don't sit so hard!
ergonomic chairs and you
It feels a little odd to call the act of sitting "work." Everybody knows that sitting is less physically demanding than walking or standing, right? In Western culture, sitting is synonymous with relaxation itself. Montgomery Burns summed up the prevailing view when he asked, "From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?"
But when people are parked in a chair for most of their waking hours, new stresses will cause new aches and pains. Extended periods of sitting are hard on the back, putting added pressure on the intervertebral discs that cushion impact on the spine. And circulation from the feet and legs can be hampered by simple gravity and aggravated by poor chair design, causing numbness and discomfort as blood struggles to return to the heart. The human body simply isn't built to remain in one position for hours at a time.
what's bad for bottoms is bad for bottom lines
Institutions with large staffs that spend their workday sitting at computer terminals have begun to recognize the health issues surrounding extended sitting. A World Bank study found that their staff suffered more frequently from lower back pain than from any other disorders. The solution? More comfortable chairs, which the study called "a primordial aspect to consider in terms of staff's well-being at work."
Other studies have reinforced the importance of healthy, supportive chairs. A 2001 study by Cornell University's Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory found that workers who were given ergonomic products and trained in their use reported an average 40% decline in musculoskeletal problems in only eight months. The Centers for Disease Control states flatly, "The chair is the starting point for a properly designed work station."
When firms have introduced company-wide ergonomic improvements, the effect on the bottom line has been dramatic. In 1993, employees of Sun Microsystems filed over 300 workers' compensation
claims in California alone for repetitive motion injuries related to prolonged computer use. Concerned over the cost of such claims and the attendant loss of productivity, Sun provided ergonomic chairs and
other equipment to any employees who requested them. Over the next ten years, claims fell precipitously despite a sharp increase in the number of Sun employees, and the average cost of each claim fell from
$12,000 in 1992 to about $2,500 in 2002.
erg chairs to the rescue
As employers have increasingly felt the economic impact of a cramped and cranky workforce, the ergonomic chair has gone from novelty to necessity. Several manufacturers have marketed high-end ergonomic chairs to companies willing to invest in the health and morale of their employees. Every model offers some of the same supportive features for increased back, neck, and circulatory health, but choosing the right erg chair from a crowded field can be a daunting proposition.
Adding to the confusion is the status and cache that some models have acquired, irrespective of their actual utility. Budgets are tighter and leaner today than just a few years ago, and far fewer employers are willing to pay more for showpiece chairs with the "right" name brand.
So how can you sift through the hype, filter out the noise, and make sense of the bewildering array of choices in the ergonomic-chair field? How can you be sure that dollars spent on these funny-looking high-tech sitting machines will translate into a healthier, happier staff?