What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘ergonomic’?
Many people think it’s all about getting an adjustable chair with some strangely shaped armrests and shifting your desk up and down until it’s just the right height, without realising that there’s much more to it.
It’s about helping your employees feel more comfortable. It’s about reducing back issues, repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines and headaches. It’s about helping to ease all the other health issues that can arise from sitting at a desk all day.
Do this and you’ll help boost productivity in the office and help reduce the £77 billion lost by British businesses each year due to sick days.
Here are five quick tips to help improve your office’s ergonomics:
1. Get yourself a better chair
Although ergonomics isn’t all about seating, purchasing an ergonomic and comfortably designed chair is an excellent place to start. Choose one that is height adjustable, has comfortable armrests and has been designed to offer optimal support to the spine.
Don’t forget to explain to your employees how they can adjust their chair to best suit their unique body shapes. It may seem boring and obvious at the time but can help prevent a world of bother in the long-run.
[If you’d like to know more about getting ergonomic office seating right, download our free leaflet here.]
2. Get a height-adjustable desk
Height-adjustable desks help your employees find the ideal working position for their body so they can avoid fatigue, reduce strain and stay working creatively and productively. Ideally, this desk should also adjust between sitting and standing to offer maximum support for the body.
Look for a desk with optimal functionality, ease of movement and a quiet mechanism.
3. Ensure your office equipment is positioned effectively
As your employees are likely to spend a huge portion of the day on a computer, it’s important that the office equipment is positioned for maximum comfort and productivity.
The monitor should be around an arm’s length away and positioned around eye level and the mouse should be the same height as the keyboard.
Hands should be at the same level as elbows, wrists should be straight and upper arms should stay close to their body.
Additionally, every effort should be made to reduce screen glare to reduce eye strain, migraines and headaches. Consider adjusting the screen brightness or using a convenient app such as f.lux to reduce blue light emissions, especially if your employees are working in a dark room or late into the night.
4. Keep the office space varied
Help to reduce repetitive strain injuries, mental health problems and declining efficiency by including a wide range of working environments that your employees can enjoy.
Features such as project tables, breakout areas, an office kitchen with seating and communal working spaces all help to keep creativity high and boredom down.
5. Bring elements of nature into the office
You can further reduce stress, boost productivity and improve creativity by incorporating elements of the natural world into your office design.
Known in the industry as ‘biophilic design’, this means including plants, natural light, natural textures, shapes and colour schemes to give off an outdoorsy vibe.
Office ergonomics can help improve productivity in the office and keep your employees healthy. If you want a thriving, efficient and productive office, it’s vital to have ergonomics in the front of your mind for your overall office design.
If you’d like to know more about ergonomic office design, give us a call on 01922 453 488 or contact us here.