By helping your employees remain comfortable and at the right angle to their desks, ergonomics reduce strain on spines and joints. This helps prevent musculoskeletal problems that are a result of overworked joints. Ergonomics are all about adjustability so you should focus on making sure each workplace setup is adjusted to the staff member instead of pushing everyone into a one-size-fits-all desk. This allows for differences in height and limb length and makes all staff members feel more comfortable.
There are a few guidelines for setting up an ergonomic desk. You should ensure the staff member's arms are in a straight line from wrist to elbow to reduce strain on the arms and keep the wrist and hands comfortable for typing. The employee should be able to see the computer while sitting straight without tipping their head up or down to avoid neck or eye strain. To ensure good posture, the spine should be straight and in line with the pelvis. Unless using a kneeling chair, the feet should be able to rest comfortably on the floor. Depending on your employee’s needs, this could mean using a chair with strong lumbar support. For those who struggle not to slouch or need extra support to ease back pain, you can get chairs with full back support and even headrests to cushion the neck.
There are multiple ergonomic office furniture benefits. Less strain and fewer injuries of course mean fewer sick days which is always a boost to your business productivity and bottom line. When your employees are working ergonomically, they’ll also experience less fatigue and discomfort. This leads to increased productivity and morale. Seeing you care for their well-being also leads to increased staff retention. Implementing ergonomics can take some time as you’ll need to work out the best option for each employee, but it’ll pay your business back.
How to Embrace Standing Desks in Your Workplace
Back pain is becoming increasingly common due to our sedentary lives. One of the best ways to combat this is by offering standing desks. Standing helps improve posture and build our core muscles. This leads to a more supported upright spine with less pain. This also helps with other tasks such as lifting. If you’re incorporating standing desks, you should be sure to choose those with adjustable heights. This allows for the desk to be dropped back down to seated height when your staff member needs a break. It also gives room for the standing height to be altered. The same ergonomic guidelines should be followed for a standing desk so you should ensure all joints are aligned.
Standing in one place for too long can lead to reduced circulation in the legs and therefore aches. There are now anti-fatigue mats to combat this issue and make standing desks easier to use. The gentle slope of these mats encourages small movements in the feet and calves keeping circulation flowing and letting your staff member stand for longer.
Help Banish RSI With Ergonomic Office Furniture
By placing the joints at the best angles for typing, ergonomics help relieve strain on the tendons and ligaments. This helps reduce the risk of conditions like RSI and carpal tunnel. You can go further by ensuring your staff members can take regular breaks and leaving a space before the keyboard to rest wrists when not typing. You could also invest in an ergonomic mouse for each desk as these require limited hand movement.
Ergonomics is a growing movement, and we’ve only discussed some of the options here. Why not start by sending out a survey so your employees can tell you what they need and increase from there?