Over the last two decades the topic on office ergonomics has moved from coffee session discussion to national discussions involving not just agencies and corporations, but also international bodies such as the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Human Resource committee.
The reason as to why the topic has gained such immense momentum is due to the copious amounts of evidence that has been brought forward by medical researchers and academia based on empirical observations that highlight the repercussions of neglecting ergonomics.
As simple as the concept of ergonomics might seem which basically revolves around thoughtful designs of furniture and workspace configuration that accommodate the needs of users seamlessly, there is more to it than meets the eye.
For instance, most people who work for hours in a seated position on a standard office chair do not realise that they are hurting their bodies and that they are paving the way for musculoskeletal dysfunction in years to come and some may be aware of the fact and switch to an ergonomic office chair and deem the problem solved – but is it?
Ergonomics is not only about office chairs, ergonomics is about everything in the workplace where the average human spends close to half a day on average almost every day of the week.
Ergonomics is about all the office furniture in an office, this includes chairs, desks, cabinets, storage shelves and it is also about monitors, the mouse and keyboards that should be crafted to minimise risk of users experiencing various strain on their body which in most cases lead to injury.
Ergonomics is linked to a concept that is referred to as human factors engineering and the term office ergonomics is all about the employer’s commitment towards optimising the workstation conditions for each and every employee that do not only keep employees comfortable, but also protect employees from undue musculoskeletal problems that creep up over time.
In return, employers also benefit by embracing ergonomics due to the higher level of productivity of employees who perform duties in ergonomically optimised environments.
The reason as to why employees become more productive in ergonomically optimised environments is due to the fact that, their endurance levels to work long hours without getting tired is increased due to the comfort that ergonomic office furniture offers them.
The comfort offered by ergonomic office furniture allows employees to focus on their work more diligently as everything is within reach and they do not have to fidget about whilst sitting as they would if they were sat on standard office chairs which are meant for ‘short term’ sitting.
Maintaining healthy posture on a standard office chair can be quite the challenge, however with a finely tuned ergonomic office chair maintaining a healthy posture would be as easy as easy can be.
On an end note, ergonomics is not a trivial matter and must be taken seriously by both employers and employees as it is crucial towards staying healthy mentally and physically.