Ergonomics may not have been one of the first words you thought of when starting your business or accepting your position within your company. However, ignoring its value regarding employee health and wellness is tough — as ergonomic strategies can directly impact productivity.
Improving ergonomics in the workplace helps prevent musculoskeletal disorders, enhances employee comfort, and promotes a more productive environment.
Here is why it matters and how you can set up ergonomic workstations.
The Importance of Workplace Ergonomics
Have you been working on new employee health and wellness strategies? If so, the concept of ergonomics — the study of designing and arranging things so people can interact with them efficiently and safely — may be at the top of your list.
Creating a more ergonomic workplace can reduce the risk of injury, increase productivity, and improve job satisfaction, contributing to higher retention rates.
Researchers are studying ergonomics, often focusing on how it impacts the quality and quantity of work — its impact on work-related musculoskeletal disorders is also of interest.
For example, musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of disability, which costs employers billions each year in compensation, lost productivity, absenteeism, turnover, etc.
5 Tips to Help Develop a Workplace That Values Ergonomics
Whether you’re a manager for a multi-facility manufacturing company or own a small but growing tech company, you can play a role in achieving better employee health and wellness. Investing in your team means investing in your company’s success.
Here are five tips to make your work environment more ergonomic.
1. Adjust Workstation Setups
Improving employee workstation setups will begin with educating your team on how their chair, monitor, keyboard, and desk influence workstation ergonomics. However, you can actively determine how often they take regular breaks. Encouraging regular breaks can lead to better work performance.
Micro breaks are proving to be particularly beneficial. A quick break to have a snack, stretch, or even just look out the window can help boost mood and performance. Organizations and managers should create spaces for breaks and schedule regular break times.
2. Provide Ergonomic Furniture and Equipment
Thinking of renovating? Is it in your budget to buy new office furniture and equipment? If so, prioritize ergonomic options.
- Chairs should be adjustable, have flexible backrests, offer lumbar support, and encourage proper posture.
- Ergonomic keyboards can help reduce the risk of issues like carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Desks that allow people to stand and move around easily while remaining comfortable can have a major impact.
While this is not yet a requirement, the OSH Act states all workplaces must be free from recognized serious hazards, including ergonomic hazards. Your workplace and industry will determine the most pressing risks — whether the employees are lifting heavy things or working in awkward positions — you must support them to reduce injury risk.
3. Encourage Regular Movement Breaks
As discussed, regular breaks are important. However, you can take this initiative to another level, encouraging movement breaks. There are plenty of options to increase activity levels throughout the workday, which should be shared with your team.
Resources provided by the CDC are helping employers create 5-10-minute activity breaks.
4. Offer Ergonomic Assessments
Are some of your employees concerned about potential musculoskeletal disorders? Perhaps you just want to offer support that goes above and beyond. Regardless, providing ergonomic assessments can help identify and reduce the impact of these disorders.
For example, proactive strategies can be implemented if there are concerns about one’s posture or body mechanics. This approach benefits everyone. Many free assessments are available that target everything from employee stress and sleep habits to organizational training.
5. Educate Employees on Proper Lifting Techniques
Lifting unsafe load limits can harm an employee’s health and ability to work following an injury. Understanding and teaching proper lifting techniques is paramount, and training should be provided. In addition, create a culture where employees feel like they have a voice. If there are concerns surrounding lifting — or discomforts in general — team members should be confident in their ability to report them.
So, to achieve optimal results, training should be combined with employee feedback and workplace ergonomics. Also, training shouldn’t be a one-off course. Regular training is important to reinforce proper techniques and help reduce injury and turnover rates.
Prioritize Ergonomics in the Workplace
Prioritizing ergonomics can reduce the risk of injuries and discomfort, leading to a healthier and more efficient workforce.
At MRINetwork, we focus on providing the top talents to industries around the globe. However, when obtaining that talent, you must invest in it. Employee health and wellness are essential to that strategy, with workplace ergonomics significantly impacting performance, productivity, and your company’s ROI.
Follow along on LinkedIn for more great resources, including those like the following:
- Enhancing Worker Safety and Productivity in Automobile Manufacturing
- How Workplace Wellness Can Boost Employee Productivity