Start with the individual workstation assessment rather than a standard equipment list: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says existing equipment may be suitable, while the assessment should identify any action needed for home or hybrid display screen equipment (DSE) work. For prolonged laptop use, raising the screen calls for a separate keyboard and mouse; a monitor or dock is worth considering only if the work arrangement and device compatibility call for one. In Great Britain, where a home DSE assessment identifies equipment as necessary, HSE says the worker cannot be charged for it.
The equipment question changes with how often you use a screen, how you use your laptop and what must connect at each desk.
If you work at home permanently, long term or routinely as part of hybrid work, establish whether the DSE rules apply to your work and what your individual assessment identifies before choosing equipment. HSE says an assessment for work at both home and office should cover both situations.
If your laptop screen needs to be raised, consider where you will type and use a mouse as well as where the screen will sit. HSE's posture guidance pairs an elevated laptop with a separate keyboard and mouse.
If you connect a laptop to displays and peripherals at different desks, check the exact laptop, display connections, cables and dock together. Apple Support and Microsoft Support describe external-display behaviour that depends on the device and connection arrangement.
Confirm the assessment outcome before choosing hardware. Then check the screen and input arrangement you need, followed by the connections required to make that arrangement work.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment and provision | Confirm whether the DSE rules apply, what the home and office assessments identify, and how your employer provides any equipment identified as necessary. | Before I buy anything, I need to know whether my workstation assessment calls for it and whether my employer will provide it. Around 36% of consumers put assessment and provision first. |
| Laptop screen and inputs | If the laptop screen needs raising, check that a separate keyboard and mouse can sit at a comfortable height and within reach. | Long sessions on my laptop make screen position important, but raising its built-in keyboard would change how I type. For around 29% of consumers, the laptop-and-input arrangement is the primary concern. |
| Viewing space | Check whether a display can sit directly in front of you, around an arm's length away, with its top around eye level and without troublesome glare. | I need enough room to view my work without placing a screen awkwardly among my keyboard and documents. Screen position and usable viewing space come first for around 21% of consumers. |
| Dock and display connections | Check the exact laptop's display support, video-capable ports, display inputs, cables, charging requirements and any employer IT restrictions. | I want my laptop to connect to the displays and peripherals at a shared desk, especially if the screens must show independent content. Around 14% of consumers make connection compatibility their primary concern. |
A monitor, stand or dock is not automatically needed because someone works from home. HSE says the assessment should consider the whole workstation and determine whether additional equipment is needed.
Confirm whether you are covered by the DSE rules, obtain the assessment outcome and check your employer's provision process before buying equipment yourself.
Elevating the screen also raises the built-in inputs. For prolonged laptop use, HSE advises using a separate keyboard and mouse so the screen can be raised without relying on those inputs.
If a riser suits your assessed setup, arrange the separate keyboard and mouse at a comfortable working height and reach.
External-display capability depends on the connected devices. Microsoft Support notes that a display splitter can duplicate one signal rather than create two independent displays; the USB Implementers Forum also describes USB4 connections in terms of the devices' mutual capabilities.
Match the dock, cables and display inputs to the exact laptop model and confirm its supported external-display arrangement before ordering.
Home and office workstations can have different screens, lighting and layouts. HSE says an assessment for someone using DSE in both places should cover both situations.
Describe each arrangement in the assessment and tell your employer about significant changes or new equipment needs.
Not automatically. In Great Britain, HSE says the rules can apply to permanent, long-term and routine hybrid home work, and describes DSE users as people who use it daily for continuous periods of an hour or more. Occasional or short-period home DSE use does not itself bring someone within those rules; check your working pattern with your employer.
Where a home DSE workstation assessment indicates that action is needed, such as providing DSE equipment, HSE says the worker cannot be charged for that equipment. This does not mean every home worker needs, or is automatically provided with, the same setup.
A riser alone does not address the position of the laptop's built-in keyboard and trackpad. HSE advises using a separate keyboard and mouse when raising a laptop screen for prolonged use; check how all three items fit your workstation.
No universal dual-monitor capability follows from a USB-C connector. External-display support depends on the exact computer and connection arrangement, and Microsoft Support notes that a splitter can duplicate rather than extend a display signal. Check the laptop's supported display count alongside the dock, monitor inputs and required cables.
It should cover both situations if you use DSE at home and in the office, according to HSE. Give your employer details of each arrangement rather than assuming equipment that works at one desk will suit the other.