How to Survive in a Cubicle

Office Sardines

Whoever decided that more people in the same amount of space (or even less space) would save money never worked in a cubicle a day of his life. Office sardines is not exactly the most productive plan in that most workers report alarmingly high levels of distraction, which lead to loss of productivity directly and increased levels of stress indirectly. Stressed, unproductive workers make more mistakes and fewer ergonomic adjustments, becoming increasingly less engaged. Disengaged workers miss work more frequently and turn over faster. The cost of time lost due to simple lack of productivity in addition to retraining new workers more frequently costs businesses around $600 billion a year.

However, some genius decided that cubicles "save money." That being the case, no one is asking your (or my, for that matter) opinion on cubicle farms. So, one worker to another, here are a few tips for surviving in your cubby hole.

Tips for Surviving in a Cubicle

• Clear the clutter. Nothing cramps a space more than a general lack of tidiness. Take some time, and get organized. I like to clear my desk from 4-5pm on a Friday- I'm not going to be productive then anyway, plus it also serves to help me get reacquainted with lost papers.
• Get rid of knick knacks. A framed photo or two is perfectly appropriate, but a whole collection of miniature cows, for instance, really knocks down your level of professionalism, especially if you entertain clients in your work space. Not all conversation pieces are "good" ones. Choose one or two tasteful items, and keep the rest of your knick knacks at home (or better yet, get rid of them. You're not 12 anymore, you don't have to collect things.).
• Rearrange your work space if necessary. Your monitor should be at eye level and at least 20 inches away from you. Your keyboard and mouse should be next to each other for fast, comfortable typing and mousing. If desk space is minimal, mini keyboards are a great option for freeing up a few inches.
• Adjust where you can. Most chairs have some sort of adjustment, if only up and down. Do what you need to to get your feet flat on the floor and your back as well supported as possible. Adjust the arm rest if possible to keep your arms in a straight line from your elbow to your middle finger.
• Keep your posture and positioning neutral. This means sitting straight with your arms by your sides, and starting at your elbow making a straight line through to your wrists and hands. Your wrists should never be cocked, especially when typing. Rather, your hands should hover over your keyboard, in a curved position so as to avoid repetitive stress injuries.
• Try white noise. The options are endless, and so is office noise. If you are frequently disturbed by office shenanigans or overly zealous sales guys, turn on a little white noise. You can try this free online white noise generator or you can try a desktop system-either way, it's important to keep you mind on work and not in other people's business.
• Take breaks. If you feel overly cramped, take your coffee break outside, or at least out of your small space so you can stretch out. Speaking of stretching out, make sure to take hourly stretch breaks.
• Take care of your eyes. Whether you wear glasses or not, make sure you rest your eyes often by taking them off the screen and focusing on an object farther away. You should also blink them regularly to restore moisture. When possible, rotate your computer and other tasks so that you're not on the computer all day. Lastly, consider a good pair of reading glasses just for work. Computer users often find that high quality reading glasses require a lower prescription and allow them to work more efficiently.

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Ergonomics for Educators

Educator Work Spaces

Educators spend a lot of time at their desks: grading papers, lesson planning, printing, or doing office hours. Unfortunately, most teacher work spaces aren't ergo-savvy. The result is that once planning and classes are finished, your work space has taken its toll on your body: from you neck and shoulders, to your back, all the way to your wrists and hands. Many educators feel this stress throughout their bodies and even develop repetitive stress injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you're on of those teachers, check out these ergonomic tips and solutions so you can decrease stress and stress-related injuries, while also increasing productivity.

A few work space tips for educators

Look at your work space design. Is it set up for ergonomic comfort and ease of work? Consider the following factors:

• Your neck feels tight because you strain to see your monitor, which should be at eye level.

• Your keyboard and mouse should be on the same surface as each other, but not on the same surface as your monitor (the exception being if you raise it). Additionally, your mouse should be next to keyboard (not far away from it or in front of it)

• Your body should always feel relaxed and positioned neutrally . You should never cock your wrists or have to angle them to type or reach the mouse (see above for keyboard and mouse placement).

• Your feet should rest comfortably and flat on the floor. This is usually an issue of a poorly positioned desk and chair.

Bottom line- you should not have to overextend your reach to get to anything!

Ergonomic solutions for comfort and productivity

Just rethinking your work set-up can help you be more comfortable and even more productive. Try a few of the following solutions to resolve your ergo issues.

• To get the very best ergonomic advantage, many workers and educators alike use an ergonomic desk and/or chair that facilitates easy and comfortable reach of all essential items, while still providing the structure and support you need. Adjust-ability is key here. Being able to raise and/or lower your chair and desk will enable you to get the best position for your body so that it can be relaxed and neutral. Even adding back support to your current chair will ease back discomfort.

• If an gonomic desk is not in the budget, try redesigning the space you have. One of the best things you can do is get your keyboard and mouse lined up correctly. You can use a left-handed keyboard (which puts the rarely-used number pad on the left) or even a mini keyboard to free up some space to allow you to pull your mouse in closer.
  

• A wrist rest is a simple and affordable solution for wrist or forearm discomfort, which allows you to type in a neutral position by resting your palms at the same time, thus alleviating strain on the actual wrists.

• White noise generators create peace and quiet during office hours or a planning period (or even when giving a quiz, test, or exam). White noise generators (aka sound machines) provide a low-level hum so that you can tune out otherwise distracting noises and just feel more relaxed. The result is less stress and increased productivity.

Just by reworking your space and implementing some new resources, you can get more done in less time, and feel better doing it!

Choosing & Using a Wrist Rest

There has been some debate over wrist rests and whether they do more harm than good. The question really comes back to proper usage, as do most ergonomic questions. If, for example, you buy a a travel pillow and then cock your head awkwardly to use it, it's not really the pillow that is at fault- it's your usage.

The purpose of a wrist rest

As more and more workers type for long stretches at a time, the number of complaints about RSI, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, has gone up as well. That is because most people do not know how to type ergonomically: they drop their wrists to the desk surface, cock their wrists to type, keep the mouse too far away, and do any number of things that put strain on their wrists, hands, and forearms. A wrist rest is a padded strip of material meant to meet your wrists and heels of your hands so that they don't have to drop down to rest. Essentially, a wrist rest catches the heels of your hands so that you don't feel pain in your wrists.

How to use a wrist rest

Ergonomic studies tell us that wrist rests should be used between periods of typing to rest your wrists. So, line up the wrist rest in front of your keyboard so that there is not a drop off between it and the desk. Then, as you type, try to float your hands over the keys and not cock or hyper-extend them. As you pause, rest your wrists on the wrist rest.

How to Choose a Wrist Rest

When choosing a wrist rest, look for the following features:

• free of sharp edges ... Read More

Choosing the right keyboard for you

You’ve probably heard that choosing the right keyboard is essential for ergonomic comfort. The fact of the matter is that the right keyboard (i.e. the one that fits your work space and style) can help you avoid stress-related injuries and be more productive at the same time. That said, you will need to consider several factors as you choose the most effective keyboard for you.

Tips for picking “the right” keyboard online

1. Evaluate your work area

Look at the surface space you have to work on. How much room do you actually have to house both your keyboard and your mouse? It’s important to keep the keyboard in the right position so you are not reaching to get to it and where your wrists are in a neutral (not bent or angled) position. Lastly, keep your mouse on the same height surface as the keyboard.

2. Think about what keys you really use

Think about how much you use all those extra keys on your keyboard. How often do you really use your 10 keys, arrow Keys, home keys? It may be that you don’t really need them, at least not regularly enough to prioritize them.

3. Consider your keyboard vs. mouse usage

Think about how much you use your keyboard in comparison to how much you use your mouse. Users who don’t use a their mice much can usually employ a keyboard with an Integrated Pointing Device, which cuts down on shoulder and hand pain as well as work space.

Those who use their mice frequently need to take care in not over-extending their arms too much when using mice. It might be wise to consider an Ergonomic Mini Keyboard to bring everything close together. If, however, you still need your 10 Key, then try a standalone 10 key to use when needed.

4. Try it out

If you really can’t quite decide, try to narrow it down to two keyboards and purchase both. Use our 30 day money back guarantee and try them both for a week and see which one benefits you the most. We won't even charge you a restocking fee if you don't like either of them.

Summary

The main goal is to assess your specific needs and find the keyboard that fits them and ultimately you. Be careful to maintain good posture, especially by not over-extending your reach for either your keyboard or your mouse usage. Finally, if you are not using those extra keys, switching to a Mini Ergonomic Keyboard may be the right decision for you, thus bringing in your work area so your mouse can easily be used without the extra reach.

Improper posture and lead to shoulder pain.

The Shoulder is a wonder combination of several joints that are connected with tendons and muscles for a wide range of motion of the arm. Pain in the shoulder region is due to various reasons. Most painful shoulder problems have a link with injured soft tissues, muscles, ligaments and tendons, rather than just bones. Pain in shoulder falls in three major categories namely Tendinitis, injury and Arthritis.

Shoulder pain is also caused by tumors, infection and nerve-related disorders. A tendon is a cord which connects muscle to bone or other tissue. The splitting and tearing of tendons due acute injury causes pain. Excessive use of the shoulder leads to inflammation and swelling of a bursa, known as Bursitis.

Treatment of shoulder pain depends on the injury and gravity of the injury. The shoulder joint is the prone to frequent dislocation and is referred to as shoulder instability. Technically, shoulder dislocation is referred to as Luxation and partial dislocation as subluxation.

Dislocation of the shoulder is treated by putting the head of the humerus back into the joint socket called the Glenoid Fossa of the scapula by manipulation and reduction (M&R) procedure followed by an X-ray study. The arm is then immobilized in a sling or a shoulder immobilizer device. Severe dislocation injures the surrounding tissues or nerves and is treated by surgery.

The Glenohumeral joint or the shoulder joint stability depends on a group of muscles called the Rotator Cuff. The Rotator Cuff muscles help shoulder stability and control during joint rotation. The Rotator Cuff Muscles include Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis. Sports that demand active and vigorous rotation of the shoulder joint often put these Rotator Cuff muscles under strain causing pain. Pain due to Rotator Cuff muscles strain can occur either due to tears of the muscles or inflammation

The Shoulder Joint is the area where the collar bones Clavicle and shoulder blades Scapula are connected. Pain in this region could be due to Ankylosis,Arthralgia, Cartilage Disorders, Infection, Shoulder Joint Dislocation, Shoulder Joint Capsule Damage, Acromioclavicular Arthritis, Bicipital Tendonitis, Rotator Cuff Tendonitis, Subacromial and Subdeltoid Bursitis. There are three common problems associated with shoulder pain namely, Instability, Subluxation, OveruseandArthritis Degeneration.Instability is a condition where the joint is completely out of position and subluxation is partial dislocation.

Arthritis is a painful inflammatory condition in the joint region. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of Arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis and Septic Arthritis caused by infection, Gouty Arthritis caused by Uric Acid deposits in the joint region and Pseudogout, caused by deposition of Calcium Pyrophosphate crystals also cause painful inflammation. Periarthritis, Adhesive Capsulitis, also popularly known as frozen shoulder also cause chronic pain in the shoulder. Physical therapy is useful as a treatment option for people with shoulder pain.

Physical therapy includes daily walking and stretching exercises. Traction and massage of joints enhance joint mobility and flexibility. Information regarding the treatment options can be obtained from a doctor based on the signs of the disease. Investing in a back support for your chair can alleviate shoulder pain.

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5 Tips for Keyboarding Health

Keyboarding can lead to problems such as carpel tunnel syndrome or contact stress if done improperly for a long period. Use these tips to reduce the possibility of hand and arm aches and pains.

Number 1
If you are left handed, use a left-handed keyboard. Using the key pad by crossing or turning your hands is not ergonomically healthy.

Number 2
The keyboard should be placed directly in front of you at a height that you do not have to keep your arms angled from your elbow to your wrists.

Number 3
Use a wrist rest pad these are found to help support your wrist at the proper position for extended amounts of time. This helps you avoid contact stress by keeping your arms away from the edge of your desk.

Number 4
Choose a keyboard that can be height adjusted. This helps if you need only to raise or lower your keyboard just a little.

Number 5
Maintain a neutral position of your wrist and hands at all times.

Your keyboard is only a part of this you must have the right knowledge and tools to keep up healthy keyboarding.

Is Your Desk a Good Fit For Ergonomics and Productivity?

When it comes to your desk one size certainly does not fit all. Let’s face it, we all come in different shapes and sizes and what fits one may not necessarily fit another person. Is like going over to Grandma’s and trying on her clothing at the age of seven. Even a seven year old knows that Grandma’s cloths are not going to fit. Your desk and office equipment you use is no different. For optimal ergonomics and productivity, your desk, chair, and equipment should be designed and arranged so that it suits your body and the work you do.

When you are sitting at your desk ask yourself whether or not it is adjusted right to match your build. Also determine whether it is ergonomically designed to allow for adjustment. There is no one-size-fits-all desk, so you need to pick a desk that can be adjusted to suit you and your work habits.

A well adjusted desk allows your legs to move freely around without colliding into other objects. The height of the desk should be such that it has room beneath the desktop to allow your knees plenty of space. If your desk is too high and cannot be lowered then consider getting a footrest so that your legs will be comfortable and not have to dangle in the air.

Also be sure to keep the area under you desk clutter free. When the area underneath your desk is uncluttered your legs will be unrestricted; thus, minimizing pain in the ankles and joints. To reduce the probability of injury you can also get an organizer.

An organizer keeps all your documents and electronics in an easy to reach and out-of-the-way location. I often see a lot of desks that look as though they just got hit with a tornado and I wonder how one ever functions productively in such an environment.

A good fit between you and your desk will do wonders for your productivity. You can find things that much faster and avoid needless bumps and bruises caused by clutter underneath your desk. You can save yourself tons of headaches by keeping your desk ergonomically friendly.

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The Ultimate Guide to Workstation Ergonomics: 10 Easy Tips

HR World published a great "top 10" list yesterday with some tips on how to optimize your workstation. We thought we'd pass them along.

Here's to your continued productivity!



If you're like most people, you spend a good portion of your waking hours sitting at a desk or working with a computer. This time can become painful — and even unbearable — if you don't take steps to properly set up your workstation to work with your body and not against it.

Creating an ergonomic workstation is easier than you might think, and the payoff can be huge. These tips and resources can get you on the path to making your workstation more ergonomic and maybe even more productive.
Tips

1. Work Area: When setting up a work area, make sure that the space is large enough for you to spread out comfortably and allows for a full range of motion, which can be a special concern for those with especially long limbs. You should also leave plenty of room to arrange the items you use most frequently in such a way that there is no strain for you to reach them.

2. Laptops: When using a laptop, it's best to use it while it's on a table rather than on your lap. If you use it frequently, you might be better served by using a separate keyboard and mouse rather than using the built-in keyboard and touch pad to reduce strain on your wrists and hands.

3. Keyboard: If you spend a lot of your workday typing, where you place your keyboard and how you use it can greatly affect your risk for getting RSIs (repetitive stress injuries) like carpal tunnel syndrome. Your keyboard should be placed so that your arms are parallel to your thighs. If your desk doesn't allow for this, try getting a keyboard tray. You'll also want to do your best to use good typing techniques, keeping your wrists elevated and not hitting the keys too hard.

4. Mouse: When setting up your desk, make sure to keep your mouse easily within reach and try not to grip it too tightly, as doing so can strain the muscles in your hand. If you find that using a mouse bothers you too much, try using an alternate input device like a trackball or a touch pad.

5. Desk: There is no one-size-fits-all desk, so choose one that is right for you. You can help reduce your chance of injury by getting a document holder, arranging your electronics within your reach and making sure that the area underneath your desk remains uncluttered.

6. Chair: A good chair can do wonders, as sitting is much harder on your back than it might appear to be. Make sure to keep your lower back supported, and adjust your chair so that you can easily reach your keyboard and mouse. If this means raising the chair so that your feet don't quite reach the floor, get a footrest to help keep your feet from dangling.

7. Monitor: Improperly configured monitors can cause a great deal of eyestrain, resulting in headaches and difficulty concentrating. Center your monitor in front of you at a comfortable distance, and adjust the brightness settings so that it’s easy on your eyes. Make sure to take breaks from staring at your screen, too. Glare can be a problem as well, and if you can't seem to eliminate it, use a glass glare filter.

8. Lighting: Common office lighting can often create a great deal of eyestrain by making your computer monitor difficult to see. Adjust your shades or lights as much as you can to reduce glare, and position your monitor at such an angle to light sources that reflection is reduced. It can be helpful to keep overhead lights dimmed and use a desk lamp for close work.

9. Work Habits: You can arrange your work habits so that you don't put undue stress on any part of your body. Make sure to take frequent breaks, get up and walk around, and change positions frequently so that repetitive tasks and static work won't take their tolls.

10. Phone: It can be tempting to multitask and cradle your phone receiver between your neck and shoulder. However, this should be avoided, as it can create a great deal of strain in your neck muscles. If you need to have your hands free, try using a headset or put the call on speakerphone.

The Importance of Using the Right Tool, Part 2

Using the right tool. This is the essence of "ergonomics" - if you're using a tool that's awkward or makes you move your body in ways it wasn't designed to, then over time, you'll endure painful injuries - many caused by something as subtle as using the wrong keyboard! If you've ever experienced the dull, persistent ache in your shoulders, wrists, back or forearms, you know the first signs of Repetitive Strain Injuries.

The goal of any product designed with ergonomic comfort in mind is to fit the user.
The reason there are so many keyboards is because there are so many different sizes of people! Think about the people you work with. Some are taller, some are shorter. Some have broad shoulders, some are narrower. Each body type demands a slightly different style. For example, a broad-shouldered person will almost certainly need a split keyboard, where an individual with more narrow shoulders might be able to do fine on a standard straight keyboard.

You may also have seen some other keyboards that look nothing like the standard keyboard that came with your desktop. Highly customizable keyboards like this one or this one seem like something you'd see in a science fiction movie - but there's a good reason for their design: they allow the tool to be configured to fit you, rather than the other way around.

Within the broad category of split keyboards, there are three main subcategories. The first two are pretty common: "fixed-angle split keyboards" which are angled, but cannot be adjusted, and "adjustable-angle split keyboards," which offer more customization options. There is also a third type of split keyboard, in which the two sides of the alpha-numeric keyboard are completely split. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, which we'll cover.

Fixed-angle split keyboards, such as the classic Northgate keyboard, have been in use for decades. They address the problem of ulnar deviation, or the lateral bending of the wrists (see image), but don't typically address the problem of wrist extension (when your wrists bend vertically, creating an angle between your forearm and hand and putting pressure on your carpal tunnel. The main drawback is that if you're a "hunt and peck" user, this type of keyboard will have a bit of a learning curve, as well.

To address both ulnar deviation and wrist extension, adjustable angle keyboards were designed (such as the Goldtouch keyboard, which can be adjusted both laterally and vertically). As with the angled keyboards, there is evidence that this design does reduce discomfort, and according to Cornell University, split angle keyboards can improve your computer performance by up to 80%.

Finally, the completely split keyboard. These offer the most neutral position for typing available, positioning the user's hands in a "handshake" position and avoiding all the most common causes of keyboard-related injuries. However, they involve a fairly steep learning curve, and your productivity will suffer until you learn to type in the modified format. If you are a "hunt and peck" typer, this board will likely be unusable for you. To find out more about this type of keyboard, click here.


You spend half your waking hours at work, and our goal is to help you get the most out of them. They shouldn't involve pain or discomfort, which keep you from achieving your goals and lowers your quality of life. Remember that a good, high-quality keyboard can easily pay for itself in added productivity gains, but only if it's the right design for you. If it's not, you can spend a lot of money on a board that has a lot of neat features, but that ultimately helps you accomplish no more (and sometimes less!) than your existing keyboard does.

The Importance of Using the Right Tool, Part 1

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
-- attributed to Abraham Lincoln

Using the right tool can have a huge impact on your health and productivity. The right tool can allow you to accomplish far more using less effort. Abe Lincoln would have learned that lesson well, clearing farmland. Imagine how much less effort it would have taken to cut down a tree with a sharp axe!

While you probably don't spend your days cutting down trees, using the right tool is just as important. The wrong office setup can result in a whole host of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), and sore shoulders, forearms or wrists are just the beginning.

Avoiding Repetitive Stress Injuries

"Ergonomics" comes from two Greek words: "ergo," meaning "work," and "nomos," meaning "law" or "rule." This makes sense: your body was designed to move and work in a certain way - and when you violate those laws, there are physical consequences. For information workers who spend their days at a computer, such injuries are frequently barely detectable in their early stages: tingling fingers, sore backs or shoulders - things easy to overlook or "just deal with" until the cumulative effects of these tiny injuries get so bad they actually prevent you from working. Because the field of ergonomics seeks to avoid or limit these Repetitive Strain Injuries, "ergonomics" is frequently defined as "fitting the task to the worker."

One way to significantly reduce your chances of an RSI is to using the right keyboard for your body type. The problem is, of course, that there are so many different keyboards available! Most are pretty standard and look like this one, while others - in order to better match the work to the worker - have some pretty odd shapes. In our June email, we'll help you learn the difference between the various keyboard types, and why they are designed the way they are.

Right now, though, we'd like debunk a common myth. Typically, split keyboards (keyboards which have the alphanumeric keys split into two halves, with each side slightly angled) are labeled "ergonomic" and declared superior to the more traditional straight keyboards. If your wrists hurt or your fingers tingle, the solution is to buy an "ergonomic" (meaning "split") keyboard. But is it that simple?

Straight or Split Keyboard: Which is Best for You?

The simple answer is, of course, "no, it's not that simple." Split keyboards aren't always better - or even more ergonomic - than straight keyboards. To determine which style of keyboard is best suited to you, perform this simple test: with your arms resting at your sides, extend your

hands, and place them on the home row of a straight keyboard. Are your wrists relatively straight, or are they angled?

The goal is to keep your wrists straight; working with them bent significantly increases your risk of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other RSI's. With this in mind, straight keyboards usually work best for users who are somewhat narrow through the shoulders. For those with this body type, typing on the angled keys of a split keyboard causes them to hold their elbows out away from their sides in order to keep their wrists straight. Such a posture significantly increases the strain on their neck and shoulder muscles, leading to soreness and can cause a number of other problems, if continued over time.

If you're looking to upgrade your keyboard to better fit your body type, take a look at a few of the boards below. Remember, there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution - the "best keyboard" is the one that's the best for you.

Straight Keyboards

Mini Keyboard with ALPS Key Switches - A study conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that users of keyboards with "springier" keys (Tactile Switches) were less likely to suffer symptoms of repetitive strain injury. This straight keyboard packages high-end key-switches in a space-saving package.

Avant Prime and Avant Stellar Keyboards- If you long for the days when keyboards weren't an afterthought, you will welcome the quality touch and feel of the Avant line of keyboards. These fully-reprogrammable and remappable keyboards were built to last, with ALPS tactile key switches. The Avant Stellar adds 12 programmable keys to automate tasks such as cut-and-paste, making it perfect for graphic designers, editors or others whose daily jobs require commands using multiple key combinations.

Split Keyboards:

The Northgate Ergonomic Evolution Keyboard - utilizing ALPS key switches and a split configuration, plus an integrated touchpad, this keyboard combines many of the ergonomic "best practices" in a single, built-to-last package.

GoldTouch Variable Split Keyboard - this "variable split" keyboard allows you to truly make your keyboard fit your body type. If you know you need a split keyboard, this is one of the most customizable boards available.

Maxim Adjustable Split Keyboard - like the GoldTouch, the Maxim allows for vertical adjustment as well as horizontal, offering a new level of comfort for information workers.