As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, most organizations now have recalled their team back to the office. And as we rebuild a new normal, employers and business owners are given the responsibility of ensuring that their employees return to a workplace that is healthier and conducive to their wellbeing.

For most employers, as it is for employees, this is a new start. And, ergonomics is one of the things many organizations today are paying attention to in order to give their employees a better working environment.

The MotionGrey Team has been working closely with a number of organizations recently and helping them improve their offices ergonomically, and the team has learned a lot from these experiences. Here we would like to answer some of the questions you may have as you prepare to do ergonomic renovations in your workplace.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Doing Ergonomic Enhancements in Your Workplace

Below are 5 questions you may have in mind that we try to answer in this blog post.

What are the key ergonomic enhancements you need to prioritize?

When doing an ergonomic enhancement in your workplace, you can look at many different things. But, it is wise to focus first on those elements that make the most impact to your employees. That is, your office desks and chairs.

Replacing your old desks with adjustable standing desks in order to create sit-stand workstations can make a whole lot of difference in the working lifestyle of your employees. It may very well be the one element that can break the sedentary habit associated with office work. Encourage your employees to stand while working, to stay healthy even as they remain productive—standing desks make that easy.

Meanwhile, office chairs provide the support and mobility your employees need as they work seated behind their desks. A chair that can provide proper support can go a long way in keeping your employees healthy and pain-free despite hours of being in front of a computer.

Sit-stand workstations composed of a good standing desk and a fully adjustable office chair are the foundations of an ergonomic workplace, so every ergonomic improvement must start with these.

What are the factors you need to consider before you do ergonomic enhancements?

We will have a separate post focused on this, but for now we’ll share three:

• Space
• Lighting
• Nature of work of your employees

The ergonomic enhancements you do will be determined by these three factors, among others. Up to a certain extent, space will determine the type and number of ergonomic equipment you can bring in and the arrangement that will maximize that space. Lighting, and how much you have of it and what the source is, will also determine the ergonomic arrangements you do. Finally, the daily activities of your employees must serve as a guide as you design your ergonomic space.

If you need guidance, we can help you work with what you currently have in your workspace, making sure that the ergonomic enhancements you do will work with your current setup.

How long does it take?

This will largely depend on the space you have and the type and number of equipment that you need. Based on experience, the MotionGrey team can install about 50 desks in 2 days—it might take a weekend, or longer, depending on your requirements and the requirements in your workplace.

How much does it cost?

This will depend on several factors, such as the type of desks and chairs that will be installed in your workplace, and the number.

Prior to doing the enhancement, we can work with you on the budget that you have. You can check our catalog for the different options you can choose from, or you can reach out to us directly so we can plan and work on the best options for you and your organization.

Is it worth it?

This is perhaps the very first question you have in mind. And the answer is YES. It’s been proven by studies and researches that poorly designed workplaces can have long-term negative effects on employees, and that some companies actually spend a lot on healthcare costs that can otherwise be avoided and mitigated had the workplace been better designed ergonomically.

An ergonomic enhancement in the workplace is a worthy investment that pays off in the long run—in happy and healthy employees that do not get sick as often, take fewer sick leaves, and are more productive and more creative in the work that they do.

We invite you to think about the items we enumerated above and consider them carefully as you prepare for doing ergonomic enhancements in your workplace. Feel free to reach out to us for any other questions you may have.