Let’s talk shop. American workers are more sedentary than ever before, and for the most part, it’s not our fault. After all, we’re also more innovative, more goal-oriented, more tech-dependent, more connected within our workplaces than ever before. The unfortunate consequence is that we ALSO have more desk jobs than ever before. You’re probably reading this right now, sitting at your desk.
You’ve probably been warned repeatedly about the harms of sitting for long periods of time at work. In fact, you’ve probably felt the aches in your lower back or the constant need to stretch out your neck. Then there’s the unseen consequences that build up over time—the increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers. Even suffering an early death has been linked with our proclivity to sit 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
Anyone who works a desk job knows that sitting all day can leave you feeling stiff and sore. What you may not know is that there can be serious long-term health consequences as well. A study done by Mayo Clinic found that people who spent their days seated “had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking.” You read that right—sitting is the new smoking.
We can all relate to the satisfaction of a pencil grip that you can hold just right, or the comfort of that neck pillow that gets you through a red-eye. Ergonomic design is all around us, working with us to optimize, elevate and enhance our behavior. Ergonomic design is specifically and scientifically tailored to optimize human productivity. From the shape to the size, or even the texture, any product that is ergonomic in function has been sculpted in order to enhance productivity and a person’s well-being.
What makes a reliable worker? Resilience? Composure? Timeliness? Perhaps “productivity” is arguably the most valuable attribute of an employee. But how do we bolster productivity? More than working hard or remaining dedicated, what if there were key principles of physicality that could enable us to function as our most productive selves?
Enter ergonomics.
No matter what sphere of life you move in, ergonomic design will affect you in more ways than you know. The principles of ergonomics are an ever-silent, ever-present facet of the man-made world, hidden in the curve of a mouse key or the structure of an office chair. Ergonomics is the art of creating systems or products that specifically promote both the optimization of human physicality and the efficiency of the product’s use. The design considers how and why we use the objects around us combined with the biological posture of those actions.
