From an ergonomic point of view, all office work, regardless of its substantive goals, can be characterized as mental work performed in a sitting position.
Such position provides good stabilization for precise hand work, results in a low energy cost of the activities performed, as it does not involve large groups of muscles. In this context, office work is defined as light. However, this work, especially when performed in inappropriate conditions, may become a source of many nuisances leading to a deterioration of the health and general physical or mental condition of the employee, and, consequently, also to a significant decrease in work efficiency.
Working at a computer for more than 4 hours a day can be tedious because:
• intensive visual work may cause eye problems, headaches, fatigue and weariness,
• prolonged immobilization may cause back, shoulder and spine problems, shortness of breath, slow circulation, especially in the legs,
• bad work organization, fast pace, deadline pressure, seclusion at work, bad software, lack of support in difficult situations, may cause stress leading to fatigue, weariness, frustration, and burnout.
If:
• you feel headaches after work, eye problems (burning, tearing, etc.) – you should pay particular attention to the lighting of the room and documents, contrasts and reflections on the screen, the distance and angle at which you look at the computer screen,
• you experience back pain, spine pain, leg numbness - pay attention to your position, especially the height of the seat, the tilt of the backrest and the footrest,
• you feel psychological tension, fatigue - pay attention to the organization of your work, pace, time pressure, relations at the workplace.