Particularly in these days of hybrid work, a lot of people try to convince themselves that they’re just fine working at a kitchen table. The right office desk, however, can offer much more than just a place to set your laptop. Modern office desks can keep you organized, they can help you keep your needed cables neat and tidy, they can store your important documents and paperwork, and they can even help support an ideal ergonomic posture to keep you healthier, productive, and comfortable throughout the workday.

While everyone’s office desk needs will be different depending on their situations, there’s always a few things that any good desk will have in common. A good desk is one that’s built to last and can support your postures and working positions throughout the day. Specifically, you should look for a desk that meets your height and width requirements (factoring in the space you’ll be moving the desk into, as well as both your own height and that of your office chair), as well as one with the space for your ideal working setup, particularly if you need additional monitors or electronics to complete your tasks. 

Office desks come in a range of sizes these days, to support different individual preferences as well as a variety of different postures throughout the day. Stationary desks from Steelcase are typically available around an overall height of 28 ½”, and our adjustable Sit-to-Stand desks can be adjusted from 22.6”-48.7” to encourage posture changes and motion during the workday.

Ideally, your office desk would be deep enough to comfortably accommodate your workstation, including additional monitors, keyboards, speakers, and the like, as well as providing space for you to rest your arms and type in an ergonomically safe way. To encourage this posture and organization, Steelcase stationary office desks are typically available in depths of 24” and 30” to afford you the space you need.

The first step for having proper desk ergonomics is to make sure the desk itself is the right height. Whatever your personal height is, your desk (and chair) should be set up in a way that allows you to comfortably maintain a 70-to-135-degree angle with your forearm as you work at your desk. From there, you need to make sure your mouse and keyboard are a comfortable distance away from your chair, your monitors are at (or slightly below) eye level, about an arm’s length away, and then make sure you can sit with your feet flat on the floor, and avoid crossing your legs. This should help eliminate a lot of major ergonomic issues from the start, and further tweaks can be made from there as needed.

For instructions on how to assemble your Steelcase desks or tables, please refer to our Assembly Directions archive.