Ergonomics & Movement

Ergonomics is simply the business of fitting work to people: the chair, desk, screen and routine around the body doing the work, rather than the other way round. This page is our practical guide to getting that right at an office or home desk, and a plain-English summary of what the research does and doesn't support. We sell ergonomic furniture, so we have tried hard not to oversell it.

The short version: set your workstation up to fit you, then keep changing position through the day. There is no single perfect posture to hold, and no chair or desk that replaces moving.

This is general information, not medical advice.

What is workplace ergonomics?

Workplace ergonomics looks at the fit between four things: the person, the task, the equipment and the environment. A 158 cm person and a 188 cm person doing the same job at the same desk need different settings. So do someone typing all day and someone who spends most of the day on calls or reading.

Good ergonomics is therefore less about buying a particular product and more about three questions. Does the workstation adjust to fit you? Does it suit the work you actually do? And does it make it easy to change position, rather than holding you in one?

There isn't one perfect posture

Most of us grew up being told to sit up straight, and that bad posture causes back pain. The research is more interesting than that.

A 2020 review that examined 41 earlier reviews found links between back pain and things like sitting, standing, bending and awkward postures, but concluded there is no consensus that any of them cause low back pain [1].

An Australian study photographed the sitting posture of 686 young people at 17. Among the girls, those who sat in more relaxed or slumped postures were less likely to have persistent neck pain at 22 than those who sat upright; among the boys, posture made no difference. The authors said the generic advice to "sit up straight" to prevent neck pain needs rethinking [2].

And in a lab study of 31 pain-free adults, chair settings that gave a more neutral lower-back posture did not stop pain from prolonged sitting: 39% still developed it [3].

None of that means posture is irrelevant. How you sit affects comfort, how easily you can reach and see your work, and how load is spread through your body. Long unbroken sitting does tend to raise back discomfort in the short term [4]. But the evidence points away from finding one "correct" position and holding it, and towards a setup that fits you and a day with plenty of changes of position.

Start with the workstation

This is the easiest place to start. The guidance below follows WorkSafe Queensland's advice on setting up a computer workstation [5, 6], with our practical notes.

Chair

Seat height: set it so your elbows are level with the desk surface. If that leaves your feet dangling, use a footrest [6].
Seat depth: leave a gap of about two to three fingers between the front of the seat and the back of your knees [6].
Backrest: set the lumbar support into the curve of your lower back. WorkSafe Queensland suggests a slightly reclined hip angle of about 100 to 120 degrees, not bolt upright [6].
Armrests: they should adjust or come off, so they never stop you getting close to the desk [6].

The practical test is whether a chair adjusts far enough for your body. Minimum seat height and seat-depth range are the two figures to check first, before you buy.

Desk

Once the chair is set, the desk should sit at about elbow height, with your forearms roughly parallel to it and your wrists straight. If a fixed desk is too high, raise the chair to suit it and add a footrest; the HÅG StepUp fits to the chair itself. If you use a sit-stand desk, WorkSafe Queensland advises that it should rise to at least 1200 mm to suit taller workers [5].

Screen

About an arm's length away [5].
At or just below eye level, lower if your glasses need it, for example multifocals [5].
If you use two screens equally, centre the gap between them. If one is your main screen, put it straight ahead.

Most fixed monitor stands don't adjust far enough, which is why a monitor arm is often a worthwhile upgrade. Check your screen's weight, not its size: the CBS Flo (also available as the Flo Dual) is rated for 2–7 kg per screen, and the Humanscale M8.1 is a heavier-duty option.

Keyboard and mouse

Put them on a flat surface directly in front of you, about 10 to 15 cm from the desk edge [5], with the mouse close to the keyboard. If you rarely use the number pad, a compact keyboard brings the mouse closer in. It's worth knowing that a Cochrane review found moderate-quality evidence, from two trials, that an arm support used with an alternative mouse reduced new neck or shoulder disorders in office workers, although the reviewers judged the overall evidence for these devices inconsistent [7].

Laptops

A laptop forces a choice between the screen being too low and the keyboard being too high. For anything longer than short spells, use a separate screen, keyboard and mouse, or at least a laptop riser with a separate keyboard and mouse [5].

Sitting, standing and moving

Sit-stand desks are one of the better-studied pieces of office equipment. They help people sit less, although the evidence is low quality: a Cochrane review found they cut workplace sitting by about 100 minutes a day in the first few months, and by about an hour a day over three to twelve months [8]. What they have not shown is a reduction in back or neck pain; a second Cochrane review found no statistically significant effect on low-back symptoms [9].

Standing isn't automatically better either. Standing for more than four hours a workday is associated with low-back symptoms [10], and in laboratory studies discomfort built up during long, unbroken standing [11]. In a small laboratory study of simulated office work, alternating between sitting and standing showed potential to reduce discomfort compared with sitting only or standing only [12].

So the useful message is not "sit less" or "stand more". It is: change position. Our guide to setting up a standing desk covers heights, timing and the common mistakes in detail.

How often should you change position?

You may have seen the "20-8-2" rule: 20 minutes sitting, 8 minutes standing and 2 minutes moving. It comes from Cornell University's ergonomics website, which doesn't cite a study for that exact split [13], and we haven't found a published trial showing it is the ideal ratio. We're not aware of any study that has established an ideal sit–stand ratio.

What official guidance says is simpler. WorkSafe Queensland advises changing your posture every 30 minutes [5], while Safe Work Australia says sitting for longer than 30 minutes without a break is likely to be bad for your health [14]. Research doesn't establish 30 minutes as a magic threshold, but a systematic review found moderate-quality evidence that active breaks involving a change of posture can help with pain and discomfort in the populations studied, without harming work productivity [15]. Laboratory research on standing suggests avoiding unbroken stretches of more than about 40 minutes [11].

In practice: change position roughly every half hour, whichever position you are in, and sooner if you feel stiff. Short, frequent changes are easier to keep up than a strict timetable.

What does the research say about chairs?

This is where we have to be straight with you. The evidence that a chair on its own prevents or reduces back pain is weak. A 2022 review of chair studies found only very low to low-quality evidence, with conflicting results, and concluded that chair changes alone can't be recommended to reduce low back pain or discomfort [16]. In a two-year trial in office workers with back pain, a motorised moving seat did no better than a good conventional ergonomic chair [17].

There is better evidence for combining adjustability with training than for simply swapping one chair for another. In a year-long workplace study, workers given a highly adjustable chair and training in how to set it up had less build-up of symptoms over the working day. Training on its own didn't reduce that build-up, although average pain levels fell in both groups [18]. A backrest also measurably reduces the work your back muscles do [19]. That's why we spend so much time fitting chairs to people, not just selling them.

Chairs worth sitting in

The Herman Miller Aeron comes in three sizes, so getting the size right is the key decision with it; see our guide to Aeron sizes. If you'd rather not fiddle with recline tension, the Herman Miller Cosm and Humanscale Liberty both use a recline that responds to your body weight. The HÅG SoFi Mesh suits smaller users, with a low seat and adjustable seat depth. Our guide to office chairs and back pain works through the fit measurements for everything we stock.

Browse the full range: Ergonomic Task Chairs | Executive Chairs

Further reading: How to choose an ergonomic task chair | Office chairs under $1,000 compared

Alternative ways of sitting

Saddle chairs, kneeling chairs and "active" chairs all try to change how you sit rather than just support you. Saddle seats in particular change how you sit: in the studies we reviewed for our saddle-chair article, they opened the hip angle and tended to increase the curve of the lower back. A meta-analysis of two small studies in dental students found lower ergonomic-risk scores (a rating of observed working posture, not of pain) on saddle seats [20]. But research has not shown that saddle or dynamic chairs treat back pain [19, 21]. We've gone through the saddle-chair studies, including one that tested the HÅG Capisco during real surgery, in what the research says about saddle chairs and back pain.

Their real strength is practical: they let you work higher, perch, turn and change position easily. For a broader look at chairs designed around movement, see the science of active sitting and our guide to HÅG chairs, including the more conventional HÅG Tion.

Working from home

Whether working from home itself causes more aches and pains is still unresolved: a 2023 systematic review found conflicting results from studies that mostly carried a high risk of bias [22]. The more consistent pattern is about how people work at home. In a large Japanese survey, back pain was more common among people who worked from home more days, but only among those who rated their home work environment as poor [23]. In one survey of 232 home workers, working from a sofa or a chair without a backrest was linked to more musculoskeletal discomfort, and using a laptop screen rather than a monitor to more neck and back discomfort [24].

Most of this evidence is observational, so it shows associations rather than proof. But it points to sensible basics: a proper table and adjustable chair rather than the sofa, a separate screen or laptop riser, and regular breaks.

Common ergonomics myths

"There's one perfect posture."

Research hasn't found a single correct posture that prevents pain [1, 2]. A good setup fits you and makes it easy to move.

"Standing all day is healthier than sitting."

Long standing has its own problems, including links to low-back symptoms [10]. Alternating is the point.

"An ergonomic chair will fix back pain."

Research doesn't establish an ergonomic chair on its own as a treatment for back pain [16]. Many people find a well-fitted chair more comfortable and easier to set up, which is worth having, but it isn't a treatment.

"You should sit at exactly 90 degrees."

WorkSafe Queensland's guidance suggests a slightly reclined hip angle of about 100 to 120 degrees [6], and changing position matters more than any one angle.

"You need to follow 20-8-2."

It's a rule of thumb from Cornell's ergonomics website, not a tested ratio [13]. Changing position roughly every 30 minutes is what Australian safety regulators recommend [5, 14].

A quick workstation checklist

Elbows level with the desk; feet flat on the floor or a footrest.
Two to three fingers' gap between the seat edge and the back of your knees.
Lumbar support in the curve of your lower back; a slight recline is fine.
Armrests adjusted or removed so you can get close to the desk.
Screen about an arm's length away, at or just below eye level.
Keyboard and mouse directly in front of you, 10–15 cm from the desk edge.
Laptop? Add a separate screen or riser, keyboard and mouse.
Change position roughly every 30 minutes.

When discomfort is telling you something

Some stiffness after a long stretch at the desk is common, and changing position or adjusting your setup often helps. But see a GP or physiotherapist rather than buying furniture if pain persists or gets worse, wakes you at night, spreads down an arm or leg, or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness.

The room around you

Light and glare. Put your screen side-on to windows rather than facing them or with your back to them, use blinds for direct sun, and set screen brightness to roughly match the room. An adjustable task lamp helps under harsh overhead lighting.

Noise. A large survey-based study of office occupants found open-plan layouts scored worse than private offices on noise and privacy, and that those costs outweighed the benefit of easier interaction [25]. Sound-absorbing panels, quiet rooms and acoustic pods are the usual responses; our guide to comparing acoustic pods honestly explains what the ratings mean.

Eyes. The "20-20-20" habit, looking at something about 6 metres away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes, is widely recommended for screen-related eye strain. One small trial found reminders to follow it eased eye-strain symptoms over two weeks [26]; another found 20-second breaks made no difference [27]. Either way, it's free and it builds in a moment away from the screen.

Frequently asked questions

Does bad posture cause back pain?

It's not that simple. A 2020 review of 41 reviews found links between back pain and things like sitting and awkward postures, but no consensus that any of them cause it. Posture still matters for comfort and reach, but there is no single correct posture that prevents pain, and changing position regularly is the more useful habit.

Is a standing desk better than sitting?

Neither is better on its own. Sit-stand desks help people sit less, but they haven't been shown to reduce back pain, and long periods of standing have their own problems. The benefit is being able to alternate.

How often should I change position?

Roughly every 30 minutes is a sensible target, whether you're sitting or standing. That matches WorkSafe Queensland's advice. We're not aware of any study that has established an ideal sit–stand ratio.

Is the 20-8-2 rule backed by research?

Not as a tested ratio. It comes from Cornell University's ergonomics website, which doesn't cite a study for that exact split. Changing position regularly is well supported; the precise numbers aren't.

Will an ergonomic chair fix my back pain?

Research doesn't establish an ergonomic chair on its own as a treatment for back pain. Many people find a well-fitted, adjustable chair more comfortable once it's set up properly. Our guide to office chairs and back pain sets out the fit measurements to check. If pain persists or gets worse, see a GP or physiotherapist.

Do I need a monitor arm?

If your screen isn't at about eye level and an arm's length away, or you switch between sitting and standing, a monitor arm is a flexible way to fix it, though a simple riser can do for a single fixed position. Check the arm's weight rating against your screen's weight.

Australian workplace obligations

Under work health and safety laws, Australian employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment, and that includes workstation setup. Safe Work Australia publishes guidance on sitting and standing at work. For businesses fitting out offices, we supply specification, testing and warranty documentation for tenders; see commercial fit-outs.

Where to start

If you're unsure what suits you, call us on 02 9640 0642 or visit our Pyrmont showroom to sit in a few. Tell us your height and your desk height when you book and we'll have the right chairs set up before you arrive.

Shop Ergonomic Chairs Shop Monitor Arms Shop Sit-Stand Desks

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