3 Ergonomic and Workplace Design Tips For Maximum Productivity
Nowadays, office-based jobs seem to have taken over most job listings. And this kind of work could bring in a small amount of trouble that may snowball over time. Of course, office jobs aren’t as back-breaking as construction work. But it’s almost impossible to end a day without experiencing fatigue and body pain all over, especially when you’ve been seated for a minimum of eight hours a day. Hopefully, an ergonomic workplace can help with that.
Why You Need An Ergonomic Workplace
Ergonomics is defined as a science that’s related to design and arrangement. Its primary goal is to provide comfort and safety for those who use them in any setting. Unfortunately, employers overlook this quality, not out of malice but from unawareness.
A workplace with no consideration for ergonomics causes injuries that aren’t visible, like tendonitis. Of course, they may not be as severe as broken bones or awful burns. But what you have now could be well on its way to leaving behind long-lasting effects on your health, specifically, your musculoskeletal system. Having this part of your body affected could lead to:
- Muscle Strain
- Ligament Sprain
- Tension Neck Syndrome
- Degenerative diseases, and more
Since office workers usually do their jobs sitting for most of the day, they’re highly vulnerable to any disorders aimed at their musculoskeletal system. Having poor posture is one of the early effects of these disorders, and it can only get worst from there.
By implementing ergonomics in your workplace, not only will it lower the risk but can also boost productivity. Having proper ventilation in your office space could leave a significant impact on productivity. After all, no one would want to work while they’re uncomfortable.
How To Promote An Ergonomic Design
Now you know how beneficial it is to design your workplace ergonomically, here are some tips to start altering your workplace design:
- Maintain A Neutral Posture
Standing upright tends to be a challenge for many. Back straight, chest out, feet flat on the floor—just thinking about it must be exhausting for you already. Evidently, those who are not used to maintaining good posture might find a stiff posture comfortable.
When trying to correct your posture for the first time, you might start to feel muscle tension in specific areas of your body as you try to keep the same stance for a long period of time. When the tightness becomes unbearable, there’s a chance that you might revert back to your old posture which you find comfortable. Still, comfort doesn’t always mean it’s good for you. You need to train your body to keep away from slouching or slumping.
Now, neutrality can mean many things depending on the context. In this case, it’s the position where no amount of stress is focused on a specific area of your body, thereby keeping you stabilized and leveled without exerting too much effort.
Take the industrial stairs as an example. Since it’s crafted securely, each step is perfectly distanced from one another. Therefore, this gives you the assurance that you don’t have to strain yourself anymore to take the next step. With this in mind, you’re encouraged to maintain a neutral posture going up and down.
For those who spend most of their day working while sitting down, simply making changes to your workstation can already bring you a world of good. To get started, look for the perfect chair, and make sure it fits these characteristics:
- Your feet must be flat on the floor.
- It must have a footrest if the chair is big.
- It should allow you to have your knees be kept to a 90-degree angle.
- It should come with a headrest to keep your head centered and upright.
- Your arms should rest on your sides with your elbows angled around 90 to 100 degrees.
It might take time to find the right chair that complies with these, especially if you’re the type to buy one because of its aesthetic. However, your comfort should always trump everything else. And choosing a chair for work could somehow bring a positive change to your work ethic; your sitting position even more so.
- Provide More Room
Staying in one place for most of the day is the life of an office worker. Although that should be somewhat manageable, working while you’re practically back-to-back or rubbing shoulders with your fellow employees is both distracting and utterly uncomfortable for everyone involved. So, if you’re expected to work day after day and produce quality results, then you should make your workplace comfortable.
Having room where you can freely move encourages you to stretch after hours of sitting too long. You can do this by walking around the office or stretching your legs when you have space underneath your desk. By letting your body stretch, it can relieve any aches you might’ve acquired and alleviate circulation.
- Remain At A Comfortable Level
It’s already mentioned earlier that having your body remain in a neutral position is what you should be striving for to achieve comfort while working. Straining your neck because your monitor isn’t angled correctly will ruin that. And squinting at the monitor’s small screen will only leave your eyes sore.
Stress can build in your joints when you keep forcing yourself to make it work. And because of the long hours you had to spend looking at your computer screen as you work, it’s not surprising if your eyesight got ruined in the end. So, what you can do now is adjust the monitor if it’s angled wrong, or buy a completely new one that has a bigger screen.
Takeaway
Office work isn’t the most exciting job out there. But it does pay the bills, albeit barely. However, how long will your paycheck compel you to keep working when you’re already unhappy in your environment? Working is much more bearable when your comfort is considered. By applying ergonomics, you might even find yourself enjoying a workday so much that time flew by, way too fast!
