A lot of new offices have less structured areas and are designed for collaboration. Ergonomic tools help employees collaborate. Nowadays, there are articulating arms for the monitors, jointed extensions that allow thin monitors to be raised or lowered.
They are helpful if two or more employees want to view a computer screen simultaneously or if people don’t want to work in one position all the time.
If they have height adjustable desks, they can stand, raise the desks and monitors, and view the screen in a comfortable height.
Modifying your office furniture yourself can also increase your comfort level and, hopefully, your productivity.
There are some offices where people have propped their monitor in a cardboard box to raise it to a more comfortable viewing height. It might not be aesthetically pleasing, but it’s better ergonomically.
Companies often invest a lot of money in chairs,but in many cases employees are sitting at fixed height desks. Some employees have to raise their chairs so much to reach their work surface that their feet dangle.
A few bring in a plastic milk carton as a footrest. Some compromises can lead to injury. Some companies will buy costly office chairs because they equate price with quality. But it is more about fitting the chair to the individual.
Good furniture design should take into account the people’s various sizes. Designers should start looking at charts with data of average sizes of men and women and develop from there.
Incorporating mechanical aids into products allows people to raise or lower the furniture easily. The ideal work setting fits the task to the user as opposed to trying to fit the user to the task.
It’s also dynamic, allowing the person to move around, to rearrange items of furniture and to stand for a few minutes.
Repetition and monotony are using a desk and chair in the same position everyday, they are anathema in an office setting.
If you have the right working environment, a comfortable working space with the amenities of ergonomic tools, you’ll be a happier, healthier person and a more productive employee.
