It’s no surprise that the setup of your monitor plays a huge role in our comfort and productivity, given that you probably spend 8-9 hours staring at it each day.
In the office, your monitor has likely been set up for you…
…but what about when you’re working from home?
Most of us just plop our laptops down and get to work, but neglecting proper monitor setup can lead to a whole host of problems, from neck pain and headaches to eye strain and fatigue.
Let’s dive into the why and how of the best monitor position for WFH.
Why you Need the Best Monitor Position for WFH
Having your monitor at the right position isn’t just about comfort; it’s about your health.
A well-placed monitor at your home office can:
- Reduce neck and shoulder pain by minimising the need to tilt or twist your neck.
- Prevent eye strain by keeping the screen at a comfortable distance and angle.
- Improve posture by encouraging you to sit up straight and avoid slouching.
- Boost productivity by reducing distracting discomforts and time spent flitting between tabs.
- Minimise headaches by reducing eye strain and neck tension.
4 Tips for the Best Monitor Position for WFH
Let’s dive into what you can to do optimise the height, distance, angle and visibility of your work from home monitor.
👁️ Aim for the Eyes
The top of your monitor should be at or slightly below eye level.
Why it matters:
When your monitor is too low, you naturally tilt your head down, placing excessive strain on your neck and upper back. This can lead to chronic pain, headaches, and even long-term postural issues.
How to achieve it:
If you have a standalone monitor at home, you can raise it up to eye level using an adjustable monitor stand, or simply by having some reams of paper underneath your monitor to prop it up.
If you only have a laptop screen, you can prop it up using a laptop stand, or again, with books or stacks of paper. Be sure to get an external keyboard and mouse if you’re doing this, so that you can still type and mouse on a flat surface.
💪 Keep it at Arm’s Length
Position your monitor an arm’s length away.
Why it matters:
Having your monitor either too close or too far can strain your eyes as they work harder to focus on the details of the screen in front of you.
Similarly, a monitor that’s too close or too far can affect the way you sit, forcing you to sit back or lean forward. This is not great for the ergonomic health of your whole body.
How to achieve it:
Sit with your back against the backrest of your chair and extend your arm out in front of you. When you do this, the best monitor position for your WFH setup should be roughly at your fingertips.
This distance allows for comfortable viewing without losing the details on the screen. If you’re still struggling to see the on-screen info, consider zooming in or changing the default font size in the settings.
📐 Face it Head-On
Your monitor should be directly in front of you, as close to 180° as possible.
Why it matters:
If your monitor or laptop is off to the side, you’ll be regularly twisting your neck left to right to view it.
Doing this repeatedly over time can lead to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), which causes discomfort and pain in the neck and upper back.
How to achieve it:
Position your monitor directly in front of your chair and body.
Your keyboard should be directly in front of your monitor and your mouse should be just off to the left and right, as close to the keyboard as possible.
This ensures that you are not twisting to see your equipment and that your neck remains in a neutral position.
💡 Light the Way
Ensure your home workstation is well-lit and that your WFH monitor is positioned away from windows.
Why it matters:
Lighting at your workstation is crucial for fatigue management and simply being able to see what you’re doing.
Not just this, but the quality and amount of lighting can have imperceptible influences on your mood.
To feel energised and happy while working, aim for the best monitor position for WFH.
How to achieve it:
There are two aspects to this:
- Make sure your workstation has the right amount and quality of lighting. If we’re talking ideals, aim for your ambient lighting (that’s your ceiling lighting) to be 4,000k natural white light, and your task lighting (your desk light) to be 5,500k cool white light.
- Make sure your WFH monitor is not directly facing a window. Direct sunlight on the screen can cause glare, making things much harder to see and forcing your eyes to work harder. Either get some anti-glare curtains for your home office or simply change the position of your WFH monitor.
The Best Position for Multiple Monitors when WFH
Depending on your work (and budget!), it’s possible that you’ll be using two, or even more, monitors at home.
The way we lay out two monitors depends on what the monitors are and how we use them…
- If you use both monitors equally, they should be exactly next to each other, angled towards you, with the contact point between the two monitors directly in front of you.
- If you use one monitor more than the other, the main monitor should be directly in front of you, with the second monitor as close as possible next to it on the left or right side.
As for height, distance and lighting of you monitors, that should all be optimised follow the advice above.
When working from home, your monitor position has a surprising amount of influence on your health and productivity.
With whatever setup you have, you can be sure that following the advice above will reduce body discomfort and ensure you can focus on the work in front of you.
Contact Ergo Global for ergonomics assessments, training and education for your company!
