Before I started at Euroffice, I used to be a store manager in a high street shop. In my earlier job I spent a lot of time on my feet; here I spend most of my time sitting down. It was quite a big change and I started looking for ways to make myself more comfortable, so that I didn’t keep going home looking like I'd been sitting in front of a television for 24 hours straight.
I began with the standard mousepad with
wrist rest.This made my wrist feel surprisingly relaxed, especially as I have an incredibly weak one, the result of too much martial arts and gym. I chose to go with a fabric finish as we all know that in the summer, when it gets ridiculously hot in the office, the last thing you need is a shiny rubber surface. The fabric has a smooth satin feel, is cool to the touch and has fulfilled its purpose magnificently.
Then I realised my back had no support, due to the man-sized
office chairs, as most of the department is made up of men. So I ordered a
small leather chair, that is big enough to fit little me. Now my back was adequately supported.
I'd never spent so much time on a computer before I came to Euroffice, so it was natural that I felt
a little eye strain. One of my colleagues suggested using
screen filters. I chose a pair of
Fellowes clear screen filters. I opted for clear, as I prefer my monitors to be as bright as possible. As soon as the filters went on, not only was my vision surprisingly better, but my two monitors looked like celebrities. I now feel like I’m reading from a piece of paper instead of looking at a slightly fuzzy screen.
But I still felt something was missing, something that would make my worklife feel great and make me stop bending to look at the screen. I had a little scout around and soon found the answer; maybe it was something to do with the desks or the chair heights, but most people had
monitor stands.
That's when I ordered the matching
Fellowes monitor risers to see if my back and neck stay straight and I feel good. Strangely enough, it works: the risers help you to look at the screen at eye level and stop you crouching. I chose this particular set as it looks nice and it also has a built-in slot for all my books .
They were the lowest monitor risers featured, just right for little 5’4” me. I could also have opted for a
footrest, but I tried it out and found old habits die hard, I still much prefer to rest my feet on the legs of my chair.
NOTE: Of course what suits my needs might be different to what suits yours. When buying equipment always make sure you buy suitable stuff!
