5 ergonomics steps to get a quick wellbeing win

Addressing just a few fundamental concepts of ergonomics now can save you time, money, and plenty of stress down the line.

I deal with niggling workplace injuries on a pretty much daily basis.

Sore necks, backs, hips, wrists, knees, they may all have different causes but what’s the one thing they have in common?

They’re all attached to people who sit at their desks all day.

This is the truth for almost all of our clients and, if you’re reading this email, probably you too.

The sheer amount of time we are at our workstations these days means that any issues with our setup, no matter how small, become compounded over time and can turn into big problems down the line.

This makes it extremely important to get the fundamental things right, which is much simpler than we tend to make it.

To avoid having your people come to you with an injury they’ve developed as a result of being  stuck in the same position for hours, weeks, months and years on end, just follow these simple steps and you’ll have saved yourself and your workers a great deal of grief.

Educate: First things first, educate your people on what the correct desk setup is. You can do this via email, lunch and learn, internal comms, or at the beginning of meetings and town halls. The method is up to you but the message is, ‘your desk setup is important and this is how you do it’ (for a rundown on how to do this quickly, check out this 2 min video).

Investigate: Find out which of your people are struggling with their setup and/or are already having musculoskeletal issues. You may not feel you want to know about every ache and pain but I promise you, your team are being affected by this and many of them will turn into full blown worker’s comp cases if not remedied.

Provide: Ascertain which of these employees needs more info, extra gear, more help with their setup, or some simple rehab exercises to get them back to their best. This is an extra cost, yes, but it’s greatly appreciated by someone in pain and can save you a much greater cost later on.

Remind: This is not a set-and-forget type of intervention so make sure you keep it front of mind for your staff so they know you’re serious about it and actually do something about it. Put up posters in the office, keep mentioning it in meetings and let them see that management is taking action themselves so they feel supported to do the same.

Outsource where needed: Whilst these steps can all be done in-house, outsourcing to an ergonomics expert, such as a workplace wellbeing specialist, can save a lot of time and means that the job gets done right the first time. Consider what you can handle yourself and outsource the rest to a pro.

Poor ergonomics are upstream from so many of the musculoskeletal issues we see in workers and getting them right can save a great deal of time, money and heartache for all involved, with some very simple steps.

For help with any of these steps, some information on how best to educate employees, professional advice on which claims for extra gear are valid and which aren’t, or anything else, book in here for a free chat.

Question

How many sore necks could be saved by spending a bit of time helping staff set their desks up right?