Ergonomic office furniture:
why?
What makes office furniture ergonomic?
office furniture?
Ergonomics is a science that deals with the relationship between man and the elements of his environment. In the world of office furniture, this refers to chairs, desks, etc., but it is also applicable to cars, household objects and so on. The aim of ergonomics is to encourage positive interaction with the objects we use. In the context of office life, this means that non-ergonomic furniture causes physical complaints that affect productivity, concentration and sick leave, resulting in financial losses for companies.
What is the ROI of good ergonomics?
Ergonomics in the workplace is a hot topic for any business leader who wants to boost the productivity of their employees by promoting health in the workplace. Each year in the UK there are 553,000 cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. * While workers endure muscle pain, pinched nerves and restricted movement caused by inadequate workspace, organisations are seeing the consequences of absence, illness and productivity declines on their bottom line. Investing in ergonomic office solutions and accessories is as important as investing in staff training and human resources. Cutting down on days not worked, reducing medical costs (if they are included in employee benefits) and eliminating the costs of temporary staff are just some of the long-term savings.
However, employee sick days are not the only reason for the drop in productivity and falling profits. . An employee who is suffering from tendonitis, backache or shoulder pain will never be able to perform at his or her best at work and, in the long run, this will cost the organisation money.
(*Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/small-business/scaling-up/staples/how-bad-office-chairs-cost-uk-plc/)
How much do all these disorders and pathologies cost companies?
Some numbers
– 44 million workers in the EU suffer from work-related back pain.
(Source: https://osha.europa.eu/en/node/7098/file_view
– More than 600 million days are missed each year in Europe due to work-related health problems. Of these, 40-50% are musculoskeletal disorders, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
(Source: https://osha.europa.eu/en/node/7098/file_view)
The ROI of ergonomics
It is possible to estimate the return on investment of adopting a healthy and ergonomic workspace. There are well-established calculations based on the standard ROI formula, i.e. benefit-cost/cost.
