Start hereA lot of working days are spent at a desk. Health and safety bodies in the UK, the US and Canada publish advice on how to set one up and how to break up the sitting. Here are 8 habits from their lists, with what the studies found.
Health and safety bodies in several countries publish advice for people who work at a desk. Their lists overlap a lot: a screen you can see without craning, a chair that holds you up, short breaks, less sitting overall, and rest for your eyes.
Below are 8 of those habits. Each card says which body suggests it, what the studies found, and how sure that evidence is. None of it replaces a check-up: if something hurts, a doctor or physiotherapist can look at your own situation.
Setting up where you sit
Four of the habits are about where the screen, chair, keyboard and mouse sit.
1. Screen about an arm’s length away, top near eye level
Most bodies place the screen straight in front of you, roughly an arm’s length away, with the top at or a little below eye level.
The HSE’s checklist reads “Top of screen level with eyes, about an arm’s length away”. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says the top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level. OSHA gives a preferred viewing distance of between 20 and 40 inches (50 and 100 cm). The American Optometric Association (AOA) suggests the centre of the screen sit 15 to 20 degrees below eye level, and 20 to 28 inches from the eyes.
The bodies agree on the direction more than on the numbers:
| Body | Screen height | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| HSE (UK) | Top of screen level with eyes | About an arm’s length away |
| OSHA (US) | Top at or slightly below eye level | 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) |
| CCOHS (Canada) | About 15 degrees (or slightly lower) below the horizontal | Usually about an arm’s length |
| AOA (US eye doctors) | Centre 15 to 20 degrees below eye level | 20 to 28 inches from the eyes |
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) says guidelines on viewing angle and distance differ, sometimes significantly, so they are guidelines rather than something “carved in stone”. It notes that a screen set too high causes more discomfort than one set slightly too low. It adds that people who wear bifocals or progressive lenses may find the top of the screen slightly below eye level more comfortable. And when text is hard to read, CCOHS says it is better to make the font bigger than to sit closer.
For example, someone on a small laptop might raise the screen and enlarge the text instead of leaning in. The bodies agree on the direction, not on exact numbers.
How sure: Limited these are agency guidelines, and CCOHS says the figures differ between them.
2. A chair that supports your lower back, feet flat or on a footrest
The bodies describe a chair that supports the lower back, at a height where your feet rest on the floor or a footrest.
The HSE’s checklist includes a seat back that gives good lower back support. It also lists a seat height that supports the front and back of the thighs equally, or a cushion to raise you. It suggests a gap of 2-3 cm between the front of the seat and the back of the knee. OSHA describes feet fully supported by the floor, or a footrest if the desk height cannot be adjusted. CCOHS says that ideally a person can sit with their feet on the floor or on a footrest without pressure on the underside of their thighs. The AOA adds that chair height should be set so the feet rest flat on the floor.
The common thread is support: the back rests against something, and the feet have somewhere to go.
For example, a shorter person at a fixed-height desk might raise the chair and add a footrest, so the feet still rest on something.
How sure: Limited this is a checklist from agency guidance, not a tested finding.
3. Keyboard and mouse close, wrists straight, shoulders relaxed
The guidelines picture relaxed shoulders, elbows near the body and straight wrists.
The HSE lists the keyboard just below elbow height. It puts the mouse in line with the elbow. It also says to relax your shoulders, sitting high enough that you don’t need to shrug them. OSHA describes hands, wrists and forearms that are straight, in line and roughly parallel to the floor. It describes elbows kept close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees. It also describes shoulders relaxed, with the upper arms hanging normally at the sides.
Read together, both lists picture the arms kept in and the wrists straight.
For example, pulling the keyboard nearer the desk edge, with the mouse beside it, can keep the arm from stretching forward.
How sure: Limited the setup comes from guidelines, and the one trial of workstation adjustment found no effect on arm pain.
4. With a laptop, a separate keyboard and mouse
For longer laptop work, the HSE suggests a separate keyboard and mouse, so the screen can be raised.
The HSE lists a keyboard and mouse separate from the laptop, so the screen can be raised on a laptop riser or similar. Its standard setup also lists the screen and keyboard central, so you don’t twist your back. The HSE counts PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones as display screen equipment. Its rules apply to workers who use such screens daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more. In the UK, employers must give these workers health and safety training and information.
So in the HSE’s terms, a laptop is display screen equipment too. A laptop on its own joins the screen and the keys, so raising one lifts the other.
For example, someone at a kitchen table might raise the laptop on books and plug in a keyboard, so the screen goes up and the hands stay low.
How sure: Limited this is a checklist from agency guidance, not a tested finding.
Moving through the day
Three of the habits are about how long you sit and how often you get up.
5. Sit less overall
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the NHS both advise adults to cut down the time they spend sitting.
WHO defines sedentary behaviour as any period of low-energy expenditure while awake, such as sitting, reclining or lying. Its 2020 guidelines say adults should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. They add that replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity, including light intensity, provides health benefits. The NHS says research suggests many adults spend more than 7 hours a day sitting down, at work, on transport or in their leisure time. It warns that you can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk of ill health if you spend the rest of the time sitting or lying down.
The NHS says evidence is emerging that sitting or lying down for long periods is bad for your health.
So in WHO’s sense, sitting at a desk, on a sofa or in a car all count as sedentary behaviour. The advice is two things at once: move enough, and sit less.
The guideline authors found insufficient evidence to set a limit in hours, or to say how often and how long breaks from sitting should be. They found moderate-certainty evidence that the link between sitting and death, from any cause or from heart and blood vessel disease, varies with how active people are. For other outcomes, they found too little evidence to say whether that link varies in the same way.
The weekly activity amounts are on our Darebee guide, and daily steps are on our home workout hacks page.
For example, walking over to a colleague instead of sending a message swaps a little sitting for light activity, which also counts.
How sure: Moderate WHO rates its advice to limit sitting as a strong recommendation on moderate-certainty evidence, but found too little evidence to set a time limit.
6. Short breaks, often
The HSE says short, frequent breaks or changes of activity are better than long, rare ones.
In the UK, the law says employers must plan work so that people who use screens get breaks or changes of activity. The HSE adds that there is no legal guidance on how long or how often those breaks should be. Its example is that 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours. It says breaks should let people get up and move around, or at least stretch and change posture. OSHA says working in the same posture or sitting still for prolonged periods is not healthy. Among its suggestions is to stand up and walk around for a few minutes periodically.
A UK employer has to plan breaks, but the HSE leaves their length and timing to the kind of work.
A 2018 Cochrane review found one study in which short breaks of one to two minutes every half hour cut sitting at work by about 40 minutes a day. That was compared with two 15-minute breaks a workday, on low-quality evidence. A second Cochrane review found very low-quality evidence, from two studies, that extra breaks reduced neck, shoulder and arm discomfort among data entry workers.
So the HSE’s idea is to get up often, even briefly, rather than wait for one long break.
For example, refilling a water glass or taking a phone call standing up is a change of activity, not only a rest.
How sure: Limited the break studies are few, and their evidence was rated low or very low quality.
7. A sit-stand desk, used by switching
The bodies that describe sit-stand desks stress switching between sitting and standing, not standing all day.
CCOHS says recommendations vary, from sitting for 1 hour and standing for 5 minutes to switching every 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. It says the key factor is to alternate your position as needed, and that your health professional may also make recommendations. It notes that standing too long may lead to foot, knee, hip and back problems. It also mentions early studies in which some users went back to sitting most of the time after the first trial period.
In the 2018 Cochrane review, sit-stand desks, alone or with information and counselling, cut sitting at work by an average of 100 minutes a workday in the first three months. That was compared with ordinary desks, on low-quality evidence. Over 3 to 12 months, two studies showed a smaller drop, of about 57 minutes a day. The authors found no evidence on their effects on sitting over longer periods. All 34 studies in that review came from high-income countries. A 2025 review of 12 studies later reported less sitting at work at 6 and 12 months, about 81 and 48 minutes a day, compared with control groups. Its authors still call the long-term effect uncertain. A 2023 analysis of 23 trials also found that sit-stand desks appear to cut sitting at work, but rated the overall certainty of the evidence low. In the other Cochrane review, one study of sit-stand desks found no effect on arm and hand pain or discomfort, compared with no change.
So the studies suggest these desks reduce sitting at work, most clearly in the first months. How long that lasts, and what it does for pain, is less certain.
For example, someone with a sit-stand desk might stand for calls and sit to write, switching by task rather than by clock.
How sure: Limited low-certainty evidence for less sitting at work, clearest in the first months; reviews disagree on how long it lasts.
Resting your eyes
The last habit is for the eyes, which tire in their own way at a screen.
8. Look into the distance now and then
Eye doctors’ groups suggest looking away from the screen regularly, and the AOA puts it as the 20-20-20 rule.
The AOA describes digital eye strain, also called computer vision syndrome, as a group of eye and vision problems from long use of computers, tablets, e-readers and phones. It suggests the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away. It also suggests resting the eyes for 15 minutes after two hours of continuous computer use. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says people normally blink about 15 times a minute, but only about 5 to 7 times a minute while using computers. Its advice is to make a habit of looking up from the screen at an object in the distance. The AAO says long screen use will not permanently damage your eyes. The HSE says the same: screen work does not cause permanent damage to eyes. In the UK, the law says employers must arrange an eye test for screen users who ask for one, and provide glasses if they are needed only for screen use.
So by both bodies’ account, long spells of screen work can tire the eyes but do not harm them for good.
In a small 2023 study, 29 computer users with eye symptoms got reminders based on the 20-20-20 rule for two weeks. Their eye strain and dry eye symptoms went down, but the improvement was gone one week after the reminders stopped. The study found no change in measured signs of dry eye on the surface of the eye.
So the rule eased digital eye strain in one small trial, while the reminders lasted.
For example, a window or the far end of a room is somewhere distant to rest the eyes.
How sure: Limited one small two-week trial, measured before and after, with no comparison group.
Is there one correct way to sit?
The bodies describe a comfortable starting position, and several stress changing position often.
OSHA describes a good working position as a comfortable posture in which your joints are naturally aligned. CCOHS says a good sitting position is one that lets people change their body position often and naturally, and that varying positions is the essence of “good sitting”.
A 2019 viewpoint in a physical therapy journal noted the absence of strong evidence for the common belief that spinal pain is caused by sitting, standing or bending “incorrectly”. A 2020 review of 41 earlier reviews found no consensus that physical postures or exposures cause low back pain. Its authors wrote that links have been documented but do not provide a causal explanation.
So the sources read side by side say a good starting position, then plenty of change. Researchers still disagree on how much any one posture matters for pain.
How sure: Unsettled reviews find links between posture and back pain, but no agreement that posture causes low back pain.
If something hurts
For back pain that does not get better after a few weeks of home care, the NHS suggests seeing a GP.
The NHS says back pain often improves on its own within a few weeks. Its advice is to stay active and try to continue with your daily activities. It suggests seeing a GP if back pain does not improve after treating it at home for a few weeks. In many areas, it says, you may be able to get help such as physiotherapy from NHS community musculoskeletal (MSK) services without a GP referral.
Wherever you live, a doctor or physiotherapist can look at your own situation. The habits above are general guidance, not treatment.
Where to learn more
- The HSE’s guide to working safely with display screen equipment (UK): setup, breaks and eye tests.
- OSHA’s computer workstations eTool (US): positions and equipment, with pictures.
- CCOHS office ergonomics answers (Canada): chairs, screens and sit-stand desks.
- The AOA’s page on computer vision syndrome (US): digital eye strain and the 20-20-20 rule.
- The NHS page on back pain (UK): what can help, and when to see a GP.
- WHO’s physical activity fact sheet: activity and sitting for every age.
- Our Darebee guide, for free workouts you can do at home.
- Our home workout hacks page, for what the studies found on steps and short workouts.
Quick answers
Is there one correct way to sit at a desk?
The bodies describe a comfortable starting position, and several stress changing position often. Reviews find links between posture and back pain, but no agreement that posture causes low back pain.
Do sit-stand desks help?
A 2018 Cochrane review found they cut sitting at work by about 100 minutes a workday in the first three months, on low-quality evidence. Later reviews also report less sitting, including at 6 and 12 months, though one rates the certainty of the evidence low. CCOHS stresses switching rather than standing all day.
Can screens damage your eyes permanently?
The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the UK's HSE both say screen work does not cause permanent damage to the eyes. The discomfort it can bring is what the AOA calls digital eye strain.
How long should I sit before taking a break?
The HSE says there is no legal guidance on this. Its example is that 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours, and CCOHS says recommendations vary widely.
Use this
Our suggestion: three ways to try these habits and notice what changes.
One change at a time, and notice how it feels.
Quick quiz
Nothing is scored or saved. Recalling it once now is what makes it last.
1. What does the HSE say about how long and how often desk breaks should be?
Answer: There is no legal guidance on it.Read it again ↑
2. In the 2018 Cochrane review, what happened to the drop in sitting from sit-stand desks after three months?
Answer: It was smaller, about 57 minutes a day.Read it again ↑
3. In the small 2023 trial of 20-20-20 reminders, what happened a week after the reminders stopped?
Answer: The improvement was gone.Read it again ↑
How we checked this · Last checked November 2026
- Each habit is credited to the body that gives it: the UK Health and Safety Executive, US OSHA, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, WHO and the NHS.
- The evidence comes from two 2018 Cochrane reviews, the WHO 2020 guideline and its summary paper, one small 2023 trial of the 20-20-20 rule, a 2020 review of reviews on posture and back pain, and two later reviews of sit-stand desks (2023, 2025).
- Weekly activity amounts and daily step counts have their own pages, so they get one line and a link here.
- Safe Work Australia's pages did not load when we checked, so Australian guidance is not included.