As a business owner, you may hear the term ‘ergonomics’ thrown around every now and then, but what exactly is it and why is it so important for your workplace?
Ergonomics is all about improving the health, safety, productivity and comfort of the people in your office and their interaction with technology, others and the environment around them.
Every workplace is responsible for making sure every employee is working in an environment where they can be comfortable and effective, and implementing ergonomic workstations is one of the best ways to achieve this. Not only are ergonomic workstations something that should be expected in every office, but they also have a positive impact on employees and the overall workplace in more ways than one.
What Makes a Workstation Ergonomic?
Putting an ergonomic workstation in place involves correctly setting up and positioning the office chair, monitor, desk, keyboard, mouse and phone so that it’s comfortable and natural to sit in and use.
You can even buy office furniture specifically designed to meet ergonomic standards to further enhance the effectiveness of your setup. The ideal office furniture is adjustable and can be modified easily to accommodate different people’s needs and job requirements.
Knowing what type of workstation setup suits best will depend on the work tasks to be performed, the design, adjustability and ease of use for the workstation as well as your existing office layout.
How to Tell if Your Workstation is Ergonomically Correct
Is your workstation ergonomically correct?
Try making these adjustments yourself while sitting at your office desk!
Monitor – When sitting at your office desk, the monitor should be roughly arm’s length away and the top of the monitor should be at or just below eye level.
Desk – There should be plenty of leg room and knee space under your desk so that you can change position easily. The surface of the desk should also be big enough to hold all necessary day-to-day items including your computer, phone, stationery and paperwork.
Keyboard – When using the keyboard, your elbows should be close to your body, there should be minimal bend in your wrists, and the elbows should be bent between 90° and 120°.
Chair – The ideal seat to be sitting in at a workstation is an adjustable swivel chair with five feet and castor wheels. When sitting in the chair, the back should be straight, and the backrest of the chair should be supporting the lower back comfortably.
Legs & Feet – Your feet should either be flat on the ground or resting on a footrest. Also, make sure the front of the chair is not pressing on the back of the knees.
Ergonomic Workstation Benefits
Now that you know the ‘what’ and the ‘how’, you’re probably wondering why ergonomics is such a big deal. So why should you bother with ergonomic workstations anyway?
For many workplaces, having ergonomic workstations is necessary to meet workplace health and safety requirements. It’s also about protecting the health and welfare of employees. By having ergonomic workstations in your office, staff are far less likely to experience work related injuries or health issues such as headaches, eye strains, neck pain and back pain.
Having a workstation that’s comfortable to sit at can also help to boost productivity and retention rates, and reduces absenteeism resulting from the health risks listed above. When employees have a safe and comfortable space to work in, job satisfaction and morale can also increase, resulting in a happier and more fulfilling workplace overall.
Workstations from Future Fitouts
Is it time to upgrade your office workstations? If your office fitout needs to be more ergonomic friendly, give our team a call at Future Fitouts. We can help you select the right workstations for your needs as well as supply and install them in your office so that your desks, swivel chairs and monitors look great and are ready to be positioned correctly.
Give us a call today on 1300 368 461 to implement ergonomics into your workplace.