At the end of the nineteenth century, Frederick Winslow Taylor went to work at Bethlehem Steel. Upon observing the workers shoveling coal, Taylor had an idea. He assigned each worker a shovel that was of a size and weight ideally suited to the worker's own body structure. With the new shovels, the workers became triply effective, Bethlehem Steel was able to reduce its cost by half, and get the same amount of work out of 140 employees that it once got out of 400.
Today, few businesses need concern themselves with optimizing their employees' coal-shoveling potentialities, but workers are breaking their backs at a whole new kind of grind, spending up to fourteen hours a day at a desk in front of a computer. That is why ergonomics, the study and integration of human well-being principles into systems designs, has become an integral part of the creation of modern workspaces.
There are several areas of ergonomics to consider when designing or redesigning an office space. Arguably the most important of these is the physical aspect. The average worker pushes his or her body to the limit every day simply by sitting in a chair, motionless save for fingers flashing over the keyboard, and hands and arms controlling the mouse.
It doesn't seem like a punishing physical task, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs), such as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, are the single fastest-growing work-related illness, costing businesses as much as 30 billion dollars a year, and all due to just sitting at a desk typing.
Physical ergonomics, then, is concerned with office tools and supplies geared towards allowing people to work efficiently, productively, and painlessly. The major product issues in this category surround chairs, keyboards, and mice. There are many of these type of 'ergonomic' products on the market, but experts say that virtually none of these actually do the job right..
A huge demand for ergonomic office furniture and supplies has led to an unfortunate wave of products being advertised as 'ergonomic,' when they are anything but. At this point, there is absolutely no system in place regulating what can or cannot be marketed as such, so it's wise to shop around. Ergonomists suggest that businesses consult - surprise, surprise - ergonomists, before overhauling a work environment.
However, without resorting to a process of drastic remodeling, employers can vastly improve physical ergonomics by providing free classes in which workers can learn to use their own bodies ergonomically. After all, you can have the best office chair in the world, but if you don't know how to sit in it, you will always be uncomfortable. Classes in the Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, and yoga can do huge things for physical health in the workplace, and lead to a reduction in work-related injuries, which in turn shrinks the cost to businesses of paying out for sick days and sick workers.
Another crucial area of ergonomics is engineering psychology, or cognitive ergonomics. This area is born out of the philosophy that a happy worker is a productive worker, and to be happy, a worker has to not dread going in to the office every day. Cluttered, messy, overwhelming, or generally unpleasant workstations are the cause of this ennui for more than 50% of all office employees in the US, according to a recent Logitech survey.
The word of the day in ergonomic workspace design is to say goodbye to those cubicles! In practice, open, dynamic work areas are proving to be hotbeds of employee creativity and productivity. It is true that privacy is often cited as a workplace must-have, but the benefits of a spatially unrestricted environment in which workers are able to easily collaborate, communicate, and problem-solve are far greater.
A 'war room' style workspace, or what is called 'radical collocation' is gaining in popularity amongst fast-growing IT businesses. This environment normally involves a large, open space with tables around the center for collaborative work, and more enclosed spaces around the edge of the room for solo projects and private conferences.
Ideally, these workspaces will be furnished as dynamically as possible, with lightweight, easily movable furniture that can be regularly reconfigured to meet the needs of the day. Studies show that employees who are given the opportunity to contribute to the shaping of their work environment demonstrate high levels of commitment to their jobs, which translates into increased productivity, low turnover rates, fewer sick days, and even increased neatness and conscientious behavior.
This sort of open, flexible environment also provides ample opportunity for workers to move around, which has both cognitive and physical ergonomic benefits. Staying in the same position, at the same desk, day after day, is not conducive in allowing human beings to function at their best.
Rather than assigning desks, ergonomic workspace design involves employees being able to move freely from workstation to workstation, library to hot desk to breakout room, depending on what they need to do. This strategy works best in a wireless environment, and overall leads to reduced clutter, increased creativity and job commitment, and better employee health.
For a new business, beginning ergonomically is a must. It is an investment in cutting future costs by ensuring the on-site well-being of employees. When starting from scratch, ergonomic design can actually be cheaper than creating a conventional office environment, because it eliminates many of the expensive borders and limitations - everything from walls to wiring - that so many drab, gray, airless office spaces labor under.
For an established business, coming around to ergonomics can prove to be a great expense, and with so many products and services out there pushing themselves as the ergo-solution of the day, it can be hard not to go over-budget. However, the time of the isolated, burnt-out cubicle employee is drawing to a close, and to compete with the satisfied, energized workers found in modern office spaces, traditional businesses are going to have to come around eventually.
In the end, it's just a matter of identifying the point at which the costs of dealing with unhappy, uncomfortable workers begins to be outweighed by the benefits of making the change in favor of better quality work, lower absenteeism, consistently met deadlines, and fewer errors. Yes, the transition to ergonomic workspace design can be expensive, but ultimately, it could save your business.
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