work with a laptop. Ideally, employees should have a separate keyboard, mouse, and monitor. With a suitable desk, an office chair, and an ergonomic arrangement of work equipment on the desk surface, a good workstation setup can be created in the home office.

Designing the Workstation in a Home Office

When it comes to designing and setting up a mobile computer workstation in a home office, the DGUV follows the guidelines outlined in the information brochure “Mobile Work in Hotels.” According to these guidelines, workstations are classified into three categories—“Minimal,” “Functional,” and “Optimal”—depending on the nature of the task and the duration of the activity; these categories differ, among other things, based on the size of the desk’s work surface and the type of office chair used.

The guidelines described there can also be applied when setting up mobile workstations in a private or home environment. Any combination of the various ergonomic recommendations is possible. For example, an office chair placed in front of a “Minimal” tabletop is certainly more ergonomically favorable than just a dining chair or visitor’s chair. And even the large tabletop of an “Optimal” desk is more ergonomically favorable than a tabletop in the “Functional” category, even if the desk is not height-adjustable.

The categories for mobile workstations in detail:

Minimum equipment requirements depend on the work task:

A minimum set of furniture corresponding to the “Minimal” category is suitable for sporadic or occasional work from home, including work on weekdays.

A minimum set of furniture corresponding to the “Functional” category is also suitable for working over several days. When using only one computer monitor, with minimal use of paper and the availability of an office swivel chair, this setup also constitutes a suitable workspace for telework (minimum requirement for a teleworking station, whereby a free movement area of at least 1.5 square meters must be provided at the workspace).

A minimum set of furniture corresponding to the “Optimal” category constitutes a well-equipped computer workstation and is therefore fully suitable for use as a teleworking workstation.

Work Environment in the Home Office

Adequate natural light and a clear view to the outside should also be provided when working from home. Artificial lighting in the home office should be appropriate for the domestic nature of the room.

Computer monitors should be positioned so that their surfaces are free of distracting reflections and glare. The workspace should be sufficiently well-lit (500 lux). This can be achieved, for example, by supplementing the home’s existing lighting with a floor lamp or a table lamp.

To counteract a lack of physical activity, it is important to regularly take breaks from screen work by changing your posture or engaging in other activities. Phone calls, for example, can be made while standing. This applies to both office work and working from home.

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