Posted on 26th May 2011 @ 12:47 AM

Anyone who's ever worked at an ergonomically ignorant company knows the symptoms: constant headaches, tingling wrists, the urge to throw your keyboard through a window. Before you get to that point, learn to recognize the signs that your office is an ergonomic nightmare. It'll save your joints and your sanity. For instance:

1. Your desk was chosen for form, not function.

"I will kill you … with charm."

This is something many of us are guilty of at home: We choose a desk because it's a charming old piece of furniture, or because it looks like something a multimillionaire entrepreneur might have (because we are still using The Secret), not because it's kind to our wrists. This looks awesome, until your hands retract into useless little claws like Kristin Wiig's Doll Hands character.

2. Your monitor is at a weird angle.

"It's cool. I can totally see what you're doing there."

What's a weird angle, you ask? Well, if your monitor is set up in a way that would be more appropriate to an antitheft mirror at a corner store, it's probably not going to be kind to your neck. Ditto monitors that are flat on the desk. The good news is, that searing pain in your head isn't from some sort of exotic medical condition.

3. You have no monitor.

"This'll teach my stupid neck who's boss!"

Love your laptop and can't live without it? Best hook up a monitor to that sucker anyway, especially if your close vision isn't what it used to be. Otherwise, learn to work that forward head tilt as if it's a chic new posture, Turtle Boy.

4. Your desk chair might as well be a bean-bag.

After awhile, it seemed silly to even bother with the desk.

Quick test: Sit in your office chair and put your hands on the keyboard. If your hands are at shoulder height, and you are not visiting your mommy and daddy on "Take Your Child to Work Day," you need to either adjust your chair or get a new one entirely.

5. Your keyboard is on your desk.

This hurts a lot. Guess I'll just keep doing what I was doing! I'm sure it'll work out.

There might be some people out there who are the perfect height to sit at a standard desk with both feet flat on the floor and type safely on a keyboard in front of them. But we're betting you're not one of those five people, so do your poor paws a favor and invest in a keyboard tray.