It’s time to get ergonomic at work! An ergonomically minded office will actually save money for businesses in the long run and staff will also get the most out of their time at work. Employees will generally be happier, healthier and more productive, while the risks and potential costs of long-term problems from unhealthy working habits are reduced. Here are some great ways to quickly start avoiding these issues for you and your staff.
If you’re interested in learning some simple ways for you and your colleagues to be more ergonomic in the workplace, check out today’s list.
1. Stop hunching
Improving your posture is an easy way to avoid neck and back pain from working. If you’re usually hunched forward at your desk, you’re likely to strain the muscles that support your neck which can lead to repetitive strain injury down the line. Try to get into the habit of keeping your head upright and position shoulders back. Once you take conscious steps to maintain a good head and neck posture, you will be far more comfortable at the office and much safer down the line.
2. Ensure you’re sitting safely
Like many office employees, a huge chunk of the day will be spent sitting on a chair at a desk. Similarly to hunching, you can actually cause repetitive strain injuries from just the way you sit on your chair for prolonged periods. Ensure that, when seated, your back is against the backrest of your chair at all times. To evenly distribute the weight across your legs, hips and back, make sure that your knees are either at level or lower than your hips. This will avoid putting unnecessary and potentially dangerous pressure on unwanted muscle groups.
3. Use back support if you need it
People can come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s not always optimal to just rely on your posture and seating position when at your desk. Not every chair will suit every employee’s size or shape. If you find it hard to sit straight with your back against the backrest of your chair, you should request that your company provides lumbar support. Lumbar supports are especially helpful to protect and support the curve in the lower back. There are many ways to achieve safe and ergonomic back support, which we will go into below.
4. Allow for breaks to avoid eye tension and headaches
Prolonged exposure to screens can have negative impacts on our eyes and in a business setting, the productivity of employees. If staff are spending all their time staring at large monitors, this can lead to soreness and lower productivity. An easy step that can help matters here is to advise that your staff or colleagues follow the ’20-20-20 rule’. This means; “Every 20 minutes, you take a break for at least 20 seconds, and you look 20 feet away. That gives your eyes a bit of a break”. This simple but effective technique will keep people in your workplace happier and better suited to perform their daily tasks.
5. Organise your desk ergonomically
Where are your monitor and keyboard placed in relation to where you’re sitting every day? Above, we’ve spoken about the benefits of practising good posture and position at your desk. One of the main causes of bad posture in the first place is actually the way your desk is arranged. Your neck and back can suffer as a result of your desk setup, but your wrists can also face problems if not addressed. Gannon Ergonomics has already discussed wrist issues and how the way you interact with your desk can directly exacerbate injuries.
In order to prevent risking injury to your wrists, as well as your neck and back, keep your keyboard and screen at enough distance where your elbows can comfortably remain at a 90 degree angle on the desk. Keep your monitor at least twenty inches away from your face and at eye level.
6 (Bonus tip). Invest in quality ergonomic products
If you and your staff follow our above five tips, you’re likely to both reduce your chances of workplace injury and contribute to an increase of productivity. However, not all staff have the same requirements. Some employees have various difficulties or needs that businesses should be addressing. A more secure solution for making your workplace go ergonomic is to invest in high quality ergonomic products. Gannon Ergonomics offers a fantastic range of everything you will need to make your workplace ergonomic.
Ergonomic Seating:
Gannon Ergonomics sell and deliver a huge variety of styles and brands of ergonomic chairs, including Activite Dynamic Chairs From Aeris, Active Ergonomics Flo Chairs, the Adapt Zento Chair range, Back Support Stools and Balans Chairs.
-Check out our entire product range of ergonomic seating now
Ergonomic Desks
We offer ergonomic desks such as Sit-Stand Desks and Telescoping Electric Desking. We also have a large supply of ergonomic desk accessories, such as Desktop Units and specialised ergonomic desk lamps.
-Check out our entire range of ergonomic desk products now
Assistive Technology:
The best modern offices are the ones adapting and changing with modern technology. People can face a number of issues that restrict or impair functions. This can be for a multitude of reasons. Gannon Ergonomics offers Low Vision Software, Speech To Text Technology and much more.
-Check out our entire range of assistive ergonomic technology products now
Gannon
Need your workplace refreshed? With nearly four decades of experience in the industry and hundreds of satisfied customers, our experience will help you along the way to providing a happy and healthy environment for you and your staff at an affordable cost. We work with our clients to meet their exact personal requirements.
Want to get in touch? We’d love To hear from you and explore how we can work together:
Phone: 01 505 7400