Joyworkz Blog/Office Ergonomics

Every workplace wellness intervention in your workplace has the potential to make a difference. To that end, we have created the Joyworkz Blog to help you keep abreast of the latest workplace wellness research, trends and tips.

Ergonomics is the study of how people work in their environment. It includes how people sit at their computers e.g. Computer workstation assessment and desk set up, ergonomic chair etc. However, it also applies to human interaction in a physical work environment more generally. The goal is often to reduce discomfort, pain and injury.

Too noisy and crowded? The Pros and Cons of Open-Plan Office Design

on Sunday, 23 June 2019. Posted in Office Ergonomics, Occupational Health, Mental Wellbeing

Open plan (OP) offices are generally considered to be cost-effective, promote teamwork and collaboration and enhance a sense of wellbeing and inclusion. Recent research evidence challenges some of these assumptions though. In this article we examine available evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of open plan office design and suggest a practical way forward.

Are you moving like this to counteract the impact of sitting?

on Tuesday, 11 September 2018. Posted in Office Ergonomics

exercise at work

Work related sedentary behaviours are on the increase, both at the office and in our travel to and from work. Most of us realise that sedentary behaviour is not that good for us. Indeed, it can seriously impact our health, being a risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. We should therefore move to improve! But, how much is good enough? And, how often should we move?

Greening up the office has great benefits!

on Tuesday, 01 August 2017. Posted in Office Ergonomics

Just walking into an office space where there are lots of indoor pot plants can be all it takes to give yourself permission to exhale an audible sigh from one’s pent-up workplace stress. We all seem to know inherently that being around plants (or close to nature) is good for us.

Use it or Lose it – Are you giving your Brain enough exercise?

on Sunday, 21 August 2016. Posted in Office Ergonomics

Made any New Years resolutions lately? New Years resolutions often involve a promise to one-self to increase physical exercise. However, we should also remember to take care of our brains. Our brains are often ignored or taken for granted. Yet to ensure top brain performance, they need exercised like everything else!

Are your Eyes feeling the Strain?

on Tuesday, 03 September 2013. Posted in Office Ergonomics

With so many of us using computers at work these days, computer eye strain has become one of the major office-related health complaints. Studies show that more than 50% of computer users experience eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and other visual symptoms.

Sardine Rage – open plan office work space can create overcrowding and tension!!!

on Thursday, 25 April 2013. Posted in Office Ergonomics

With the growth in the use of open-plan offices over the last decade and the resulting reduction of personal work-space, the term "Sardine Rage" has emerged. This rage manifests itself when people begin getting frustrated over a barrage of new noises, unwanted smells, territorial disputes and cramped conditions. We discuss what can be done below.

Long hours at work cause heart disease!

on Friday, 16 November 2012. Posted in Office Ergonomics, Occupational Health

Regularly working longer hours can come at a significant cost to one’s health. Recent research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by Dr. Marianna Virtanen found that people who worked eleven or more hours per day had a 60% higher risk of heart-related problems than those who worked a normal eight hour day.

The Real Cost of Obesity at Work

on Monday, 10 September 2012. Posted in Office Ergonomics, Occupational Health

Article by Ross Thomson (aka Sympathetic HR Manager)

Oscar (O.C.) or better known as Oscar Office Chair, was complaining to me recently about his increasingly heavy work-loads and the longer working hours that he has had to endure over the last few years. He is now beginning to show the signs of exhaustion. Like any good HR Manager, I asked him for evidence and for suggestions on how to improve things. To help me here he shared some entries from his personal diary…

Could a Standing desk help to reduce work related illness from sedentary tasks??

on Monday, 03 September 2012. Posted in Office Ergonomics

A study recently conducted by the University of Western Australia has shown that having a sedentary job, including sitting for a long time in front of a computer, increases the chances of contracting distal bowel cancer and rectal cancer (Boyle, Fritschi, Heyworth & Bull 2011).

''Good Breathing” corrects posture and boosts energy at work

on Thursday, 30 August 2012. Posted in Office Ergonomics, Mental Wellbeing

Breathing…it’s an action we do about 100,000 times each week of our lives. And for most of the time we are not even consciously aware that we are breathing, let alone whether we are breathing well. In this article we take a look at the mechanics of breathing, and how essential “Good Breathing” is to healthy posture and positive energy levels.