Office ergonomics is a buzzword right now, but is it worth all of the hype?
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that sitting all day isn’t great for us. But as more and more scientific evidence comes out to back what your back is already telling you, lots of offices are rethinking office ergonomics. Should you? Before you burn all your office chairs, consider the pros and cons.
Let’s tackle the bad news first.
Cons of Office Ergonomics.
As is all too often the case with humans, we’ve swung a bit too far in the opposite direction. Let’s use exercise balls as an example. They seem like the perfect solution. They fit at the standard office desk and encourage (or force) the employee to engage his or her core to stay upright. Bye bye sedentary sitting, right? Actually, because these balls provide no back support, they cause contractions in back muscles and compression of the discs in the spine!
Pros of Office Ergonomics.
The main thing we’re gaining in the conversation about office sitting is consideration of what it does to our bodies. Ultimately, an ergonomically-designed desk chair is the best option, but it’s important to give your employees the chance to get out of the seated position. Offer standing desks for use during part of the day (standing all day presents its own health risks), hold walking meetings, and allow your staff to bring support (e.g. lumbar pillow) as they need to feel comfortable. Just because we might have run a little too far, too fast, by switching offices entirely to exercise balls or standing desks doesn’t mean ergonomics should be overlooked. Take care of your team’s bodies so they can take care of their work pain-free.
Office ergonomics can also help you avoid workplace injury. Encourage your accounts to consider creating a pain-free workplace through ergonomic design, but also make sure they have the proper workers’ compensation should a claim arise. Contact PMC Insurance Group for support placing the right workers’ comp for your challenging accounts.
