How To Make Your Office More Ergonomic

Direct Health Solutions carried out a survey last year that found absentee levels are rising. They estimated the cost of absences at over $3600 per worker each year. While the reasons for absences are varied, at least some of those absences can be explained by conditions created by our workplaces. PTI encourages is customers to consider these tips on how to make your office more ergonomic!

PTI Office Furniture Of Bergen County Explains The Ins And Outs Of Making Your Office Space More Ergonomic

 

"For white collar employees, sitting at your desk for lengths of time, the overkill of meetings, this constant sitting down is not good for your health or productivity," said Lyone. "We like to talk about moving around, having lots of flexibility and creating opportunities to move around the office and still collaborate".

While collaboration systems are extremely useful, they create a work environment where people don't need to get up to meet and talk. Lyone says it's possible to create a workplace that fosters collaboration. And it's possible to do that without spending too much money.

Inevitably, any discussion on office set up draws to the topic of sit/stand desks. A recent article, published at The Conversation, says the benefits of standing desks have been oversold by the media with "evidence" of the benefits either based on limited studies or on research that was sponsored, without disclosure, by companies with an interest in seeing standing desks become popular.

"People are still feeling their way with standing desks," said Lyone.

Rather than refit an entire office with sit/stand workstations, Lyone said COS has taken a different approach, creating different work zones people can move between rather than expecting them to make a choice they are stuck with for ever.

"They can go to a different area, for an hour or two, to get the blood flowing and to give the body a break".

This less extreme approach is important, said Lyone. She likened it to training for a marathon - you don't go out and run 42km straight away. You work up to it, building strength and endurance. Similarly, expecting people to work at standing desks for long periods of time is not reasonable or healthy.

There are lots of things you can do in the office to encourage movement and create a healthier office envionrment. For example, you can think about printer placement, where you put kitchen facilities, introduce healthy snacks and remove sugary snacks from vending machines.

Lyone said one of the keys is to create workplaces that encourage movement and change. That can be having a combination of different desks that people can freely move between.

"Gone are the days of cookie-cutter office spaces where everyone is sitting at the same sized desk with the same chair. You need to have a little more personalisation," she said.

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