Work is an unavoidable aspect of our lives, and as office workers, we spend a significant amount of our time at the office. Since the office often serves as a second home, this space needs to be a comfortable, enjoyable, and pleasant space to foster a positive environment that people will enjoy being in.
An essential component in creating this positive environment is good ergonomics. The importance of ergonomics in your office space is not something that should be overlooked and is much more than just the correct positioning of your ergonomic office desk. It incorporates the physical, cognitive, organisational, and environmental aspects of your workplace to create optimal working conditions for each employee. Ergonomics is just as much about the individual employee as it is about the whole office, each influencing the other to create these optimal working conditions. When it comes to ergonomics, it’s important to get it right in the first instance, as getting it wrong can have adverse effects on not only your employees but the entire culture of your workplace; get it right, and it can transform your workplace culture and have significant positive impacts.
Improved employee health
When we think of employee health, we often think of people being healthy in terms of not coughing and spluttering or having a contagious illness that can make everyone in the office sick, but employee health is much more than that. A healthy employee is someone who feels healthy in all aspects of their being, including mental, social, and physical (beyond feeling under the weather), and good ergonomics can help ensure that this is the case, at least in the workplace. While ergonomics isn’t going to help cure that annoying cold or the food poisoning someone got from eating something bad, but it can help with other physical and mental ailments, such as pain and stress, that can impair someone’s performance in the workplace.
The most common workplace injuries are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), which are easily avoidable with the implementation of good ergonomics. MSDs and RSIs can be anything from carpal tunnel syndrome to pinched nerves and other nerve issues, pulled muscles and tendons, joint issues, and issues with spinal disks such as a slipped disk and if you’ve ever had one of these MSDs or RSIs before you know exactly how painful they can be. Not only do these MSDs and RSIs affect people at work, but they can start to affect people in their personal lives, which then can contribute to a range of other issues, such as mental health issues like stress because of the pain that is caused by the MSD or RSI. When people are in pain and stressed out, the unpleasant way they are feeling can trickle into your workplace environment and help foster an unpleasant atmosphere.
Upgrading or offering people the chance to upgrade their current office furniture to ergonomic options, such as a height adjustable ergonomic computer desk and an ergonomic office chair of their liking, can lead to the reduction of MSDs and RSIs in the workplace, which then can have a flow on effect to the reduction of stress. With these issues either reduced or eliminated, people will be much happier when they are at work, which can help foster a positive work environment and create a more positive workplace culture.
Reduced absenteeism
Nobody wants to be at work when they are unwell or harbouring an injury, and those who do end up coming to work are often less productive due to their injury or illness. According to Safe Work Australia, workplace injuries or illness accounted for around 8 weeks of lost time in 21-22, which is more than most standard annual leave. When people aren’t at work, there’s no one to complete the work that needs to be done, which means that as a business, you can fall behind, which can ultimately affect your bottom line. Eliminating the chance of someone obtaining a workplace injury or illness is a simple way to reduce your absenteeism rates and kick your workplace’s productivity back into gear, and as mentioned before, good ergonomics can help with this. Upgrading your office desks to a sit and stand desk, changing your chair to one with ergonomic features or even adding a laptop stand or rapid riser to your current desk to convert it to an ergonomic desk can all help to reduce your risk of a workplace injury or illness and result in less time away from the office.
Enhanced employee satisfaction
Malow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that there are 5 needs in a hierarchy that must be satisfied for someone to thrive and flourish. This principle specifically relates to someone’s everyday life, but the basic principles of the hierarchy can be applied to the work environment. Rather than it being the same specific elements that makeup Maslow’s hierarchy, it’s more the principle that certain needs need to be satisfied for someone to be happy in the workplace. One of these needs being comfort, and with comfort comes ergonomics. Ergonomics plays a big role in creating a comfortable working space, and when people are comfortable, the distractions are minimised, as there is nothing like pain that can divert their attention. With pain eliminated through the use of ergonomic office furniture, the need for comfort is then satisfied, which then helps someone to be happier at work, which can then lead to an increase in productivity.
Taking the proactive step and upgrading your office furniture to ergonomic furniture options can show your employees that you actually care about their wellbeing and want them to have a safe and comfortable environment to work in, which only further increases their happiness at work and all the flow-on effects.
As you can see investing in good ergonomics is essential as it enables people to do their best work while feeling their best. This not only benefits the individual but also extends to your workplace culture and those around them. In the long run, investing in ergonomics will pay off in multiple ways, making it a wise investment for any organisation.
At All Storage Systems, we are experts in office ergonomics. We can help you find the right products and help you create an ergonomic workspace that will help foster productivity and create a positive working environment. Contact our expert team today to discover how we can help you create the ultimate ergonomic office space.
