office ergonomics

Sitting and standing workstations have been used in the office environment for several years now.  The initial reason for these devices to enter the office was primarily due to the awareness of the dangers of sedentary living, i.e. prolonged sitting.  Because of this, these devices are increasingly becoming commonplace.  More and more companies are offering standing options to their employees, and more employees than ever before are using these devices. 

More and more workers are working from home these days.  It’s just an important for the home office to be set up correctly as the corporate office.  The following are tips for proper home office set up:

You have so many choices for the office workers on your list.  There’s lots of cool devices and equipment on the market that also happen to fall under the “good” ergonomic category.  For non-office workers, I don’t mean to ignore you.  It’s just a fact that gifts for the office worker are much easier than gifts for the shop floor or outdoor worker.  There are just too many variables that go into non-office job to compile a meaningful shopping list.  So, here’s a list of gift ideas for your officemates, family and friends:

In my previous blog I listed out 5 common misconceptions and/or mistakes employers make when considering/implementing sit-stand workstations (SSWs).  SSWs are an investment and one worth doing right the first time in order for SSW implementation to be successful and sustainable and, of course in all business investments, to optimize ROI—employee usage, health & safety, and productivity.  The following are 5 Solutions to the Common Mistakes/Mis

Sit-stand workstations (SSW) are the hottest topic when it comes to the office these days.  I’ve dealt with employers who, on one end of the spectrum, have decided to bring SSWs to all of their office employees and with employers who remain ambivalent and/or unconvinced that SSW are worth it who will only provide SSWs for medical reasons.   Wherever you and/or your company fall along that spectrum, there are certain “myths” of SSWs that need to be addressed in order to have a successful, effective and sustainable (and safe!) SSW office implementation.  The following are 5 Common Myths of SS

Part 2:  The Challenges of Sit-to-Stand Workstations (SSW)

Simply changing a workstation from predominately sitting to the ability to alternate between sitting and standing may not eliminate the root cause of staying in a static position for extended periods of time.  This is especially true if workers shift from prolonged sitting to prolonged standing.  This raises the potential of shifting the same chronic, static experience from one posture (sitting) to another (standing).

Does Discomfort Really Decrease?

Dynamic or active workstations are the hot trend in the office environment these days.  Is this trend a passing fad or an effective solution for sedentary office work?  In Part 1, I’ll do a quick review of what started this trend, define the concept of sit-stand workstations and some of their benefits and challenges.  In Part 2, we’ll take a closer look at challenges to use of these workstations.  In Part 3, we’ll explore the keys to successful implementation and sustained use of sit-stand workstations.

Standing in the office setting has become the “thing” to do since so many studies and articles have been published about the negative effects of prolong sitting.  Note: I’ve done many blogs on “sitting disease” and I encourage you to use the search function of my website to read more.  Sitting has be termed the “new smoking”.  There is no doubt that a sedentary lifestyle in the workplace or at home is not healthy.  There has been a rush to replace prolonged sitting in the office with prolonged standing, i.e.

The office setting has seen gradual changes over the past 5-10 years as more focus has been given to comfort, productivity and wellness at work.  One of the trends has been the use of a stability ball, aka exercise/fitness ball, as a chair.  My recommendation has always been to avoid stability balls in the office—for three reasons: