| If you spend a significant part of your working day | | | | the angle of the seat to suit my own needs -- and |
| sitting at a desk or working at a computer, you will | | | | thus needed to stand up regularly and stretch to |
| readily appreciate the benefits that come from | | | | compensate for the awkwardness of the posture I |
| ergonomic office furniture. It can help protect you from | | | | was adopting. Eventually, I managed to get the chair |
| physical stress by encouraging good posture, correct | | | | changed -- but in the interim, my work flow was |
| placement of the knees and feet and the use of | | | | regularly interrupted until a better designed alternative |
| properly positioned items such as a keyboard or | | | | was found. |
| mouse. | | | | Ergonomics can be defined as the science of how |
| Employers will recognize the advantages in terms of | | | | people and their work fit together. And my experience |
| productivity and reduced absenteeism that stem from | | | | highlights the fact that individual requirements vary, and |
| equipping their offices with the right furniture. And it isn't | | | | that good office furniture ought to be adjustable to |
| just a question of ensuring that your workforce feels | | | | match the user and the tasks they perform. The height |
| comfortable: stress related injuries such as lower back | | | | of a desk or seat, the position of armrests or the |
| problems, RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome may perhaps | | | | placement of commonly used items around a cubicle |
| be avoided by selecting desks, chairs and other | | | | or office can all have a major influence on a worker's |
| frequently used items that are designed to promote | | | | comfort. |
| both health and productivity. | | | | Of course, no office furniture can be a cure-all for the |
| I recently spent some time working in an office away | | | | problems that come from bad postural habits or faults |
| from my usual spot, and one of the most frustrating | | | | such as the incorrect use of a computer keyboard. |
| aspects of this temporary relocation was the fact that | | | | Some people will slouch in a chair whatever its design. |
| the chair that had been provided for me was so | | | | Office workers need to be educated and encouraged |
| uncomfortable. Ironically, the office furniture was new | | | | to adopt a sitting position that avoids muscular strain. |
| and several of my co-workers reported that they | | | | Many people have found therapies such as the |
| were very happy with the chairs. But my problem was | | | | Alexander technique to be of great help in curing bad |
| the fact that I couldn't sufficiently adjust the height or | | | | habits and reducing stiffness or tension. |
