With over one-third of all lost workdays due to muscle or skeletal issues, there is a need to ensure this does not come from poor workplace ergonomics. Many people are investigating the importance of an ergonomic workstation as one part of this. Do you understand what the benefits of such an addition to your office would be?
Below, we list eight of the major ways a workspace designed for ergonomics can help you out. Have a read-through and see if you rate these benefits high enough to invest in a better workstation for yourself in the near future.
1. A Comfortable Workspace
When creating an ergonomic workspace, one of the primary goals for any worker is to ensure they have a comfortable station for their work. To start this process, make sure to shop around for desks and workstations that focus on the comfort of the user. With so many types of workstations available, try to focus on these concepts:
Lumbar support. This offers support for the user's lower back region. By buying chairs that support this area of the body, you can ensure any chairs line up with their natural shape.
By offering lumbar support, you reduce strain on a person's musculoskeletal system. This prevents a lot of potential discomfort or even pain that could occur.
Cushioned seats. Seats with thick cushions can help to distribute a person's body weight over a larger area. This reduces the pressure on specific areas of a sitter's posterior and allows them to sit for longer periods.
A breathable cushion also prevents issues related to a buildup of heat and sweat in an area, which would produce other problems.
Adjustable height. Many seats have an adjustable height these days, so can help when setting up your workstation to offer you the right angle to perform your role. By sitting at the right height, you reduce the strain your legs and back take during work.
Ergonomic workstation lighting. Adjustable lighting, or natural lighting, can often affect the mood of people in the office. By not having the lights too bright, people have a much more comfortable time doing their work.
2. Better Posture
Allowing for good posture improves people's physical and mental health while they perform their roles. By using an ergonomic computer desk with similar chairs, you can give people the physical support they need during the workday.
Features you will want to look for include:
- Adjustable backrest angle
- Adjustable seat height
- Armrests
- Adjustable armrest height
You can find many of these features in executive office desks. So, ensure your budget prioritizes these types of furniture.
If you do not seek these features out, you run the risk of suffering from lower back or neck pain at a later time. Putting aside some of your ergonomic workstation budget to prevent these issues can help a lot in the long run.
3. Higher Productivity
By using an ergonomic computer desk and chairs, you can often increase your productivity just by being less uncomfortable. You will have less reason to get up from office workstations which help you to relax your muscles.
With adjustable heights for ergonomic furniture, you can also ensure you can sit in the best place for you to focus only on your work. The lights and sounds of the office will then be much easier for you to ignore so you can complete your work much faster.
The ability to get up without discomfort also helps you when it comes to clearing and tidying your desk. This means you will not have as many distractions in view. Having a tidy workspace will allow you to focus much more on the work you should complete instead.
4. Reduced Injury Occurrence
Repetitive strain injury and many other issues are common occurrences in offices that do not focus on ergonomics and health. If they focus on getting an ergonomic chair for every employee, they can ensure everyone's body has the physical support it needs. Over time, this will prevent issues such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Giving people desks at the right height, or ones that are adjustable, also allows people to view their monitors at a healthy angle. This reduces the strain on people's eyes and prevents neck issues as people would otherwise have to look down or up too much.
On top of furniture, by investing in accessories such as monitor stands and wrist rests, a company can go even further. These items slow the progress of many issues that would have people miss days of work further down the line.
5. Customizable Workspaces
Every individual is different, and because of this, a workspace should not be the same for everyone. In offering ergonomic workspaces, they will often create customizable areas in which to perform a role. This means a company can allow people to work in the way most comfortable for them.
Examples of ways a company can create customizable workspaces includes:
Height-adjustable desks. While height-adjustable desks might be famous for their higher cost, the benefits they offer are worth the investment.
These desks allow people to create a comfortable workstation at the perfect height for them. If they want, they can even switch between standing and sitting desks. This allows people to choose the method of working that matches their body's needs.
Footrests. For workers who prefer to sit throughout the day, it can be uncomfortable if people are either too short or tall for a sitting space.
Investing in footrests thus offers two levels of benefit. For shorter employees, they can use this to rest their feet and lower the pressure on the back of their legs. Taller workers can use a footrest with an adjustable angle to keep their feet on a flat surface facing them, even if their legs are not at 90 degrees.
Ergonomic storage. When people who work for you need to store physical documents, it can help to offer them storage solutions that match their unique nature.
Adjustable shelving heights, for example, allow workers to organize files better. They can place documents in locations where they must perform the least work to access the most commonly-needed ones. This will reduce the amount of physical labour you ask of them over time.
6. Improved Focus
Any level of physical discomfort and strain can have a real impact on the ability of someone to focus on their work. Investing in an ergonomic workstation setup ensures you give people the best opportunity to offer you their best work. They will not have interruptions or distractions from needing to adjust their body as much.
Ergonomic workstation lighting, such as that which dims or changes its hue in the evening, also prevents eye strain. This means people can not only work for longer into the evening, but they will not need to take time off to recover from such ailments.
7. Healthier Work Habits
Ergonomics and health are two concepts that gel a lot when it comes to the workplace. After investing in an ergonomic workstation, you can ensure you are encouraging people to have much better habits. This might mean you need to encourage them to take healthy breaks or maintain a comfortable environment around them.
When people know you invest in their comfort as workers, you might even build a supportive culture. In such a place, people will feel more comfortable either asking for things they need or discussing any discomfort in a way that is a lot healthier.
Such a workplace can then start discussions about well-being related to work-life balance or mental health. Employees will also find their own ways to contribute to the workplace by doing research or buying their own furniture.
8. Long-Term Savings
Buying a mesh chair here and a height-adjustable desk there might seem like a large investment. This is compounded by the fact you may need to buy a lot at the start to catch up to a minimum level of comfort. Still, an ergonomic workstation setup will pay itself back in the long run and show itself to be a cost-effective way of getting more out of your workers.
Depending on the types of workstations you buy, the changes you make could lead to lower levels of absenteeism as people are healthier. It is also likely to mean people spend more time at their desks, so you will get more out of their workday.
As you see the changes buying these items leads to, you can set aside a portion of it into an ongoing ergonomic workstation budget. This way, you can roll out more high-quality workstation changes over time and show yourself as a manager who cares for their employees.
Find the Best Ergonomic Workstation For You
The above information should give you a much better idea of what you need out of an ergonomic workstation and what it can do for you. Still, you might be looking for more furniture than we have already offered you.
If this is the case, our workstation experts can talk you through our other options. So, check out our shop and find the perfect workspace for you to use today.