Ergostyles Blog Uncovering the Dark Side of Ergonomics

Ergonomic solutions are now the holy grail in the workplace for their long list of benefits-but you better watch out. The Darkside might be strong with having an ergonomic workstation.To fully understand that point, let's define ergonomics first. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines it as "fitting the job to a person." Google says that it's a study of efficiency of people in relation to its environment. Simply put, the work is designed based on a person's capabilities and limits, not the other way around.Why is this so? While the job is completely inanimate-intangible even when you come to think of it-humans are working, dynamic species. We are made of organic parts that can be stressed out when placed in a situation that's completely uncomfortable, strange, unfamiliar, and difficult.We get tired. Jobs don't. Between us and jobs, definitely, the latter should make the adjustment by designing them to be more ergonomic. We are able to achieve that when we incorporate solutions like flexible monitor arms, height-adjustable seats, and reliable keyboard platforms.Ergonomics also promises workers two things: safety and ease. In fact, OSHA suggests that using ergonomic tools in the workplace is one of the best ways of promoting a safe and healthy environment. Not only does it make a person efficient, but it also encourages less muscle fatigue and decreased risk of musculoskeletal disorders.Better Ergonomics Mean More Work? However, with an increased productivity and efficiency comes the possibility of more work. As an illustration, let's pretend that with a poorly designed chair, working for 8 hours a day is torture. Now that the chair has an excellent back support, adjustable height, and excellent ventilation, you can go through 8 hours with ease.Then your boss sees how you conveniently breeze through the day and suddenly thinks of taking advantage of your potential increased productivity by giving you more work.That's not a really bad thing until it becomes a habit, which normally happens in a workplace. In the end, using ergonomics may have only been counterproductive since you still end up feeling burned out.Safety Trumps BurnoutEverything has its own risks, whether directly or indirectly. Additional workload is just one of the possibly other "side effects" of embracing ergonomics.Know, though, that at the end of the day, the force is stronger when it comes to ergonomics and it always wins and makes a practical, cost-effective, and, most of all, safe choice for any company and employee. Work-related stress can easily be beaten with proper time management, fun nights with friends, nice bubble bath once you get home, weekend massage, or holiday leave. Musculoskeletal disorders including chronic back pain can't.Go ergonomics today! Check out the best choices for monitor arms, desk stabilizers, foot rests, ergo chairs, and sit-stand desks at Ergo Styles. Buy today until December 31, 2015, and enjoy the holiday cheer by getting 10% discount on all items. Just use Christmas10 as the promo code. Can't decide? Get bundle!