You might not know it, but the way your workplace is set up ergonomically may be seriously impacting your abilities. In particular, an ergonomic workplace can cause many long term or nagging injuries. These injuries, while not severe at first, can develop overtime through repetitive strain and cause you to decrease in productivity. An ergonomic workplace is great for management and workers alike, and it is easily achievable. It seems crazy to think that such simple changes to a workplace may impact so much, it all makes sense when you know what those benefits are.
So, what are the benefits to an ergonomic workplace? Let us take a look!
Improved Posture
According to a study at Chairthrone, bad posture is usually a force of habit. Bad posture is usually a force of habit. You would be amazed to find out how much of your day is spent slouching or hunched over while sitting. Posture is such an important aspect of long term health because your back is the largest muscle group. Ergonomic office chairs that are designed to be lower, adjusted, more accurate cushioning for your butt, and lumbar support are all quick ways to improve your posture and overall health. If you read this detailed rundown, you can see how chairs have improved, and with those improvements, there are benefits to our health. Posture correction with ergonomic chairs helps you develop good habits for sitting which will decrease your risk of repetitive strain injuries.
Better Heart Health
Keeping with the idea of ergonomics, and seating habits, heart health is a major benefit of an ergonomic workplace. You would be shocked at how your chances of developing a heart disease increase when you are sitting for prolonged periods during work. While you should not freak out, it does take a while, and it is not guaranteed that you will. It is just to say that sitting for longer periods of time can lead to a higher risk of heart conditions. The ergonomic office chair is one solution, and the other is a standing desk. Standing desks have introduced a new level of freedom for workers to adjust their work space to fit their needs. Standing up allows you to move the monitor, keyboard and mouse to a height you would be comfortable standing with, and allows you get up and move around throughout the day.
Increased Productivity
Probably the biggest benefit to having an ergonomic workplace is the overall improvement in productivity. Those repetitive strain injuries that affect you or workers can cause shortages in the amount of work that is actually getting done. Nagging lower back pain, wrist injuries, or neck cramps can cause you to slow down how much work you do, which cuts into valuable time that can be used for getting your responsibilities done. While it may not seem like that much of an issue at first, it starts to add up if multiple people are complaining about their injuries and taking time to stretch out or rest. The products mentioned above are excellent for resolving some of these discomforts, reduces time spent dealing with those nagging pains, and ultimately improves the amount of work that gets done.
Happier Employees
Finally, the improvement of ergonomics means healthier workers, and healthier workers also means happier workers. Happiness is a big benefit with regards to ergonomics. Of course there are other ways to improve happiness in the workplace, but ergonomics is a small change that can yield great results. Nothing hurts a company like unhappy employees. Unhappy employees are less receptive to advice or criticism, and it creates a generally unpleasant workplace that feels tense or upsetting to even be in. Ergonomics does not seem like a logical connection between happy workers and unhappy, but if you are dealing with those repetitive strains to your body, then you would understand why it would be awful to show up to work everyday and exacerbate your condition. Ergonomics improve so much, and happy workers is a wonderful surprise when it comes to making a more comfortable workplace.
While your first thought when it comes to ergonomics might invoke images of keyboards with wrist pads, better designed mice, and other supplies, some images may be new after you have read this information. Among those images, is the idea of an improved workplace that feels like what a successful business should look like. Happy workers, comfortable workers, and an overall improvement to work productivity are all ways that ergonomics have made workplaces better. Not only is this important for a business owner, but it is important to ensure that you feel as good as you should at work. Ergonomic workplaces promote health and work ethic.