Ergonomics Can Boost Your Business Performance

Expert explains how correct ergonomics can improve your team’s productivity

It is no secret that physical health can be lacking in the workplace and that individuals and companies are suffering as a result.

We recently conducted a study where more than 69% of employees we surveyed had experienced at least 1 episode of significant back or neck pain in the last 12 months. This is classified as perceived pain of 4 or more out of 10.

As a result, companies are in effect losing between 6 and 12% of their workforce due to absenteeism and low productivity from team members who are suffering from this type of pain.

A lot of the time, it comes down to ergonomics.

Poor ergonomics can over-stress your nervous system and throw your whole body off balance, having a huge impact on your productivity, wellness and quality of life.

For example, many people chest-breathe because they sit badly, hunched over with their heads leaning forward. This restricts breathing from the abdominal area, which is the natural way of breathing.

Chest-breathing lights up the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) shutting down the parasympathetic nervous system (relax and repair), disturbs hormone balance, causes fatigue, leads to ‘wired-and-tired’ syndrome, promotes poor sleep quality and can decrease digestive function leading to serious digestive problems.

As a consequence the person that sits badly will have a lower metabolism which makes is easier to gain fat and harder to lose it, and we all know the ill effects of being overweight.

When we breathe healthily from the abdomen we pull the tendon that is attached from the diaphragm to the L4/L5 vertebrae. When you do not breathe properly you do not get this very important effect and a back problem at the L4/L5 vertebrae is the common result.

Most people are carrying an extra 30 to 60 lbs of pressure on their necks, specifically the atlas which is the 5 small spinal vertebrae around the neck area. That is a lot of weight.

Most people sit with their head forward and every centimeter that the head is forward over the bony bit on top of the shoulder creates 12 lbs of pressure on the atlas. Most people are sitting, standing, driving and watching television with their head 4 to 6 inches forward.

The Big Q: what can be done to fix this malady of symptoms?

The Big A: Below are some simple tips most people can implement easily, as follows:.

Sit with your lower back (only) supported against the chair with your spine in a natural S shape. If this position is hard for you then do at least 10 mins per day of sitting posture exercises. Use a checklist and correct your posture at least 20 times per day for 20 days so you can integrate it as a habit.
Adjust the computer monitor so when you are sitting correctly it is at, or slightly below, eye level. If you need to, put some books or packs of printer paper beneath the base of your monitor to raise it to the correct height. To keep the natural S in your spine sit upright. Do not lean forward or backwards and adjust your height so your legs are at a 90 degree angle.
Adjust the chair so that forearms are parallel with the floor. If your feet are not flat on the floor get a foot-raise or use packs of printer paper under your feet. This will enable you to sit correctly without putting a huge amount of pressure on your spine and legs.
Adjust the computer monitor so it is directly in front and within arm’s reach.
Adjust the keyboard so it is directly in front with the mouse right next to it.
If you lean forward to see the screen adjust the screen resolution to a larger setting through the control panel and get your glasses adjusted if you wear them.

There are some great exercises that can help you sit correctly. Most can be easily found online. Do them 4X per week for 4 weeks, and then 2x per week for maintenance.