| At the end of the nineteenth century, Frederick | | | | than 50% of all office employees in the US, |
| Winslow Taylor went to work at Bethlehem Steel. | | | | according to a recent Logitech survey.The word |
| Upon observing the workers shoveling coal, Taylor | | | | of the day in ergonomic workspace design is to |
| had an idea. He assigned each worker a shovel | | | | say goodbye to those cubicles! In practice, open, |
| that was of a size and weight ideally suited to the | | | | dynamic work areas are proving to be hotbeds of |
| worker's own body structure. With the new | | | | employee creativity and productivity. It is true |
| shovels, the workers became triply effective, | | | | that privacy is often cited as a workplace |
| Bethlehem Steel was able to reduce its cost by | | | | must-have, but the benefits of a spatially |
| half, and get the same amount of work out of | | | | unrestricted environment in which workers are |
| 140 employees that it once got out of 400. | | | | able to easily collaborate, communicate, and |
| Today, few businesses need concern themselves | | | | problem-solve are far greater.A 'war room' style |
| with optimizing their employees' coal-shoveling | | | | workspace, or what is called 'radical collocation' is |
| potentialities, but workers are breaking their backs | | | | gaining in popularity amongst fast-growing IT |
| at a whole new kind of grind, spending up to | | | | businesses. This environment normally involves a |
| fourteen hours a day at a desk in front of a | | | | large, open space with tables around the center |
| computer. That is why ergonomics, the study and | | | | for collaborative work, and more enclosed spaces |
| integration of human well-being principles into | | | | around the edge of the room for solo projects |
| systems designs, has become an integral part of | | | | and private conferences.Ideally, these workspaces |
| the creation of modern workspaces. There are | | | | will be furnished as dynamically as possible, with |
| several areas of ergonomics to consider when | | | | lightweight, easily movable furniture that can be |
| designing or redesigning an office space. Arguably | | | | regularly reconfigured to meet the needs of the |
| the most important of these is the physical | | | | day. Studies show that employees who are given |
| aspect. The average worker pushes his or her | | | | the opportunity to contribute to the shaping of |
| body to the limit every day simply by sitting in a | | | | their work environment demonstrate high levels |
| chair, motionless save for fingers flashing over the | | | | of commitment to their jobs, which translates into |
| keyboard, and hands and arms controlling the | | | | increased productivity, low turnover rates, fewer |
| mouse. It doesn't seem like a punishing physical | | | | sick days, and even increased neatness and |
| task, but according to the Bureau of Labor | | | | conscientious behavior.This sort of open, flexible |
| Statistics, Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs), such | | | | environment also provides ample opportunity for |
| as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, are the single | | | | workers to move around, which has both |
| fastest-growing work-related illness, costing | | | | cognitive and physical ergonomic benefits. Staying |
| businesses as much as 30 billion dollars a year, and | | | | in the same position, at the same desk, day after |
| all due to just sitting at a desk typing. Physical | | | | day, is not conducive in allowing human beings to |
| ergonomics, then, is concerned with office tools | | | | function at their best.Rather than assigning desks, |
| and supplies geared towards allowing people to | | | | ergonomic workspace design involves employees |
| work efficiently, productively, and painlessly. The | | | | being able to move freely from workstation to |
| major product issues in this category surround | | | | workstation, library to hot desk to breakout |
| chairs, keyboards, and mice. There are many of | | | | room, depending on what they need to do. This |
| these type of 'ergonomic' products on the | | | | strategy works best in a wireless environment, |
| market, but experts say that virtually none of | | | | and overall leads to reduced clutter, increased |
| these actually do the job right.. A huge demand | | | | creativity and job commitment, and better |
| for ergonomic office furniture and supplies has led | | | | employee health.For a new business, beginning |
| to an unfortunate wave of products being | | | | ergonomically is a must. It is an investment in |
| advertised as 'ergonomic,' when they are anything | | | | cutting future costs by ensuring the on-site |
| but. At this point, there is absolutely no system in | | | | well-being of employees. When starting from |
| place regulating what can or cannot be marketed | | | | scratch, ergonomic design can actually be cheaper |
| as such, so it's wise to shop around. Ergonomists | | | | than creating a conventional office environment, |
| suggest that businesses consult - surprise, surprise | | | | because it eliminates many of the expensive |
| - ergonomists, before overhauling a work | | | | borders and limitations - everything from walls to |
| environment. | | | | wiring - that so many drab, gray, airless office |
| However, without resorting to a process of | | | | spaces labor under.For an established business, |
| drastic remodeling, employers can vastly improve | | | | coming around to ergonomics can prove to be a |
| physical ergonomics by providing free classes in | | | | great expense, and with so many products and |
| which workers can learn to use their own bodies | | | | services out there pushing themselves as the |
| ergonomically. After all, you can have the best | | | | ergo-solution of the day, it can be hard not to go |
| office chair in the world, but if you don't know | | | | over-budget. However, the time of the isolated, |
| how to sit in it, you will always be uncomfortable. | | | | burnt-out cubicle employee is drawing to a close, |
| Classes in the Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, and | | | | and to compete with the satisfied, energized |
| yoga can do huge things for physical health in the | | | | workers found in modern office spaces, traditional |
| workplace, and lead to a reduction in work-related | | | | businesses are going to have to come around |
| injuries, which in turn shrinks the cost to | | | | eventually.In the end, it's just a matter of |
| businesses of paying out for sick days and sick | | | | identifying the point at which the costs of dealing |
| workers. Another crucial area of ergonomics is | | | | with unhappy, uncomfortable workers begins to |
| engineering psychology, or cognitive ergonomics. | | | | be outweighed by the benefits of making the |
| This area is born out of the philosophy that a | | | | change in favor of better quality work, lower |
| happy worker is a productive worker, and to be | | | | absenteeism, consistently met deadlines, and |
| happy, a worker has to not dread going in to the | | | | fewer errors. Yes, the transition to ergonomic |
| office every day. Cluttered, messy, | | | | workspace design can be expensive, but |
| overwhelming, or generally unpleasant | | | | ultimately, it could save your business. |
| workstations are the cause of this ennui for more | | | | |