Quick answer: an ergonomic desk setup comes down to four alignments — top of the screen at eye level and about an arm's length away, elbows bent 90° with shoulders relaxed, feet flat on the floor with knees at 90°, and a change of position every 30–60 minutes. Get those four right and you have removed the main causes of office syndrome.
What “office syndrome” actually is
Office syndrome is the cluster of muscle and tendon complaints that comes from holding the same posture at a desk for years: chronic neck and shoulder tension, lower-back ache, tingling wrists, headaches that start behind the shoulders. It is not one disease — it is the bill for thousands of hours of the screen being too low, the keyboard too high, and the body never moving. (If you have persistent pain or numbness, see a doctor — this guide is about removing the causes, not treating the symptoms.)
Set up from the top down
1. Screen: eye level, arm's length
The top edge of your monitor should sit at eye level, 50–70 cm from your face. Every centimetre the screen sits too low is a few degrees of neck flexion held for hours. A stack of books works; a monitor arm like the ERGONOZ Core (฿1,290) does it properly — height, distance, and angle all adjustable, and the desk stays clear.
2. Keyboard and mouse: elbow height
Elbows at 90°, shoulders hanging relaxed — the keyboard should meet your hands there. On most fixed-height desks the keyboard actually sits too high, which shrugs your shoulders all day. If you cannot lower the desk, drop the keyboard: the ERGONOZ under-desk keyboard tray (฿1,500) clamps on without drilling, slides away when not in use, and tilts to keep wrists neutral.
3. Chair: feet flat, back supported
Seat height so feet rest flat and knees bend 90°; lumbar support meeting the curve of your lower back; two to three fingers of space between seat edge and knees. The full fitting checklist is in our ergonomic chair guide.
4. Desk height — the variable most setups ignore
A standard 75 cm desk is right for people around 180 cm tall — for everyone else it forces the compromise upward through the wrists and shoulders. An adjustable-height desk solves the geometry at its root; see the standing desk range if your current desk fights you.
5. Movement: the rule that beats every gadget
No perfectly adjusted setup survives eight motionless hours. Change something every 30–60 minutes: stand, walk, stretch the neck and chest, roll the shoulders. Equipment makes good posture possible; movement is what keeps you pain-free.
Do not forget the eyes
Screen strain feeds neck strain — you crane toward what you squint at. Follow 20-20-20: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6 m) away for 20 seconds. Set screen brightness close to the room's, and enlarge text instead of leaning in.
Frequently asked questions
What are the first signs of office syndrome?
Stiff neck and shoulders by mid-afternoon, one-sided shoulder-blade ache, tension headaches, tingling fingers, and lower-back pain that eases on weekends. Recurring patterns like these are your setup talking.
How far should the monitor be from my eyes?
About an arm's length — 50–70 cm for a typical 24–27" screen, slightly more for larger monitors. If you lean in to read, enlarge the text rather than moving closer.
I work on a laptop. What should I do?
A laptop alone cannot be ergonomic — screen and keyboard are welded together. Raise the screen to eye level with a stand or riser and add an external keyboard and mouse at elbow height.
Where exactly should the keyboard sit?
Directly in front of you, close enough that elbows stay by your sides, at elbow height with wrists straight. A negative (away-from-you) tilt is gentler on wrists than propping the keyboard's back feet up.
When should I see a doctor instead of adjusting my desk?
If pain persists for weeks despite a corrected setup, wakes you at night, or comes with numbness or weakness — get it checked. Setup fixes causes; it is not a treatment for an existing injury.
The bottom line
Fix the four alignments, then let movement do the rest. Every piece in this guide — monitor arms, the keyboard tray, chairs and desks — ships free over ฿800 from ERGONOZ Thailand.
About ERGONOZ — a Thai ergonomics brand designing monitor arms, standing desks, and ergonomic chairs for the way you actually work. Read the brand story at ergonoz.com.