The small parts that make a screen workstation work
In short
Ergonomic office accessories (monitor arm, laptop stand, separate keyboard and mouse, footrest, wrist rest, document holder) adjust screen height, hand position and foot support without replacing the furniture. They complement heavy equipment - desk, chair, screen - without standing in for it. The basic rule: top of the screen at eye level, at 50-70 cm, forearms horizontal and feet flat.
A well-set workstation does not always mean a new desk or an expensive chair. Often what is missing fits on the corner of a table: a screen at the right height, a support that frees the hands, a rest that brings the legs back to a right angle. These small parts change a working day faster than any heavy purchase.
A screen workstation is tuned with accessories, not just furniture
A screen workstation is made of two families. Heavy equipment - desk, task chair, acoustic screen - structures the room and weighs on the budget. Accessories, by contrast, adjust the detail: screen height, wrist position, foot support. Swiss guidance on screen work (SECO, the EKAS/CFST) deals first with these fine settings, because that is where posture and eye strain are decided.
- Heavy equipment: height-adjustable desk, task chair, screen, acoustic panel - a structural investment.
- Accessory: monitor arm or screen stand, laptop stand, separate keyboard and mouse.
- Accessory: footrest, wrist rest, tilted document holder.
- An accessory can be moved, shared and replaced without touching the furniture.
What ergonomic office accessories cover
The term ergonomic office accessories covers all these light additions that refine a workstation without rebuilding it. Five everyday families fall under it, each answering a specific setting fault.
Brings the top of the screen to eye level and sets it at 50-70 cm, about an arm's length. The articulated arm adjusts height, depth and tilt in seconds and clears the work surface.
Raises the laptop screen to eye level. It only makes sense with a separate keyboard and mouse, otherwise the hands rise too high.
Decouple typing from the raised screen. Forearms horizontal, shoulders relaxed, wrists in line with the forearm.
Useful when, once the chair is set, the feet no longer reach the floor. Adjustable, tiltable, non-slip, at least 40 cm wide.
The wrist rest steadies the hand in front of keyboard and mouse; the tilted document holder saves the head turning back and forth between paper and screen.
The monitor arm: eye level in seconds
The reference setting is simple. Seated, back supported, head straight, the gaze should fall on the top of the screen; the centre then sits a few centimetres below eye level. Tilt the top edge slightly back, 10 to 20 degrees, to limit reflections. The screen stays square to the user, never at an angle.
A monitor arm makes these settings available at any moment, which a fixed stand does not. It also frees the surface under the screen and makes it easier to share one workstation between several people - an advantage in flex-office layouts.
Laptop: stand and separate keyboard
A laptop forces a choice between a screen too low and hands too high: you cannot have both right. The stand raises the screen to eye level; a separate keyboard and mouse bring the hands back to elbow height. It is the most rewarding pair for anyone working on a laptop all day.
- Screen too low: the head tips forward
- Neck and shoulders loaded continuously
- Hands fine, but gaze angled down
- Fine for an hour, not for the day
- Top of the screen at eye level
- Forearms horizontal, shoulders relaxed
- Gaze straight, neck neutral
- Suited to a full working day
Footrest, wrist rest and document holder
These three accessories fix points that are often overlooked. The footrest is no luxury: as soon as the feet no longer rest flat after the chair is set, it restores the 90-degree angle at the knees and eases circulation. It is worth it mainly for shorter people or where the work surface is not adjustable.
The wrist rest steadies the hand in front of keyboard and mouse without pinning it; it is a support between keystrokes, not a permanent cushion. The tilted document holder, placed between keyboard and screen, removes the repeated head turns when typing from paper.
Budget and priorities for kitting out a workstation
Indicative ranges per accessory, excluding installation (CHF)
These figures set orders of magnitude, excluding installation. Across one workstation the whole set stays modest next to a chair or a height-adjustable desk, for an immediate effect on posture. Priority goes to the screen-height and separate-keyboard pair, then to the footrest if the feet do not reach the floor.
A good accessory does not make up for a bad chair: it finishes a workstation that was already thought through.
Before swapping desks and chairs, a workstation review often finds that a few accessories are enough. acdesign assesses your workspaces across French- and German-speaking Switzerland. Compare architects in your canton
Across an office floor, consistency matters: a standardised range of accessories, shareable from one desk to the next, beats a pile of mismatched items bought one at a time.
Build ergonomics into the plan
Workstation ergonomics is designed with the fit-out - layout, light, acoustics - not after the furniture arrives. acdesign builds it into the plan of your offices.
Describe my projectFAQ
About 50 to 70 cm, roughly an arm's length. The top of the screen sits at eye level, the centre a few centimetres lower, the screen square to you and not at an angle.
Yes, as soon as you want to fine-tune the height or share a workstation. It adjusts height, depth and tilt in seconds and clears the work surface, which a fixed stand cannot.
Yes if you use a stand. Raising the screen without a separate keyboard lifts the hands too high; an external keyboard and mouse bring the forearms back to horizontal.
When, once the chair is set to the desk height, the feet no longer rest flat on the floor. It restores the 90-degree angle at the knees; choose one that is adjustable, tiltable and non-slip.
No. Ergonomic office accessories refine a workstation that is already sound; they do not make up for an unsuitable chair or a wrong desk height. They complement heavy equipment, they do not replace it.