Why is ergonomics important for employers and employees?
1. It reduces compensations costs.
2. It reduce the risk of musculoskeletal (soft tissue) injuries and disorders.
3. It makes employees happier, more productive, and less fatigued.
Have you ever felt tired or experienced neck pain in the office even when you are just sitting down and typing? The chances are that you have poor ergonomics in your work area. Whether you are working remotely for an international company or hustling with your startup in a coworking space in the Philippines, it’s absolutely important for you to make sure you have good ergonomics to have proper sitting posture.
What is Ergonomics?
The term “ergonomics” is not very common, which is alarming because of how important it is for everyday work. Basically, it is the act of setting up the workplace in a way that it promotes effective work. This is done by studying the abilities and limitations of the human body and how it should be used during long periods of time.
Why is it Important?
Let’s face it – workplace injuries can happen anytime. Though these injuries may not be grave, these could ultimately affect an employee in the long term. The most common injury is lower back pain due to having bad posture for long periods. Though it may be trued that employees in industries such as agriculture are more prone to this, it is also prevalent in an office setting. This happens when tables and chairs that they use force them into procuring a bad posture. This may cause small pains at first, but being in such a position for a long period of time for 5 days in a week can lead to painful back injuries.
Benefits in the Workplace
Aside from preventing injuries, good ergonomics also helps companies to save money and have a stronger workforce. Here are some of the benefits of practicing good ergonomics in a workplace:
1. Improved Productivity
When the workplace is ergonomic, employees will become more productive. With good posture, there will be less unnecessary physical exertions and discomforts that contribute to inefficiency.
2. Reduces Fatigue
Often times, the discomfort brought about by inefficient ergonomics will lead to employees being frustrated and fatigued. Basically, it will make them too tired to work properly. Imagine how tired one would become after lifting a ton of groceries compared to pushing them on a shopping cart. That’s exactly what poor ergonomics is like. Proper ergonomics reduces this fatigue.
3. Improved Employee Happiness
Employees appreciate it when they feel that the company they work for cares for their health and safety. They become happier, not just because of the comfort of an ergonomic workplace, but because of the feeling of camaraderie with their employer. This will lead to reduced turnovers and leaves, as well as a better morale and employee involvement.
4. Safety
Any good company will make sure that the workspace is safe. Thus, they must have good ergonomics since the cumulative effects of it will help to promote a safer and healthier work culture. After all, a healthy employee will always work at his best.
5. Reduced Employer Costs
One of the most common injury that poor ergonomic can bring to a person is Musculoskeletal (soft tissue) injuries and disorders, or also known as aka MSD. MSDs can cost companies a lot of money. In fact, it makes up for 33% of worker’s compensations. With good ergonomics, the risk of MSD is greatly reduced along with the resources that would be spent by the company to cure such injuries.
Key Takeaway
Applying ergonomics is a smart investment that is a win-win for both the company and the employees. Aside from the fact that it ultimately promotes health and safety for employees, procuring good ergonomics at the workplace also makes employees happier and productive without experiencing any discomforts while working.