Working from home can be a big advantage for anyone, especially those who like to set their own hours. In addition to flexible workdays, you also benefit from the luxury of having your own space, free from the monotony of a corporate office. Regardless of where you’re working, one thing remains clear: you have to be working ergonomically. 

The question of how to create an ergonomic work from home environment has increasingly received more and more attention the past couple of years. Indeed, the popularity of standing desks like the Atlas Office Landscape are a testament to this. Yet the importance of one key piece of furniture continues to be overlooked. Read on to find out some of the key reasons why your workstation is incomplete without a footrest.

1. Improves Circulation

Working from home inevitably requires sitting for long hours. Whether it’s back-to-back meetings or tackling a big assignment, the workday demands idleness. Sitting for too long with no activity can lead to poor blood circulation, which increases your risk of developing a vein disease.

A footrest ensures that your feet are at a comfortable height for your body, and encourages movement by giving you various places to set your feet. You can rest, flex and stretch your ankles and feet while working. Even more, you can shift weight between feet and add dynamism to your day-to-day setting.

2. Corrects Posture

Maintaining good posture is critical when you have a remote job. In any environment that requires sitting for long periods of time, it’s necessary to maintain good posture. Of course, good posture can’t be done without a good office chair — such as Herman Miller’s Aeron or Embody — but a footrest can aid this effort.

A good footrest keeps your body in the right posture and prevents legs from hanging. By steadying your feet, you can keep your hips slightly above your knees and not slouch. This, in turn, reduces pressure on your spine and back, as your feet are no longer improperly positioned.

3. Increases Productivity

Though it sounds absurd, something as small as adjusting your feet can greatly affect your workflow. Aligning posture and easing pain from poor circulation means that you are removing a significant obstacle to your productivity: discomfort. Without minor aches and pains to plague you, you can focus more on what matters.

Without these discomforts, your fatigue is also likely to reduce too. Less energy diverted away to trying to find a comfortable position means more focus on your work. After all, one of the greatest arguments to keep working from home is the increased productivity of employees, and ergonomics are a key element of that.