Introducing Ergonomics

Are you sitting comfortably? If not, don’t worry- you’re not alone: research shows that over 30% of office workers have taken time off thanks to workplace aches and pains.

Assuming you are reading this on a computer, either at work or at home, several different factors are coming together to create your “reading experience”. Some are technical, like the size and brightness of your screen or the height and positioning of your chair. Others are human: slouching and hunched shoulders are typical ways of giving yourself health problems in future.

The study of the ways in which we interact with the world around us is called ergonomics. Ergonomists wonder about all sorts of things: how to make road signs instantly understandable, or how to move beds efficiently around hospitals. Yet, as anyone who has owned an ergonomic chair or keyboard will have seen, it’s best known as the study of workplace well-being.

Anywhere can be a workplace

Microsoft contributes to comfort and welfare at work by providing a complete range of mice and keyboards designed to encourage a natural and ergonomic posture. To further our understanding of this complex field, Microsoft has also produced a new independent study into ergonomic provision in the workplace. The study which has been welcomed by RoSPA (The Royal Society for The Prevention of Accidents) highlights several new trends, suggesting that our working lifestyles are changing rapidly.

The survey shows that office staff now spend on average almost six hours per day working on a computer. More surprisingly, on average, we now work away from our desks the equivalent of one day a week more than we did two years ago. So whilst 40% of office workers are still tied to their workstations, a whole 60% are increasingly working on the road: in clients’ offices, or at home with a laptop perched on the kitchen table. For the past three years, laptops have outsold desktop PC’s- clear evidence that for both work and play, we are using computers in less formal (and less ergonomically designed) locations. It’s a major shift in working patterns, and demands that both companies and individuals take responsibility for their working environments.

Dealing with ergonomic challenges

The penalties for an ergonomically poor working environment are severe. The Health and Safety Executive’s 2006/7 assessment claims there are over 400,000 current RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) sufferers. That, of course, is only those cases which are reported- and the caseload is growing by 14% per year. Overall, the survey shows that workplace aches and pains seriously affect the productivity of one in six staff.

Surprisingly, the study also showed that only one quarter of managers and HR professionals were aware of the cost of RSI. CSP estimates that RSI alone costs UK employers around £300 million each year.

The personal cost appears to be even higher: as well as the common RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; sore eyes, back ache and shoulder pain are common complaints. 45% of those questioned had suffered back ache attributable to their working environment.

Perhaps because these aches and pains are rather nondescript, and perhaps because nobody likes to complain- especially at work- less than one third of us ever report these problems to a line manager. 17% have even gone so far as to seek advice elsewhere- for example from a private doctor or specialist.

It is clear from the research, though, that suffering in silence is unnecessary: over 70% of respondents who had reported ergonomics problems to their managers saw the issue resolved satisfactorily. Most employers clearly realise that staff with health problems are going to be less productive, but to increase the reporting of these stresses and strains the problem needs to be tackled proactively. 80% of managers and HR representatives believe that it is now more important than ever to build an ergonomic workplace.

The No. 1 complaint: outdated equipment

Congratulations are particularly due to the West Midlands, where a chart-topping 63% of workers felt that their employer had paid enough attention to ergonomic issues. Still, one third of workers felt that their company was not doing enough to ensure the health and safety of the workforce. In these cases where companies were found to be lacking, (primarily the 50%+ of businesses which did not have a formal ergonomics programme in place), respondents were very clear about the cause: lack of investment and outdated equipment. Over 40% of HR staff and senior managers questioned had had employees ask them for ergonomic equipment at their workstations or for their mobile devices.

Managers and HR representatives can take advantage of a wide range of ergonomic solutions currently on the market, and Microsoft is one of the companies driving the development of these devices to improve comfort both at work and in the home. Awareness of the breadth of options on offer was sometimes sketchy. Over 80% of respondents were aware of arm/wrist supports and footrests. However, far fewer knew that adjustable keyboard trays (55%) or monitor arms and risers (53%) were available. Yet a monitor riser is one of the easiest and most economical ways to prevent neck pain.

Similarly, adjustable workstations were near the bottom of most managers’ awareness list, yet the most popular request from the workforce.

The range of ergonomic equipment available means that healthy and helpful gear is available to suit all budgets. Whilst other concerns do come into play (not every home-office has the space for the latest ergonomic chairs, for example), it’s wise to value continued health and wellbeing over the relatively minor expense of wrist-rests, ergonomic mice and monitor risers. In a workplace context, the logic is even simpler. The cost of replacement staff, sick pay and any legal costs associated with welfare negligence claims stacks up even higher, and against this picture, a small investment in beneficial equipment makes perfect sense. With the breadth of products available in the marketplace today, meeting the moral obligation of an ergonomic workplace has never been easier; financially it’s a logical step too.