Woman working in modern office while sitting on yellow sitting ball

29.01.2025

Desk Ergonomics for Beginners: The Essentials

Creating an ergonomic workspace can transform the way you work, helping you stay comfortable, focused and productive, whether you're in an office or working from home. Desk ergonomics isn’t just about comfort; it’s a proactive approach to preventing aches, pains and even long-term health issues that can arise from poor posture and repetitive strain. By making small adjustments to the height and position of your chair, desk, monitor and other essential tools, you can reduce strain on your body and improve your overall wellbeing.

This guide to desk ergonomics covers all the essentials to get you started, from choosing the right chair to optimising the placement of your keyboard and monitor. Perfect for beginners, it’s a step-by-step approach to setting up a workspace that supports both your body and mind, so you can work more efficiently and comfortably each day.

What are the benefits of office ergonomics?

Ergonomics is focused on ensuring your body is positioned in comfortable, natural alignment, to reduce pressure on key joints and muscles. Without this, these muscles and joints can become strained and overworked. This can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or chronic back pain, both of which care common in desk-based jobs.

The mental benefits of desk ergonomics are just as important. When you’re able to work in a comfortable workspace, you reduce the constant low-level distractions caused by discomfort. This can help you to stay focused and avoid feelings of fatigue. Knowing your body is supported can contribute to a positive mindset, helping to promote productivity and focus.

Not factoring in ergonomic design to your desk setup can lead to a number of physical problems. These can range from minor aches to severe, chronic issues. Poor ergonomic design can result in repetitive strain injuries, and conditions such as neck and shoulder pain, back strain and eye strain. These physical issues can all have an impact on mental wellbeing, contributing to stress, low energy levels and decreased productivity.

Investing in ergonomics is, therefore, a proactive way to protect your health, productivity and the overall quality of your working life.

How to set up your desk and chair

Creating an ergonomic desk setup starts with understanding the key elements that make a workspace comfortable and supportive. This will feature the desk and chair, as well as your monitor, keyboard and mouse.

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Switch between sitting and standing to promote muscle movement for overall health and wellbeing
Holds a monitor and a laptop with stand on the main converter desk surface and the sliding tray holds a keyboard and mouse with space for wrist rests
Pneumatic assisted height adjustment to switch easy and effortlessly between sitting and standing positions

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Your ergonomic desk setup

When you’re looking for a desk, opt for one that’s height adjustable, so you can customise it based on your needs and body measurements.

Sit stand desks offer flexibility, enabling you to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. This can help to reduce back strain and improve circulation. A standing desk converter is a simple way of turning your workspace into a more active setup, allowing you to seamlessly switch between sitting and standing whenever you need.

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Leitz Ergo Active Sitting Stool with Comfort Seat

Stylish and ergonomic sitting stool to keep you active while working, compact design to store under a desk
Triangular shape Unique Dual Density Foam (DDF) comfort seat with firm ergonomic support core to distribute weight evenly across the pelvis, surrounded by soft foam cushioning to reduce pressure on the thighs and legs similar to a saddle stool
Rounded wobble base encourages rocking and swivel movements to strengthen your back and core while working at your desk

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Your desk should have enough surface area to comfortably fit your monitor(s), keyboard, mouse and any other tools you use regularly. You should be able to reach what you need comfortably and without straining or twisting awkwardly.

Your ergonomic chair setup

There are a range of office chairs to choose from. Your regular chair should ideally be adjustable, so you can position yourself at the correct height and angle, and also have adequate lumbar support, to support the natural curvature of your spine. When sitting at your desk, your feet should be flat on the floor with your knees at a 90 degree angle.

You can also look at alternative ergonomic office chairs to use alongside a traditional office chair. This could include sitting balls, that help to build core strength and improve circulation as you work. You could also consider an ergonomic office stool. Leitz has a range of stools that are height adjustable, so you can use them sitting or for added support at a standing desk. With a rocking base, these can also help to keep you active whilst you work, strengthening your muscles and joints.

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Leitz Cosy Wireless Mouse

Wireless computer mouse in sleek design, providing all-day comfort wherever you are
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How to position your keyboard and mouse

Positioning your keyboard and mouse correctly can have a significant impact on reducing wrist, hand and shoulder strain. Your keyboard should be placed directly in front of you. You should be able to reach the keys with your elbows at a 90 degree angle, with your forearms parallel to the floor. Having your wrists bent upwards can cause strain on the tendons, so your wrists should remain straight.

Your mouse should be close to the keyboard to avoid having to overreach. It should be at the same height as your keyboard, as this will help to avoid straining your shoulder. When using your mouse, you should aim to keep your wrist in a neutral position. Moving from your shoulder rather than your wrist can help you to avoid wrist strain.

If you work from a laptop, you should consider using at least a separate wireless mouse as this will often be more comfortable for prolonged use than the trackpad on the laptop. However, you may also need to invest in a separate keyboard, so you can raise your laptop screen to the correct height and continue to type comfortably. We’ll talk about this in more detail in the next section.

How to position your monitor

When your monitor is positioned correctly, you can reduce the risk of neck strain and eye fatigue. Your monitor should be placed directly in front of you, about an arm’s length away. The top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level, so you can view the entire screen without having to tilt your head. Your neck should remain in a neutral position as this will help to reduce strain on the neck and shoulders.

You may need to use a monitor arm or monitor stand to raise your screens to the correct height. A monitor arm can be especially useful if you have a compact desk or want to maximise the surface space. Both options will raise your screen so you can maintain correct desk posture.

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Leitz Ergo Space Saving Dual Monitor & Laptop Arm

Dual monitor and laptop arm that can improve posture, eye alignment and neck and shoulder comfort when the height of the monitor and laptop are adjusted correctly
Space saving design allows it to be mounted in small spaces while still providing maximum depth of field and optimal visual ergonomics
Monitor and laptop can be adjusted completely independently of each other
Strong and stable design to support 17”-32” flat or curved monitor weighing up to 9 kg (19.8lbs) and 13-17" laptop with a maximum thickness of 2.4cm

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If you use a laptop, you should consider a laptop stand to raise the screen. The best laptop stand will be adjustable, so you can ensure your screen is at the correct height and angle. Leitz has a range of adjustable laptop stands to hold your laptop at multiple height and angle combinations. They also fold up flat so you can easily pack them in your laptop bag when you’re working remotely.

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Leitz Ergo Aluminium Ultra-Flat Adjustable Laptop Stand

Strong and durable ergonomically designed aluminium laptop stand to maximise comfort at your workspace or on the go
Ultra flat with SlimLift Design (SLD) making the adjustable laptop riser easy to use in any space at home, in the office or on the move
Provides ventilation for your laptop by promoting airflow to keep the battery and other components cool
Lightweight and ultra thin design (6 mm) to fit easily in a bag for mobile working or storage

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You should aim to reduce glare on the screen, which may require you to tilt the screen slightly upwards. You should also adjust the brightness and contrast of the screen settings to get them to a comfortable level. To minimise strain on your eyes you can follow the 20-20-20 rule – every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can help you to avoid eye fatigue and dryness.

Leitz has a huge range of ergonomic office accessories to keep you comfortable and productive at work.

You can read more about the importance of ergonomics below:

Possible Neck and Shoulder Pain Causes at Work

The Importance of Correct Desk Posture

What is Computer Vision Syndrome and How to Avoid It