What is Workplace Ergonomics & Why it Matters to your Bottom Line?
- A nagging pain in the back that doesn’t seem to go away, whatever you do?
- Do you have an uncomfortable sensation in your wrists that makes it difficult to hold even a cup of coffee?
- Are you experiencing frequent headaches and eye-strains?
- Are your legs feeling stiff and sore?
If you have encountered any of the following situations yourself in the workplace or heard complaints of a similar sort from your co-workers, then you’ve come to the right place.
Here, in today’s article, we take a look at “Workplace Ergonomics and why it Matters.”
Before we dive in, let’s get the basics right.
What exactly is Workplace Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the scientific study of how efficient people are in the workplace. Apart from that, it also helps to identify what could be changed to make them more productive throughout the day.
To phrase it simply, when the ergonomics of your workplace isn’t right or not adequately addressed, it could lead to work-related injuries and even end up disabling employees. It can be anything from a worktable that isn’t at the proper height, so the employee ends up leaning down causing severe back strain or improper tools that lead to damaged wrists.
With that said, let’s take a look at few reasons,
Why Workplace Ergonomics Matters in the Workplace
#1: Increase Productivity
It’s quite simple. If a workstation is not built correctly or not convenient to do the intended job, the employee ends up working harder to complete the task. This leads to a sharp drop in productivity, and it becomes more and more difficult and time-consuming for the employee to finish the job correctly.
The key to good work and preventing workplace injuries are comfortable and efficient workspaces. This can be anything from:
- Worktables of the right height – so that employees don’t have to lean over and injure their backs.
- Organised workplaces – so that tools are easy to reach and clean, preventing accidental drops. When tools are organized correctly, employees need not strain their necks, arms, and backs, trying to reach the tool. Additionally, they can get the job done quickly, leading to an increase in productivity.
#2: Lower Operational Costs
When workplace ergonomics aren’t implemented correctly, it leads to an increase in the chances of workplace injuries and accidents. This means higher medical bills and costly legal settlements.
Studies show that when you have the right workplace ergonomics, compensation costs are reduced significantly. This means you don’t have to spend thousands and thousands of rupees compensating employees for injuries sustained in the workplace.
#3: Improve the Quality of Work
No one can deliver their best when they are feeling frustrated, tired and uncomfortable. When your employees have to face these regularly at work, they aren’t likely to produce their best. For instance, when an employee is frustrated having to handle a tool too heavy for him, he is likely to end up not fastening a screw tight enough, which could lead to serious loss of quality.
Get the ergonomics right to see a visible increase in the quality of work.
#4: More Employee Engagement
Very often, a happy employee is the most productive employee. And for an employee to feel happy at the workplace, he should have strong relationships with other members of the team. As a company, when you take the extra step to ensure the safety and comfort of your employees, it boosts employee morale. This translates to better involvement and interest on the job at hand.
Additionally, better ergonomics mean lower absenteeism.
#5: Promote a Safety Culture at Work
When you take steps to ensure that you get the ergonomics of your workplace right, you’re sending a message that the company is committed to the health and safety of its task force. This sends the subconscious message that the business values safety at its core. When employees see this, they go the extra mile to ensure that the workplace remains highly safe.
It fosters a culture of safety in your organization.
Above all, it Promotes Happiness
Employee satisfaction is ultimately the reason for your business to thrive. And, to make employees satisfied and happy at the workplace, you need to get the ergonomics right.
Don’t wait for a large-scale and critical injury to review the ergonomics of your workplace. Ultimately, it’s the small, day-to-day annoyances that lower employee satisfaction. When employees experience everyday bumps, aches, and bruises at the workplace, it leads to a harmful complaining culture. And, a handful of disgruntled employees are enough to topple the entire system.
So, make sure that you keep employees happy by emphasizing on ergonomics.
Very often, we are asked the question,
Is Workplace Ergonomics Worth the Cost?
A big YES! As safety professionals, we have come across a large number of instances, where companies of all sizes have:
- Increased Revenues
- Reduced Costs
- And, Created a happy workforce
With the right Workplace Ergonomics
Translating it into Action
If “Workplace Ergonomics” feels like Greek and Latin to you and you have no clue on where to start, you aren’t alone. Most businesses aren’t aware of all the underlying principles of workplace ergonomics. And, this is where; we at Totalika come into the picture.
Totalika is India’s leading health and safety service provider with a highly, qualified team of safety experts. To improve the ergonomics in your workplace, we start with a safety audit where we conduct an in-depth assessment of your space to identify areas that need improvement. Following this, we work with you to implement the new ergonomic systems in place.
Our work doesn’t get over with that. Instead, we provide your employees with the right training on how to use the new tools and workspace. Additionally, we conduct periodic reviews to see how the systems are performing and offer further suggestions as and when needed.
Give us a call at +91-124-661-3137 or drop a line at support@totalika.org to get the ball rolling.
Wrapping it up
In a nutshell, let’s take a look at the benefits of right workplace ergonomics.
- Cut down costs and save money
- Reduce employee absenteeism
- Improve turnover & Increase productivity
Are you ready to create an ergonomically efficient workplace?
