You and your team should know that you can lower workplace stress while boosting creativity and productivity by improving workplace ergonomics. Ergonomics improves productivity and employee engagement; poor workplace ergonomics leads to fatigue, aches and pains, and injury. When your team is physically uncomfortable, they won’t perform well—and they may even begin cutting corners, which could put productivity and even product quality at risk.
Think about it. When you’ve got aches and pains, you aren’t at your best. Your attitude tends toward the negative, and you aren’t able to concentrate well. Consider the last time you were tired, in pain, or otherwise uncomfortable at work. You may have taken extra breaks, worked more slowly, or even left early because you weren’t feeling well. Imagine what your performance would be like over time if every workday caused fatigue or discomfort. What would it be like if the whole team felt that way every day?
Improving Productivity
Here’s a tip that can help improve productivity for you and your team: increase your overall physical activity. One way to add activity to the workday is to make sure everyone takes regular breaks to walk around or stretch for a few moments every hour or two. When you vary your body’s position, you help protect against musculoskeletal injuries as well as increasing blood flow, which can give you a little energy boost.
To boost creativity and productivity by improving workplace ergonomics, take some time to evaluate your workstations, and talk to your coworkers to get input into how you work together to reduce workplace stress. Making it a team effort gets everyone involved, which can raise morale.
Improving Workplace Ergonomics
Improving overall workplace ergonomics is important when it comes to preventing musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs. After all, it’s in the best interest of employees and employers to create a safe and comfortable workplace. An ergonomically friendly workplace has adequate lighting that isn’t too bright, and offers options for a variety of working postures, both standing and sitting. And an ergonomically friendly workplace should definitely encourage workers to take short breaks to stretch or walk around every half hour or so.
When the workplace keeps ergonomics like good posture, controlling screen glare, ideal heights and reaches, and reduced motions in mind, workers become more efficient and more productive. When your team isn’t fatigued and uncomfortable while performing their job functions, employee productivity increases, because they have more energy during the workday.
Training your employees on workplace ergonomics can boost problem-solving skills and overall creativity while reducing mistakes. In other words, your team will be better able to do their jobs because they won’t be distracted by muscle strain or other physical discomfort. Another tip that can help reduce workplace stress is increasing physical activity. Be sure you and your team take regular breaks to walk around or stretch for a few moments every hour or two. When you vary your body’s position, you help protect against musculoskeletal injuries as well as increasing blood flow, which can give you a little energy boost.
Involve Your Team in Workplace Ergonomics
Engage your team in the process of evaluating how to improve ergonomics in the workplace. This will demonstrate that you value their feedback and contributions—which in turn can improve overall morale. You may be surprised to find that your employees have insights into improving the workplace that you never considered.
Take some time to evaluate your workstations, and talk to your coworkers to get input into how you work together to reduce workplace stress. Making it a team effort gets everyone involved, which can raise morale.
Adding more movement to everyone’s day and updating your workplace ergonomics can also improve productivity by reducing sick days, injuries, and long-term health problems that can negatively affect a person’s career. After all, if your team isn’t distracted by physical discomfort, they can better focus on doing their jobs. And that benefits everyone’s bottom line.