Office Ergonomic Assessments
The client:
White collar business with office in CBD
The problem:
The client operates with a hybrid work model in which team members work from home three days a week and two days in the office.
Since returning to the office, there has been an increase in team members reporting physical issues related to their workstations.
Due to the pandemic, the client had overlooked the issue of workstation ergonomics in the office and had not invested in seating or workstation equipment for some time.
They had previously engaged an ergonomist to conduct ergonomic assessments in the office, however the feedback from employees and management wasn’t very positive so they reached out to us.
How we helped:
We met with the client over a video call to discuss their needs. They had a lot of items on their WHS ‘to-do list’ but their first priority was to ensure that workstations in the office were properly set up for the new year. The client realised that issue of seating in the office needed to be addressed but couldn’t afford to purchase new chairs for their entire team. Instead, they were planning to refurbish the current chairs, but didn’t know which ones were still serviceable and which would need to be replaced.
We provided the following services:
An AHP Occupational Physiotherapist attended the office to conduct workstation ergonomic assessments across three days. We spent time with each individual, assisting them to set up their workstations, teaching them about postural awareness and answering any questions they had about managing physical issues related to computer use.
Whilst onsite, we also conducted an audit of the seating in the office to identify unserviceable chairs
We provided a report, detailing:
Recommendations for individual team members requiring further assistance
Summary of common ergonomic issues identified within the office and interventions to consider
Photographs of the current seating options and comments on their serviceability
Recommendations for appropriate replacement seating to consider
Issues we identified:
Poorly setup workstations were the norm, not the exception
People looked fatigued, not aware of their posture
Lack of sit-stand desks relative to staff numbers
Under-utilisation of sit-stand desks
Many different kinds of chairs, a large number of them unserviceable
Widespread use of laptop screens when large screens are available
Prolonged sitting without regular movement breaks.
People eating lunch at their desks.
Outcome
We received very positive feedback from the client and their team, and have since been engaged to provide the same service on multiple occasions.
We were able to demonstrate to the client that the sedentary nature of their workforce and the setups of some of the workstations in the office were risks that could be mitigated with simple interventions. This involved not only thinking about workstation ergonomics but also providing appropriate training and creating opportunities for people to move more throughout the day. At follow up six months later, the client reported that they had replaced most of the unserviceable chairs and had made changes to the office layout to encourage people to move more and use the sit-stand desks. They had since noticed a much more positive energy in the office, as well as less people reporting physical issues related to work.