Office workers with a work-related injury

An office injury can begin with fingers that tingle halfway through a shift, a shoulder that aches after hours on the mouse, or a back injury while moving a box of files. If you are wondering whether your symptoms belong in a work injury conversation, describe them. You do not need to arrive with the medical name.

Start with the workday behind the job title

“Administrative assistant” can mean entering invoices for hours, carrying supplies between floors, covering a busy front desk and taking calls with a laptop balanced beside you. A customer support worker may move between a headset, keyboard and mouse for most of a shift. Those details are more useful than the title alone.

For the first conversation, think about the tasks you repeat, how long you do them and what has become difficult. Include the hand you use for the mouse, any lifting and changes in your workload or workstation.

When there was no single accident

California's DWC explains that work injuries can come from one event or repeated exposures, including the same wrist motion over and over. Our repetitive stress injury page explains the claim questions around symptoms that develop gradually.

Source: California DWC, injured worker FAQs, checked October 2026.

Keep a simple timeline of symptoms, appointments and any time away from work. A description of a typical day is enough to start; you do not need to send customer files or confidential business records to explain your tasks.

At home, at the office, or both

Tell the office where you were working and what you were doing when symptoms appeared. For a hybrid schedule, note which days involve commuting, a different desk or carrying equipment. If an injury happened while driving for a work task, our work-related car accident page is a useful next stop.

Your doctor can assess your symptoms. When discussing the job, explain the actual setup and movements rather than only saying that you work on a computer.

Make the first call away from your desk

If you would rather talk outside the office, use the callback preferences to suggest a time and say whether a voicemail is okay. Have any claim letters nearby if you have them. If treatment is the immediate concern, start with the medical treatment guide.

Ask about your office work injury. The first conversation is free.