A Comprehensive Guide to Proper Ergonomic Standing Desk Position

No doubt standing while working is quickly becoming the new norm in the workspace. People are beginning to realize the exceptional benefits associated with standing for more extended periods each day. For this reason, standing desks are rapidly becoming the must-have office furniture in any workstation. The ergonomics of standing desks work as an exceptional tool that can increase your productivity, health, and collaboration at work.

With that being said, research has found that there are right and wrong ways to stand when using these standing desks. You're required to have the correct ergonomic standing desk position to gain the benefits of standing for extended periods. Here's everything you need to know about standing desks and the ergonomics involved in these devices.

Why Should You Use a Standing Desk?

In the world of office work, you generally stick in front of your computer screen for the majority of your day, which doesn’t give you much room to stand for the required time each day. Sitting for extended periods is known to cause many health problems, such as back pain.

However, a standing desk can help naturally increase the amount of time you spend standing each day without disturbing your workflow. Nonetheless, a standing desk doesn’t automatically eradicate all of the problems you have from sitting for long periods. Instead, there are certain processes you need to uphold to ensure that you’re using the standing desk correctly. Here are some of the most common mistakes found with using a standing desk that you should avoid at all costs.

What are the Common Mistakes Made When Using a Standing Desk?

If you already have a standing desk and haven’t noticed any of the benefits of using this ergonomic furniture, it would be because you are making these common mistakes. Here are some of the frequently experienced mistakes that first-time standing desk users make:

1. Standing for Too Long

A common misconception is that having a standing desk means that you need to be standing while using it the entire day. This isn't true, as studies recommend that you work towards standing for no more than two hours at a time when you first begin using a standing desk and then work your way to eventually standing for four hours.

During this time, you should be alternating from a sitting to a standing position. It’s imperative to remember that too much of anything is bad for you, including standing. Thus, you should avoid negating your standing benefits by completely forgetting to sit.

2. Not Having Your Standing Desk at the Right Height Adjustments

When adjusting your standing desk to a standing height position, you’re likely to find that this height doesn’t match the correct height of your body. With that being said, a general rule to follow when it comes to making height adjustments is to keep your elbows at no less than a 90-degree angle and your computer screen is placed slightly below eye level. You should do some standing desk height calculation to make it right.

If you find that it's challenging to get accustomed to using a standing desk, you might want to include monitor arms in your ergonomic workstation. The inclusion of monitor arms in your ergonomic workspace is specially designed to help you maintain the correct ergonomic posture for standing desk while you're working. This is done by adjusting your computer monitor height separately from the height of your keyboard.

3. Standing Still

One of the most well-liked features about standing instead of sitting while you conduct your work is your ability to move around while you’re working. Incorporating fun music or a contoured standing mat is an excellent way of helping you keep moving at your ergonomic standing desk.

Not to mention, it also allows you to make the most of this time that you spend standing. This increased movement also works to enhance your circulation and help your blood travel to vital parts of your body, such as your brain. Due to this, you’re able to boost productivity, energy, and mood levels effortlessly.

4. Standing (or Sitting) with Bad Posture

It's no secret that good posture is an important element that plays a significant role in your overall health and wellbeing. However, it isn't common for us to pay close attention to the condition of our posture daily. Having bad posture is known to negatively impact the amount of time you can spend standing each day while resulting in bad pain that's similar to sitting for extended periods.

In addition to this, it can also cause several health problems that range from general fatigue to more severe conditions, such as restricted blood vessels. We have presented you with a few ways that can help you gain the correct ergonomic standing desk position, which can be found below.

How Can You Work at Your Ergonomic Workstation with the Right Ergonomic Standing Desk Position?

As we have mentioned previously, many common mistakes come with using a standing desk. One of these mistakes is that you aren't using the right ergonomic posture for standing desks. Incorporating a standing desk into your workspace is a brilliant way to enhance your overall, health, performance, and productivity.

However, not using the right ergonomic standing desk position can severely hinder the standing desk benefits you gain. For this reason, we have highlighted the most important elements that you should incorporate when it comes to the ergonomic standing desk position you use when you're standing at your adjustable office desk.

Posture

When you use an ergonomic workstation, you should always make an effort to keep your neck, head, legs, and torso approximately in line with one another and vertical. In addition to this, you can also incorporate a footrest into your workstation to provide you with the ability to shift your weight from foot to foot. Not to mention, you should also wear shoes that offer proper support when standing.

Desk

An important part of having the right ergonomic standing desk position is to incorporate a good quality standing desk into this ergonomic workspace. A good standing desk that you should consider purchasing is the Autonomous SmartDesk Core. In doing this, you should choose a desk that’s deep enough to ensure that your monitor fits directly in front of you and is placed at least 20 inches away.

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In addition to this, your standing desk should also provide you with the ability to keep your wrists straight and your hands slightly below or at the level of your elbows to get ergonomic posture at desk. Keep in mind that any standing desks that have a rounded front are going to prevent you from placing pressure on your wrists. It’s also good to highlight that you should try not to use any boards or books to change the height of your desk.

Monitor

When setting up your ergonomic workspace, you should place your monitor directly in front of you and make sure that it’s approximately one arm’s length away. As you stand next to your standing desk, the top of your computer screen should be slightly below or at eye level.

A special note that you should be aware of if you wear bifocals is to lower the monitor an extra one to two inches to ensure that you have a more comfortable viewing experience. You should also try to place this monitor in a way that the brightest source of light is on the monitor’s side.

The location of the monitors is also dependent on the percentage of time that you’re wishing to spend on each monitor, as well as the type of work you’re planning on doing. This is especially the case if you have dual monitors included in your ergonomic workstation. If you generally tend to use both of your monitors equally, it would be best to place these monitors close together at an angle facing straight in front of you with the edges touching.

However, it would be best to rather place the one monitor directly in front of you if you tend to use this monitor more than 80 percent of the time. From here, you can place the other monitor off to the side of the ‘main’ monitor.

Keyboard and Mouse

A great method to arrange your ergonomic workspace is to place your keyboard and your mouse on the same surface. In addition to this, the ergonomic posture at the desk of this mouse and keyboard should be at a distance that provides you with the ability to keep your elbows close to your body.

It’s also highly recommended to keep your wrists straight while you’re using your mouse or typing. When doing this, you should pay close attention to make sure that your upper arms are close to your body while your hands are presented slightly below or at the same level as your elbows position.

One excellent suggestion of ergonomic desk guide that you should keep in mind is to use keyboard shortcuts as a means of reducing your extended mouse use. In addition to this, you might want to also adjust the sensitivity of the mouse, if possible, so that you’re provided with the ability to use a light touch when operating it. You can also alternate the hand that you use when operating this mouse by moving the device to the other side of your keyboard.

Don’t Forget Your Essential Objects!

Many people often forget about the incorporation of their essential objects needed in their everyday work routine. These key objects might include our telephone, printed materials, or stapler. When using these essential objects in your ergonomic workspace, it’s highly recommended to keep these items close to your body as a means of preventing you from excessively stretching throughout your working day.

Special Considerations for Your Ergonomic Standing Desk Position When Using a Telephone

If you commonly find that you tend to talk on the phone, as well as the type or write simultaneously, it's suggested to operate your telephone while on speaker or make use of a headset device. This is an alternative method to cradling your telephone between your neck and head and works to enhance the ergonomic posture at the desk.

Critical Tips for Sitting

As we have previously mentioned, a standing desk isn’t only for standing. It’s important that you take breaks from standing throughout the day and alternate between a sitting and a standing position. You should schedule sit-stand session throughout your working day. Too much of anything can reap adverse results, and that’s no different for standing for too long. From this, it’s easy to see that it would be in your best interest not to restrict yourself from sitting at your ergonomic workspace.

With that being said, we do have a few tips for you when it comes to sitting at your ergonomic standing desk. The beauty behind an ergonomic standing desk, such as the ones available through Autonomous, is that you can change the way you conduct your work.

Sitting up straight while conducting work helps you improve the condition of your neck and back. In addition to this, it also ensures that the health benefits of using such an ergonomic setup aren't counteracted. Here are some of the best ways that you can ensure these benefits aren't being counteracted:

• Ensure that your feet are placed firmly on the floor.
• It would be in your best interest to be looking forward rather than down when you’re working.
• Offer effective support to your back while you’re seated.
• Position your wrists so that you can use your keyboard with your forearms and wrists positioned straight.

The Bottom Line

Now that you have read through this ergonomic desk guide and have the ergonomic standing desk position, you can start reaping the benefits of your adjustable ergonomic desk. However, it's also important to note that the quality of your standing desk is also going to play a role in the effectiveness of this ergonomic posture at desk. For this reason, it would be best if you considered incorporating high-quality and motorized ergonomic furniture, like the ones offered by Autonomous, into your ergonomic workstation.