Why Modular Monitor Arms are Essential To Achieve Modern Workstation Ergonomics

The best practices of workstation ergonomics are, by now, part of conventional wisdom. You need to sit up straight and position your
technology and desktop accessories with care if you want to avoid the eyestrain, headaches, stiff shoulders, neck pain, and other
aches and pains associated with poor posture and awkward sitting-at-your-desk squinting and twisting.

Let’s face it: when it comes to fine-tuning your monitor for personalised ergonomic comfort, it isn’t always “enough” to raise or lower
your chair height and tilt the screen up or down. These adjustments are rather one-size-fits-all, aren’t they? And today’s office is
anything but one size-fits-all.

Each of your employees has slightly different ergonomic needs: some are tall, some have short arms, some wear corrective lenses,
etc.,—and they’re not necessarily spending their entire workday at the same workstation anyway. That’s why in this day and age,
achieving healthy workspace monitor ergonomics requires thinking outside of the box (at least outside of the standard built-in adjustable monitor arm!).

Modular monitor arm solutions—those with multiple components that allow you to configure (and reconfigure) workspace technology for virtually every need—significantly help with the ergonomic set-up. So let’s shine an ergonomic light on today’s most prevalent workspace trends and explore the reasons why modularity matters.

• 63% of US-based respondents say that the use of multiple screens improves their productivity, while 53% of respondents from the rest of the world believe it keeps them up to date.
• 85% of US-based respondents and 77% of those from the rest of the world say they complete their objectives by using multiple devices simultaneously.

Modern offices are morphing into dynamic work environments where employees have access to a variety of work areas that can be used for different purposes. One of these areas may be a team or “pow wow” space for multiple users—these spaces are both agile and collaborative, perhaps clustered in their tech set-up. An article on iOFFICE cites an APQX research finding that 65% of workers say more conference/collaborative spaces for smaller groups would increase their productivity—so we can expect to see a bright future in the team variety of activity-based working.

The ergonomic considerations for such spaces are indeed complex. They’re not only multi-device, but also multi-user, which proliferates the potential for multiple ergonomic setups.

Whether they’re used to make space, burn calories, or discourage so much sitting, sit-to-stand desks are being embraced by workspaces around the world. In fact, the global standing desk market is set to hit USS 2.80 billion by 2025, according to Research and Markets. The trend, according to their report, is driven by ergonomics—companies are increasingly concerned about the health hazards associated with poor posture and standing desks are a space-saving alternative to the traditional sit-all-day desk setups.

Are sit-to-stand desks the ergonomics panacea? No. Where’s the ergonomics challenge, you ask? All over the place: while posture may be improved by standing upright, there’s the issue of desk height and making sure the desk technology is positioned comfortably for each unique user (or set of users) over the course of a workday.

Have you noticed that desks are getting smaller and narrower? Whether it’s because offices are “cramming” more people into smaller spaces to save costs or to encourage worker collaboration, desks today take up less space. But workers don’t need as much space, considering the paperless nature of today’s digital office and the fact that flat screens are rapidly replacing yesterday’s tube TV-sized computer monitors.

Here, you need to keep ergonomics in mind. Smaller desk real estate is one of the reasons screens are rising off desk surfaces and onto mounts. This impacts both height and focal distance – and it may be more challenging to offset the position of your screen(s) in a limited space.

Learn more! Explore Atdec’s range of adaptable modular monitor mounts designed to make it easy and affordable for you to adapt to the needs of today’s changing workstations.