4 Tips to Improve Office Workstation Ergonomics

4 Tips from Ergonomics Experts to Improve Office Workstation Ergonomics

How you approach office workstation ergonomics has a massive effect on employee health and morale.

If you’re going to have a productive workplace, you need your employees to feel comfortable. An employee with a cramped desk and poor lighting isn’t going to be as effective as one that has enough space and safe lighting. Poor ergonomics can also result in workplace injuries that cost your business.

Thus, improving office workstation ergonomics should be a major priority for every office. In this post, our ergonomics experts will give you 4 tips for enhancing your workplace ergonomics so that your productivity is always stellar.

1. Promote Work Breaks

Create a culture of comfort and watch how it improves morale as well as worker productivity. Beyond office management, you often need to save workers from themselves by promoting frequent breaks as a policy or a workplace culture.

For example, it is vital that workers get up and walk around when their job involves them sitting at a desk all day. Performing back and arm stretches will stave off nagging injuries. Taking breaks from looking at the computer monitor will help them avoid eye strain as well.

Related article: “Break Time: 5 Reasons Work Breaks Boost Productivity”

2. Prioritize Good Lighting

Harsh office lighting is bad enough, but when there are screens in the equation, the glare can really start to affect people’s ability to work effectively.

Ergonomics consultants suggest you position your office workstations near windows to help with eye strain. That said, be sure to note that workstations should not be positioned directly in front of the window, as this could cause eyestrain from the sun while you work.

Provide your workers adjustable blinds to adjust the lighting as they see fit. It’s all about providing options for your employees to succeed.

Every office is different and every detail matters regarding ergonomics. We highly recommend hiring an ergonomics consultant to perform a professional ergonomics assessment as a best practice for office workstations.

Related article: “Set the Mood with the Right Office Lighting”

3. Teach Posture

Promoting proper posture in the workplace, whether it’s when employees are sitting at their desks or lifting heavy objects, will go a long way. When a worker has a cramped desk or has to do manual labor, it can lead to awkward positions, which lead to injuries.

When sitting at a desk, a worker should have their arms supported by the desk, their back and head should be upright, and the top of the monitor should be at eye level. When talking on the phone, your employees should use hands-free technology or make sure to hold the receiver up to their ear without straining the neck.

Related article: “The Ergonomic Way to Sit at Your Desk and View Your Monitor”

4. Invest in Ergonomics

Staying educated and proactive about ergonomics is just the first step. It is highly recommended that one invests in ergonomics for the workplace.

Furthermore, your employees can file a workers’ comp claim for injuries that result from ergonomic failures. It’s in your best interest to give them the resources they need to succeed.

There are many details to consider when setting up an ergonomic workplace and it is always best practice to hire an ergonomics consultant company for this task.

Get an Office Workstation Ergonomics Assessment

These 4 office workstation ergonomics tips will help your employees maintain physical health at work. If you feel like your workers aren’t happy with your ergonomic situation, it might be time to get an ergonomics assessment from Solutions Northwest Inc.

We specialize in ergonomic consulting, office assessments, and ergonomic training, so contact us to find out how we can improve your office today.

We can even help you if you have a lot of remote workers by setting up their workspaces with an affordable, virtual ergonomics assessment, which can be done remotely (all you need is access to e-mail or a smart phone).

For more information contact us at SolutionsNW.com, we will be happy to help you!

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