Essay: Ergonomics at workplace and why more firms don’t implement an ergonomic work environments

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background
In our today lifestyle, many hours are spent in the workplace, so it’s pretty crucial to ensure that this place stays positive! Our physical environment has a significant influence on our happiness and our wellbeing. In last few years, there has been a trend by which organizations have been changing their spaces for workplace in new models and forms. Along with, there has been shifting of workplaces to more comfortable and spacious place for proper workplace (Maxwell 2017). According to environmental psychology (The study of relationship between individuals and their surroundings), an office physical environment can either stress people out or make them valued and happy. Physical environment is considering colors, lighting, noise and equipment.
Office ergonomics has been a research topic for many years. It has been the quality of the employee’s workplace environment that has been affecting employee’s performance and motivation. Organization ergonomics plays an important role in increasing employee engagement in an organization (Bedi et al. 2015). Poorly performing physical environments can increase staff turnover, make the recruitment of top talent difficult, increase absenteeism and presenteeism and lastly reduce company profits.
The term ‘Presenteeism’ means the sub-optimal performance of those still at work but with difficulty and reduced efficiency/productivity (JOHNS, 2009). Work published in the UK estimates that lost productivity due to presenteeism is on an average 7.5 times greater than productivity lost due to absenteeism. (Building the case for wellness, 2008)
Wellbeing and concentration are essential elements for optimal productivity. When concentration is broken this causes poor performance which impacts negatively on wellbeing and ultimately may lead to ill health. Wellbeing is defined as: “The balance point between an individual’s resource pool and the challenges faced” . They can be physical such as MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders),social and psychological .
However, there have been decrease in ergonomics in organizations in the UK. UK has been facing loss in employee performances. However, researches have proved that ergonomics has been of the major problem in the loss in performance of organizations in the UK. According to International Ergonomics Association (IEA), Ergonomics has been a scientific discipline concerned with various understandings of interactions among humans and several elements in a system (Kuimet, Järvis and Virovere 2016). It helps in focusing on the interior structure of the workplace and comfort zone of employees in the workplace. It helps in focusing on how offices are designed including equipment and furniture are set up in the workplace.
Diverse experts, Aziz et al. (2017), claims that about 86% of gainfulness issues live in the working environment of affiliations. The working environment has effect on the execution of laborers. The kind of working environment in which agents work chooses the way by which such endeavors succeed. Yet other legitimate parts, for instance, approval and affirmation, pay and cash related reward impact on agent execution, contemplates have exhibited that a specialist’s workplace condition is a key determinant of their component of execution. How well the workplace interfaces with a laborer impacts their element of motivation to perform. Without a doubt poor workplace condition impacts agents: prosperity and security, botch rate, measurement of advancement, collaboration with various delegates, truancy and, finally, to what degree they stay in the movement (Ehrensberger-Dow and O’Brien 2015). We see that work structures don’t in a manner of speaking impact obligation, capacity and cost sufficiency yet also have whole deal ramifications for physical prosperity, passionate prosperity and life expectancy of life of specialists.
1.2 Problem statement
Now a days, the world has admitted a more open-plan style offices, with space for discussion and collaboration. It has been argued that this causes distractions in the workplace which influence productivity and wellbeing and cause mental illness. Distractions from the working environment and our need to concentrate on the task at hand compete for attention. Extended effort on concentration leads to negative reactions which can threaten work performance and wellbeing.
Also the general awareness of the office ergonomics has been a major problem in the organizations. The use of the ergonomics has been depended on the variety of sustainability of works in the office area. Because of advance in technologies and change in workstyles, we tend to sit for more than 9 hours a day behind our desks specially at our working places (Healthy Workforce Programme, 2017). Prolong sitting harms our health and productivity (Nhs.UK,2017)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report 2016-17 found 8.9 million Working days in the UK is lost due to musculoskeletal disorders injuries at the workplace. This is equivalent to roughly half of a month’s days off work for each employee from which approximately 44% of work off days are associated with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. (Hse.gov.uk, 2017)
People not performing as well as they could because of mental or physical distractions. Distractions and physical issues at work lead to presenteeism and absenteeism which leads to mental or physical illness .Therefore, there is sharp need of maintaining a proper office ergonomics that help in maintaining a keen approach in the development if the companies in the market. Office ergonomics connects incredible significance to very much planned workspace, useful workstations, and general inside stylistic layout. Every one of these variables unquestionably have an immediate and circuitous effect on representative execution, efficiency, net revenues, and furthermore the maintainability what’s more, aggressiveness of the business. However, there has been different kind of lacks in the maintaining office ergonomics in the place. Representative effectiveness and improved efficiency is thought to be the consequence of better work environment condition.
1.3 Aim, objectives and research questions
The aim of the research is to analyze the importance of ergonomics in office area and identifying reasons for not using ergonomics in organizations in the UK.
Following are the objectives of the research:
• To analyze the design of office in the UK
• To identify the cost of absenteeism and presenteeism caused by not having proper ergonomic workplace to British organizations and economy
• To identify features of ergonomics and its benefits ion the office environment
• To identify problems in organizations in implementing ergonomics in the UK
Following are the research questions:
The primary research question is “How an ergonomics approach can improve wellbeing and performance at work and increase productivity of business?”
1. What is presenteeism and it’s financial cost in organizations?
2. What are the possible effects of ergonomics and DSE use on productivity, wellbeing and health in order to decrease presenteeism and absenteeism of organization caused by physical workplace environment?x
3. What are the problems in organizations in implementing ergonomics in the UK?
1.4 Research Structure
Figure 1: Research Structure
(Source: Created by Author)
 
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Various business chairmen are under the stirred up impression that the component of specialist execution at work is comparing to the range of the agent’s compensation package. In spite of the way that compensation package is one of the outward motivation gadgets, it has an obliged transient effect on delegates’ execution. A by and large recognized supposition is that better workplace condition impels agents and conveys better results (Tamrin, Mohamed and Guan 2017). Essentially, a rich and utilitarian workplace condition every now and again ends up at ground zero in pushed ahead specialist capability and effectiveness. In affirmation of this reality, most work environments are presently arranged and furnished in perspective of the agent to ensure that his workplace condition tallying furniture and rigging enough support and instigates prevalent. The mission to outfit agents and workers with most fitting workplace condition, furniture, equipment, instruments and techniques to discharge their commitments beneficially and satisfactorily is the focal judiciousness behind the headway and improvement of ergonomics (Arezes, Dinis-Carvalho and Alves 2015). The execution of a delegate is assessed exceptionally the yield that the individual delivers besides, it is related to effectiveness. At corporate measurement, productivity is affected by various components for instance, delegates, advancement and goals of the affiliation. It is liable to the physical condition and its effect on prosperity and specialists’ execution (Bogataj et al. 2017).
WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT
BusinessDictionary.com (2012) describes workplace condition as a territory where an endeavor is done. When identifying with a place of business, the working environment incorporates the physical topographical region and moreover the provoke surroundings of the workplace, for example, a building site or place of business. Routinely incorporates distinctive parts relating to the work environment, for instance, the nature of the air, confusion level, and additional livens and points of interest of business, for instance, free tyke care or limitless coffee, or adequate halting. Other than manufacturing plants and other specific age unit, pretty much all delegate beneficial activities happen in the work environment condition (Kincl et al. 2016). By the day’s end, most workplace conditions are in a general sense office circumstances. Office condition as described by BNet Business Dictionary (2008) is, “the arrangement of workspace with the objective that work can be performed in the most gainful way”. Office setup wires both ergonomics and work process, which take a gander at the course in which work is performed in order to enhance plan. Office arrangement is a basic factor in work satisfaction. It impacts the way by which delegate’s work, and various affiliations have completed open-plan working environments to enable participation. Office design is incredibly basic in agent satisfaction, and the broad thought of office arrangement joins the work procedure.
ERGONOMICS AND BRANCHES
As demonstrated by International Ergonomics Association (IEA), (2012) Ergonomics (or human variables) is the legitimate control stressed over the appreciation of coordinated efforts among individuals and distinctive segments of a structure, and the calling that applies speculation, norms, data and procedures to arrangement in order to redesign human flourishing and all things considered system execution. A dissemination by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK in 2003: “Understanding Ergonomics at Work” furthermore portrays Ergonomics as the sensible examination of human work. It considers the physical and mental capacities and purposes of constrainment of the expert as he or on the other hand she teams up with gadgets, outfit, work systems, endeavors and the working environment (Evans 2015). The creation further speculates that the utilization of Ergonomics to workplace pushes ahead prosperity and security by: lessening the potential for setbacks, diminishing the potential for harm besides, wiped out prosperity and upgrades execution and effectiveness. Ergonomics immerses each piece of human endeavor. Along these lines, diverse branches or thoughts of Ergonomics have progressed and made consistently.
OFFICE ERGONOMICS
BNet Business Dictionary (2008) portrays office as “a place in which business, regulatory, or capable activities are coordinated”. In essential term, as a rule a building office in which business practices happen. It ranges from transient structures, for instance, site working environments to enduring multi-story corporate structures. On an essential dimension, they all play out the limit of supporting business works out. The work environment is a work system that totally depends upon individuals: without them, no work finishes (Hess et al. 2016). Thusly, office ergonomics focuses on the human as the most basic fragment of the work environment and gets the work environment to the all inclusive community included. Such human-centered structure requires learning of the characteristics of the overall public in the working environment, particularly of their estimations, their abilities, and their tendencies (Meidert et al. 2016). The Office Ergonomics Handbook (2008) recognizes the under-recorded as the key ergonomic segments in the working environment;• Your Chair and Workstation;
• Your Keyboard, Mouse and Monitor;
• Office Lights;
• Office Arrangement and Environmental Concerns;
• Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort and;
• Noise Levels.
DIMENSIONS OF OFFICE ERGONOMICS
Carayon et al. (2015) suggests that in perspective of the prosperity risks displayed by poor position and dreary push, real ergonomics are too fundamental to even think about evening consider disregarding. In his “Home Office Ergonomics”, Moran examinations how; the nonattendance of ergonomic norms in the work environment can conversely impact a segment of the key human body parts for instance the eyes, neck, wrist, arms, back, hips, legs, knees and feet.
Eyes and neck: Incorrect screen arranging can cause neck and eye strain, and can incite poor seat arranging, which makes load on the back. Costello, the ergonomics expert, says the most noteworthy purpose of your screen should be arranged basically over your eye level when you’re arranged. This is the best place for your “vision cone,” your most brisk field of vision, which starts at the best at your eye level and dives at a 30-degree point (Rasmussen et al. 2017). Right when screens are unnecessarily far away, people will by and large lean forward to see well. This is continuously legitimate as people age, since vision unquestionably rots after some time. A standard rule: If you can grow your arm and basically contact the screen with your fingertips, by then are ethically supported position (Tsarouchi et al. 2016).
Wrists and arms: To keep wrists and arms at a perfect position, diminishing the risk of dreary development wounds, your support and mouse should be at vague measurement from your elbows when you’re arranged. Since most work regions are nonsensically high for this position, a clear fix is an adaptable reassure plate that joins to the underside of your work region, says Cynthia M. Burt of the Environmental Health and Safety Department at UCLA (Rothmore, Aylward and Karnon 2015).
Back and hips: Good news for developing plates: Sitting authentically takes 20 percent to 30 percent of the load off your lower back. Your seat should be between 17 inches and 19 inches significant, and it should have extraordinary lower-back help. Your body should be arranged with your back against the seat and your hips open. If you end up slanting forward to see your screen or accomplish the support, push them toward you (Rothmore, Aylward and Karnon 2015).
Legs and knees: Leg arranging adds to your general position in the seat, says Burt, so ensure your legs are bent at around 90-degree edges at the knees. This mitigates load on the back. Burt alerts that improvement is basic for dispersal, regardless, so mull over straightforward moves in arranging and make a point to stand, stretch and walk a few endeavors in any occasion when a hour. Move about additional as frequently as conceivable in case you have broke down spread issues (Rasmussen et al. 2017).
Feet: Feet should be unfalteringly planted on the floor. If the seat arranging you require for real wrist course of action results in your feet not accomplishing the floor, use a square, several books or some other kind of ottoman to encourage your feet. In any case, guarantee that the stature of the support keeps your knees at a right edge, says Costello (Rasmussen et al. 2017).The effect of Office ergonomics have been highlighted in the form of presenteesem and absenteesem of employees in the office workplace. These two factors have been an important factors for the development of the organization in the market. The employee behavior in the workplace has been an important in enhancing the performance. A proper management of ergonomics helps in increasing presenteesem of employees in the office. Generally, employees do not feel comfortable in the office due to bad ergonomics. Therefore, due to absenteesem in the office, the performance of the company get decreased rapidly. The working environment of the office get diverted from the actual ergonomics. Proper ergonomics has been helping in maintaining proper attendance in the office environment.
 
References
JOHNS, G. (2009). Presenteeism in the workplace: A review and research agenda. Journal of Organizational Behavior, [online] pp.521-522. Available at: http://www.mas.org.uk/uploads/artlib/presenteeism-in-the-workplace-review-and-research-agenda-johns-2010.pdf [Accessed 16 Nov. 2018].
Healthy Workforce Programme. (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/-/media/Employers/Documents/Retain-and-improve/Health-and-wellbeing/Webinar-slides-sickness-absence-MSK-221117.pdf?la=en&hash=DC849F4A14FECD6FB628CC46FE5C9CF35F08C125 [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].
Hse.gov.uk. (2017). Health and safety at work Summary statistics for Great Britain 2017. [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1617.pdf [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018].
Building the case for wellness. (2008). [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209547/hwwb-dwp-wellness-report-public.pdf [Accessed 16 Nov. 2018].
Nhs.uk. (2017). Why sitting too much is bad for your health – Live Well – NHS Choices. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/sitting-and-sedentary-behaviour-are- bad-for-your-health.aspx [Accessed 4 Nov. 2018]
Arezes, P.M., Dinis-Carvalho, J. and Alves, A.C., 2015. Workplace ergonomics in lean production environments: A literature review. Work, 52(1), pp.57-70.
Aziz, F.A., Ghazalli, Z., Mohamed, N.M.Z.N. and Isfar, A., 2017. A Future Framework of Knowledge-Based Ergonomics Assessment System at Workplace in Automotive Assembly Plant. In Advances in Social & Occupational Ergonomics (pp. 93-105). Springer, Cham.
Barraclough, S. and Jones, W., 2015. Occupational health and ergonomics: two disciplines, one goal. Occupational Health & Wellbeing, 67(5), p.22.
Bedi, H.S., Moon, N.J., Bhatia, V., Sidhu, G.K. and Khan, N., 2015. Evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders in dentists and application of DMAIC technique to improve the ergonomics at dental clinics and meta-analysis of literature. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 9(6), p.ZC01.
Bogataj, D., Battini, D., Calzavara, M. and Persona, A., 2017. INVESTMENTS IN WORKPLACE ERGONOMICS FROM THE SUPPLY CHAIN APPROACH. DEStech Transactions on Engineering and Technology Research, (icpr).
Carayon, P., Hancock, P., Leveson, N., Noy, I., Sznelwar, L. and Van Hootegem, G., 2015. Advancing a sociotechnical systems approach to workplace safety–developing the conceptual framework. Ergonomics, 58(4), pp.548-564.
Ehrensberger-Dow, M. and O’Brien, S., 2015. Ergonomics of the translation workplace. Translation Spaces, 4(1).
Evans, K., 2015. Work-related musculoskeletal injury during sonography: reducing the risk through education and biofeedback. Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 41(4), p.S1.
Hess, J.A., Kincl, L.D., Anton, D. and Weeks, D.L., 2016. Safety voice for ergonomics (SAVE) project: protocol for a workplace cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in masonry apprentices.
Kincl, L.D., Anton, D., Hess, J.A. and Weeks, D.L., 2016. Safety voice for ergonomics (SAVE) project: protocol for a workplace cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in masonry apprentices. BMC public health, 16(1), p.362.
Kuimet, K., Järvis, M. and Virovere, A., 2016. Integrating ergonomics principles and workplace health protection and promotion to improve safety and health at work: Evidence from Estonia. Agron. Res, 14(2), pp.460-474.
Maxwell, J.T., 2017. Ergonomics Within the Workplace: An Occupation Based Injury Prevention Program for Computer Users.
Meidert, U., Neumann, S., Ehrensberger-Dow, M. and Becker, H., 2016. Physical ergonomics at translators’ workplaces: Findings from ergonomic workplace assessments and interviews. ILCEA. Revue de l’Institut des langues et cultures d’Europe, Amérique, Afrique, Asie et Australie, (27).
Rasmussen, C.D.N., Lindberg, N.K., Ravn, M.H., Jørgensen, M.B., Søgaard, K. and Holtermann, A., 2017. Processes, barriers and facilitators to implementation of a participatory ergonomics program among eldercare workers. Applied ergonomics, 58, pp.491-499.
Rothmore, P., Aylward, P. and Karnon, J., 2015. The implementation of ergonomics advice and the stage of change approach. Applied ergonomics, 51, pp.370-376.
Tamrin, S.B.M., Mohamed, M.S.S. and Guan, N.Y., 2017. KD1-4 Challenges in Establishing the Professional Ergonomist Certification Scheme in Malaysia. The Japanese Journal of Ergonomics, 53(Supplement1), pp.S42-S47.
Tsarouchi, P., Spiliotopoulos, J., Michalos, G., Koukas, S., Athanasatos, A., Makris, S. and Chryssolouris, G., 2016. A decision making framework for human robot collaborative workplace generation. Procedia CIRP, 44, pp.228-232.