Workplace Comfort: You're Doing It Wrong

You're crouched over your computer, hoping that the people who walk behind your cubicle all day won't notice that you're indulging in a brief break of online celebrity gossip. In doing so, the second aspect of environmental comfort, functional comfort, is compromised. Functional comfort is the measure of ergonomic support you have to do your job, from the lighting above to the chair below.

woman with back pain
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Waking up with back pain? It could be work-related.
Cubicles and the furniture within them often come as "one size fits all," when in fact they need to support people of all shapes and sizes. Sitting improperly in a cubicle raises the risk of musculoskeletal conditions that ravage the body, including pain in the back, neck, shoulders, wrists and legs. Take stock of your workspace and see how many of these conditions are met:
  • Your computer screen is 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm) from your eyes, with the top of the screen at eye level.
  • The keyboard is directly in front of you, allowing your arms to maintain a 90-degree angle. Wrists should be straight out and supported when typing.
  • The top of the desk is 2 inches (5 cm) above your elbows.
  • The chair provides lower-back support and is adjustable. It should be set at a height so that feet are flat on the floor and knees are at a 90-degree angle; when the knees are too high, the thighs don't support enough weight, leading to stress on the lower back. When knees are too low, it affects circulation to the lower legs.

[source: Kimball]

Even if you have perfect desk posture, you need to take frequent breaks to rest your eyes and move your body; sitting in one position too long causes fatigue, making it more difficult to sit correctly as the day wears on. But today's workers simply don't take enough breaks, and cubicles may not afford the desired privacy for desk yoga or basic stretching. The only exercise a worker might get may be crawling through the maze of cubicles for the occasional restroom break. Not only does this sedentary work style increase the likelihood of back, neck, shoulder and arm pain, it also contributes to our culture of obesity, particularly when lunch is fast food takeout or a junk food feast cobbled together from vending machines.

What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

To prevent eye strain, the No. 1 complaint of computer users, light should be bright but not so much as to create a glare. Most people prefer the natural sunlight coming through a window, and studies show natural light results in increased productivity, less illness and happier workers [source: Aston]. Unfortunately, windows near workstations can increase glare. One solution is to keep the office softly lit while providing workers with adjustable lighting in their cubicle.

Though a window may not be best for your eyes, it can have an immense impact on the rest of your body. When you're fatigued, a brief break to glance out the window can be restorative, and the status provided by proximity to a window is good for the self-esteem. Studies have shown that workers with a window had much greater job satisfaction than those without one [source: Kaplan]. But the view matters: A view that contains elements of nature, which may be as simple as a few trees or some vegetation, is far more restorative than a view that contains only built elements, such as roads and buildings [source: Kaplan].


Now wait, you may be thinking -- germs and poor ergonomics can affect anyone with a desk, not necessarily just cubicle dwellers. Turn the page to find out how the cubicle itself can exacerbate the damage done by a germy desk and an uncomfortable chair.