The Wellness Topic You Might Be Missing

You spend lots of time and effort trying to create an environment focused on workplace wellness, and we commend you for a job well done!

But, in case your plate isn’t quite overflowing just yet, there’s one potentially overlooked aspect of a healthy office environment that’s right at your (and your employees’) fingertips.

We’re talking about ergonomics, the often-underestimated component of a wellness-focused workplace, which can be a key factor in helping your workers perform at their best.

While you’re busy fighting the battle against obesity and singing the praises of physical fitness, such seemingly mundane topics as posture, lighting, keyboarding habits, and desktop setup might get short shrift.

But we know you’re interested in wellness as a complete package, and ergonomics is a matter affecting employee satisfaction, productivity, and safety.

The fact is, comfort is more than just about, well, comfort. An ergonomically incorrect office, or practices that put undue stress and strain on the body, can cause serious problems down the line.

Garden-variety aches and pains are commonly associated with working behind a desk all day, particularly when the worker, like most of us, has imperfect posture. And while this discomfort can be distracting and prevent your employees from being able to focus all their energy on their job, ergonomics brings up certain more serious repercussions that you should be aware of.

The average desk job worker without proper ergonomic allowances is at risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders and sustaining repetitive stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Depending upon the type of work your employees do and under what conditions, other potential risks of unaddressed ergonomics issues include vision and hearing loss.

The potential risks, therefore, far outweigh the diversions that might keep moving the topic of ergonomics to the bottom of your priority list. We know you’re busy. We know you are making great strides in other, vital components of workplace wellness.

Talk to your workers to get a sense of what might need to be changed or adjusted. Then, either bring in an ergonomics expert to help, or do some research on your own to seek out and solve ergonomics issues in your office.

Investigating ergonomics in your workplace and addressing any problems you find is just one more step toward that healthy, happy, fit, and productive staff you’re striving for.