How can ergonomic and human factors positively influence well-being in today's office?

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Human factors mainly refer to the physical and psychological performance of humans, up to their limits. In combination with ergonomic factors, they show the effects of interactions between people, as well as between people and objects. Ergonomics aims to improve well-being and optimize performance.

An important aspect of human factors is failure or incorrect behavior, which is to be reduced. This ensures that safety, comfort, and productivity can be improved and increased.

We can find a prime example of this in civil aviation. After several serious crashes at the beginning of the jet age, human factors were examined more closely, resulting in far-reaching measures that revolutionized the entire aviation industry. Today, statistics crown these implemented consequences by establishing flying as the safest mode of transportation.

Ergonomic and human factors are very broad topics, which I cannot go into in full detail here, otherwise it would fill an entire book of information. In the following, I will focus mainly on physical ergonomics in connection with human factors, integrated into concrete everyday office life. In doing so, I want to show what benefits can be derived from this.

What should you look out for regarding posture and ergonomics in the workplace?

There is practically no workplace where health hazards do not lurk. To avoid these risks, it is crucial that the work equipment and the workplace can adapt to human ergonomics and its needs.

The focus is on the human being as the main factor, not the objects. By adapting objects and processes to human ergonomics, not only is safety improved, but there is also an increase in productivity and motivation, which ultimately leads to greater overall well-being.

Ergonomics is divided into three main areas by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA):

• Physical ergonomics (anatomy)
• Cognitive ergonomics (perception, thinking, recognition)
• Organizational ergonomics (working hours, processes, breaks)

The requirements for ergonomic products and their use in different workplaces are therefore to largely take this ergonomic mix into account, so that a general added value and greater well-being for the user can result. As a rule, this also increases economic efficiency.

In this context, central attention must be paid to posture and ergonomics in the workplace. First and foremost, an ergonomic interior design should be implemented. On the one hand, this can be done relatively easily with minor changes. On the other hand, larger adjustments require a certain budget and deeper structural changes.

When designing the room, you should first consider the three basic aspects before creating the ergonomically optimal workplace, so that ergonomic and human factors can truly have a positive impact on well-being.

Basic aspects for an ergonomic interior design

• Lighting
• Acoustics
• Indoor climate

Lighting

Daylight has many benefits and promotes performance as well as motivation. Therefore, if possible, you should place your workplace near a window. However, make sure that the desk is positioned perpendicular to the window so that the light comes in from the side. This avoids glare and annoying reflections on the screen.

If you do not have a favorable positioning option for your office desk, you can protect yourself against annoying sunlight with blinds or shades.

There is also the option of reflective film that can be applied to the window, which reduces the overall light entry but can be of great benefit, especially in summer or on warm days. I know of cases where, after applying such reflective films, air conditioning was no longer needed.

Artificial light is very close to daylight today and guarantees optimal lighting for every workplace. However, there are also several important factors to consider here.

Avoid too great a difference in light between the workplace and the rest of the environment, so that an ergonomic interior design is ensured in terms of lighting and no monotonous room impression is created.

The same applies to artificial light as to sunlight: it can also cause glare and reflect on the monitor. You should also take this into account here and, if necessary, move the desk or place the light sources differently.

The colors of the walls, ceilings, floors, and objects in the room also have a significant influence on light reflection. The rule is: the lighter the colors, the better the light is reflected. With dark walls, for example, you need much more light to get the required lighting level.

Often, the standard light source provides insufficient illumination. This can easily be remedied with additional lamps.

Indirect light in combination with direct lighting has proven to be very effective. Floor lamps that can be placed next to the desk and often offer a combination of direct and indirect lighting are very useful. Ideally, the intensity of the light could also be adjusted. This is guaranteed to create ergonomic lighting conditions for you.

If you already have relatively good lighting but need more light on your documents, a desk lamp can be very useful.

Ideally, you should combine your office workplace with a mix of daylight and artificial light, which comes in directly, indirectly, and selectively.

Always make sure that you do not get any annoying shadows in your work area and that none of the light sources flicker.

Acoustics

The most disruptive source of noise in offices is not the sound of the printer or the clattering of keyboards, nor is it the ringing of phones, but simply human speech! When two people are having a normal conversation, this already creates a sound pressure level of approx. 60 dB(A). What is particularly disruptive here is the informational content of these conversations, which repeatedly leads to distractions and poor concentration.

According to experts, the recommended average sound pressure level should be a maximum of 55 dB(A), and for high mental demands, this maximum value would have to be quite a bit lower.

Noise can make you sick and reduce efficiency at computer workstations. Although noise is perceived differently, many people are stressed and dissatisfied because of it.

Too much reverberation (which is simply sound waves causing a smaller or larger echo) increases the noise level in a room and is perceived as disruptive and unpleasant.

Try to design the ergonomic interior layout in such a way that reverberation is reduced. In doing so, you make an important contribution to significantly increasing well-being in the office.

The following are well suited for reducing reverberation:

• thick carpets
• curtains
• textile surfaces (office chairs, wall hangings)
• furniture and larger plants

It often remains difficult to sufficiently dampen these sound waves and the resulting reverberation with the means mentioned above. For this, there are various absorber solutions on the market. These can be absorbing foams or professional absorbers that are set up, hung on the wall, or even attached to the ceiling. In open-plan offices, this can also be solved with partitions placed on, in front of, or next to the desk.

If you are looking for an ergonomically perfect solution or have complex acoustic situations, it is best to contact a room acoustician.

Indoor climate

The indoor climate in the office or home office is mainly influenced by three factors:

• Temperature
• Air quality
• Humidity

An ideal room temperature is 21°C, although this is perceived slightly differently by each individual. The optimal temperature at an office workstation should be between 18-24°C.

The quality of the air is mainly influenced by the carbon dioxide (CO2) content and the number of pollutants, as well as fine dust and other microparticles.

Too much carbon dioxide (CO2), i.e., when there is too little oxygen in the air, causes various ailments such as headaches, feelings of exhaustion, poor concentration, or can accelerate getting sick. Carbon dioxide (CO2) mainly arises when several people are in a closed room for a long time and fresh air is never added. Through exhalation, less oxygen is returned than is taken in through inhalation. The oxygen is therefore slowly consumed. Regular ventilation of the rooms helps to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2). If you have a central ventilation system, the air quality can be influenced with filters. To measure the CO2 value, carbon dioxide measuring devices are already available at affordable prices, which reliably provide information about the current air quality in your room.

Pollutants in the air can often be caused by office equipment such as printers, copiers, or other machines. A major culprit of pollutants is smoking. Since this is banned in public buildings today, care should be taken in the home office not to smoke in the room, but to consistently go outside. In general, the proportion of pollutants in modern office buildings is very low.

Plants are a secret weapon against too high a CO2 content in the air. Not only can they produce additional oxygen, but certain plants have the unique property of filtering pollutants from the air. Top plants with these phenomenal properties include, for example, the peace lily (Spathiphyllum), the snake plant (Sansevieria), or English ivy (Hedera Helix).

There are plants in nurseries that are labeled as producing a particularly large amount of oxygen. Air-purifying plants contribute decisively to a healthy indoor climate.

Odors can also influence air quality and the associated well-being. Therefore, meals with strong odors should not be eaten directly at the workplace, so as not to affect the air quality and not to annoy surrounding employees.

The humidity is too low in many offices. This often causes irritation to the eyes or dry nostrils, making the mouth feel rough and uncomfortable. Here, too, plants can be of great service, as they release approx. 90% of the watering water back into their environment. Ventilation can also have a positive influence on humidity.

In case of permanently dry air, a humidifier should be used or the central ventilation system adjusted accordingly.

With a hygrometer (humidity meter), it is easy to determine the humidity. The ideal value is between 40-60% humidity. If an air conditioning system is used, the humidity may be up to 70%. An average value of 50% would be ideal.

Ergonomically optimal workplace

Since the foundation for an ergonomically optimal workplace has been created with the basic aspects, the fine-tuning of creating a suitable computer workstation can now begin, taking human factors into account.

The four main aspects are divided into:

• Office chair
• Work desk
• Work equipment (screen, keyboard, mouse)
• Ergonomic aids

Office chair

The human body is not built to sit for hours. Some studies even claim that sitting is more harmful than smoking. Nevertheless, the reality is that modern humans spend many hours sitting every day. The resulting health problems are correspondingly large.

Ergonomics research has found various solutions and ways to offer preventive measures here, so that health can still be protected.

For an office chair, the following key points should be considered:

1. Make sure that the seat has sufficient cushioning and that you do not have to sit on a hard surface. Otherwise, blood circulation will be impaired, which in the worst case can lead to thrombosis problems.
2. Make sure that the correct casters are on your office chair. For hard floors (stone, parquet, tiles, etc.), soft casters (a soft, usually gray, rubber-like coating) should be used; for soft floors (carpet, cork, etc.), hard casters (made of hard plastic) should be used.
3. Sit in your office chair so that your back touches the backrest. If necessary, adjust the seat depth. If your chair does not have this function, help yourself with a small cushion or a rolled-up towel placed between your back and the backrest so that your back gets supportive help. Your knees should not touch the seat cushion; there should be a few finger-widths of space in between.
4. To have an anatomically advantageous sitting posture, you should adjust the height of the chair so that your thighs are horizontal or slightly higher than your knees. That means an angle of at least 90° or more. Your feet should rest flat on the floor.
5. If you use armrests, adjust their height so that, with relaxed shoulders, your forearms rest on the armrests at a right angle in relation to your upper arms.
6. Make sure that your backrest has a good supporting function, especially in the lumbar region (lower back), so that your spine is kept in its natural S-shape and does not slump into a rounded back. If you have too little support in the lower back area, you can also help yourself here with a small cushion or a rolled-up towel. The intervertebral discs are relieved by this support in the belt area, and you can thus preventively counteract the formation of back damage. Many office chairs have a major weak point here. Ideally, adjust the height of your backrest so that optimal support in the lumbar and shoulder areas is guaranteed.
7. Try to sit as dynamically as possible on your chair. This means do not lock your backrest, but leave it in active motion mode. Movement is one of the best preventive measures to avoid back ailments. By moving the back, the intervertebral discs remain supple, the nerves in the spine are additionally activated, and the back muscles are promoted.
8. Take breaks in between and stand up. Move around a bit in your office or go outside for some fresh air. Alternating between sitting, standing, and moving is a healthy combination to keep your back and your health fit.

If you would like to learn more about office chairs, you can find an article of mine here, titled "How important is an ergonomic desk chair in times of Corona?"

Work desk

The desk should be adjustable in height so that it can harmonize with the office chair settings described above. This requires that your office desk can be adjusted in height. Please note the following two points:

1. Sit on your office chair as described above and now adjust the height of the desk so that in a sitting position, with relaxed shoulders and hanging arms, you form a 90° angle with your forearms (forearm in relation to upper arm). The forearms should now rest horizontally on the table surface. This gives you an ideal table height in relation to your entire sitting posture.
2. Make sure that you have enough legroom under the office desk and do not bump into anything. Hanging cables, waste bins, or drawer units are often an obstacle for the legs. In the long term, this can lead to postural damage, as your body automatically tries to avoid these disruptive objects and can thus assume an unnatural posture. If your desk cannot be adjusted in height, you might be able to help yourself with bricks or wooden blocks so that you can still adjust the height of the table. This is especially recommended for taller people. However, always make sure that the office desk remains stable and there is no risk of tipping.
3. Automatically height-adjustable desks offer special added value so that ergonomic and human factors remain optimally coordinated. Alternating between sitting and standing is very healthy.
4. If you do not own a height-adjustable desk but would like to work standing up occasionally, there are also solutions in the form of mobile desk converters. These can simply be placed on the existing office desk and, if necessary, folded out and adjusted in height. Larger desk converters are ideal here so that everything has enough space and the screen distance is always well maintained.

Work equipment

Work equipment at an office workstation includes all devices required to perform daily work, which should support human ergonomics and thus directly have a positive influence on posture and ergonomics in the workplace. These are in particular:

1. The screen. This should be adjusted so that the top edge of the monitor is about a finger's width below the center of your eyes. When checking this, sit at the workstation in a normal position that you also have while performing your work. The distance to the computer monitor should be such that you can touch the monitor with your fingertips when your arms are outstretched. Also make sure that the screen is centered in front of you, i.e., not too far to the left, right, or even at an angle from your working position. A bad example is corner desks, where the monitor is often in the corner and the working person constantly has to twist unnaturally. Avoid such non-ergonomic traps! Since the topic of screens and their correct height adjustment is a major health issue, I have written a separate article on it: "The great ergonomic question of the correct screen height"
2. The keyboard. The keyboard should also be placed exactly centered in front of you on the table, in the same central axis as your monitor. If you have a keyboard with an integrated numeric keypad, make sure that the entire keyboard is not centered in front of you, but that the letter keys for typing are not too far to the left. If necessary, move the keyboard depending on the input work. For example, if you have to do a lot of accounting work and mainly need the number keys, move the keyboard slightly to the left accordingly so that your shoulders do not have to twist unnaturally. The distance of the keyboard from your body should be such that there is approximately a hand's width between the edge of the desk and the keyboard. An ergonomic keyboard takes some getting used to, but makes absolute sense ergonomically. Especially those who type for many hours a day can work more efficiently, effectively, and above all, with less pain.
3. The mouse. The mouse should be positioned in front of you so that, with a relaxed sitting posture, you do not make an unnatural outward twist with your shoulders and forearms. Often, the mouse is used too far to the right (for right-handed users), which can lead to shoulder tension over time. Also, the mouse should not be used too close to the monitor, as you have to lean forward too much in such a position. When using a normal mouse, use a wrist support, also known as a mouse pad, to avoid the risk of tendinitis. The wrist cushion should be about one to two fingers thick so that there is no unnatural bend between the forearm and wrist when working with the mouse. Vertical mice are highly recommended, as the wrist already assumes a natural and ergonomic position without additional aids.

Ergonomic aids

As already explained with the mouse, there are interesting and ingenious ergonomic aids available for little money with the wrist rest. Such wrist rests or keyboard pads are also available for the keyboard, which can nip many wrist-related ailments in the bud. You can find a detailed article of mine on this important topic of wrist rests, titled "Are ergonomic wrist rests for keyboards and mice really useful?"

Another useful ergonomic aid is the document holder. This serves people who have to do a lot of typing work with documents. The documents are placed on a corresponding, slightly inclined document holder between the keyboard and the screen.

Laptop stands, which bring your laptop into an ergonomic position, are very useful. Having a laptop resting directly on the desk is not recommended, especially if you work with it for several hours a day. When using a laptop stand, you absolutely need an external keyboard and an external mouse. But here too, this investment is out of all proportion to the well-being you gain from it.

Other ergonomic aids can be monitor mounts, especially if you have to move your screen several times a day or are working with multiple monitors at the same time.

If you do not have armrests on your office chair, you can also find solutions here with external arm supports. It is a kind of padded board that can be attached to the desk, thus comfortably relieving the shoulders.

If you work standing up a lot, a standing aid can be of great use to relieve the legs a bit in between.

For shorter people, a footrest is helpful so that the feet have contact with the floor and rest ergonomically.

An aid that should not be underestimated can be a simple drinking glass or a water bottle. Place it within easy reach so that you can drink something again and again while working. Since sugar can cause harmful effects, only unsweetened drinks, preferably water, should be drunk. Refill your drinking container several times a day so that you never run empty.

Concluding thoughts

Since ergonomic and human factors include not only physical ergonomics (anatomy) but also cognitive ergonomics (perception, thinking, recognition) and organizational ergonomics (working hours, processes, breaks), well-being in the office is exposed to a wide variety of influences.

Physical ergonomics and organizational ergonomics certainly have a central effect on general well-being. With the points described above, a variety of measures and solutions regarding posture and ergonomics in the workplace, as well as ergonomic interior design, are presented. Implementing these points can certainly have a positive impact on well-being in the office. As is so often the case in life, it depends on becoming aware of the current situation and daring to take the step towards change. This should not be delayed for long; perhaps set an appointment in your calendar right now so that the path to a higher quality of life is guaranteed to be cleared.

If you are interested in further tips on well-being in the office, you will find many suggestions in my book "Wellness in the Office".