Ergonomics and the Evolution of Office Spaces
By Wendy van Wyk, Registered Biokineticist. I did an ergonomic assessment and workplace set up for a client this week- he purchased all the recommended products for his new home office. At the end of the install, I made sure that everything was positioned properly, and he was in the best possible posture. The next minute his phone alerted him of a notification, and to my dismay, he picked it up and immediately went into a hunched over, forward head posture to answer the message. It made me realise once again that our digital world has changed the way we work and the way we set up workspaces. I easily solved his problem by adding one of our amazing Ergo flex device holders to his workstation, which will position his phone better and reduce postural strain. Office spaces of today are much different from what they used to be. Since the dawn of the 20th century, workplaces were a lot less tech orientated – most business communication took place over landlines and in-person and documents were all hard copies. Offices have evolved from crowded spaces to shared workstations, from cubicle farms to remote and networked locations. The way we work is constantly changing as are the tools used to carry out work. The explosion of technology in the past decades has not only provided us with new tools but has also changed the way offices look, how businesses organize themselves, and much more. The coronavirus pandemic has increased our collective screen time, and that’s particularly true on mobile devices. According to a new report from mobile data and analytics firm App Annie, global consumers are now spending an average of 4.2 hours per day using apps on their smartphones, an increase of 30% from just two years prior. Smartphones, laptops, and 5G wireless connections mean that work is more and more something you do, and less a place you go to. As we continue to do more and more with less tech, the physical appearance of the office will be less tied to the hardware needed to carry out work. In today’s digital world, smartphones are used for just about everything. It’s not uncommon to spend hours on social media, texting, or watching videos on your phone or tablet. Too much screen time affects your health in more ways than one. A condition called tech neck is a growing concern among healthcare professionals. All that time spent on digital devices is bad for your posture, your eyes, your heart, and your mood. Chronically having your neck in a forward, downward position results in headaches, neck and shoulder pain, stiffness, soreness, and more. Mobile devices aren’t going away. If anything, they are going to continue to change the way we work, study and connect with others. At Ergonomicsdirect we can assist in setting up your workstation correctly and providing products that can position mobile devices and computers better. Our passion is to help people improve workplace health, comfort & productivity in a practical and affordable manner. Contact me today on 066 170 0324 or wendy@ergodirect.co.za to do an ergonomics assessment, so I can advise on improving your workspace. Till next time, stay safe out there. Yours in Ergonomics Wendy References: https://www.bizjournals.com/ https://www.ivyrehab.com https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/ https://techcrunch.com/
