When asking furniture buyers about who has access to sit-stand workstations, only 12% of respondents said that everyone has access to one, while over half of respondents said those who request or need one for medical reasons have access (Zerguine et al. 2022).

Why might only 12% of organizations give everyone access to a sit-stand workstation?

Many respondents said that a reason for not investing in sit-stand workstations was the financial implications it would impose. Another reason for not investing was that it was not a priority for the organization (Zerguine et al. 2022). 

In another study conducted by Zerguine et al. (2021), the barriers and benefits of sit-stand workstations from the perspective of furniture buyers was examined. Some potential barriers found were:  

• Design: Desks would have to be adjusted to the height of the user
• Research: The lack of firm regulations and guidelines
• User motivation: The sit-stand workstation will be used at...

Introduction

The neck is one of the most commonly targeted areas for office ergonomic interventions across the globe as it is susceptible to pain and soreness from a variety of sources.  In a study of over 600 European office workers, it was found that 56.1% of all the participants had some level of neck pain.¹

     However, not all of the factors related to the neck actually lead to neck pain!  According to a research study lead by Venerina Johnson, a premier researcher at Queensland University in Australia, there are specific key causes of most neck pain, and many of these causes only lead to significant pain in combination with other factors.²  

Individual Risk Factors

     First, a variety of factors associated with the individual can lead to neck pain.  Individual factors are characteristics of a specific person which might impact neck pain in either a positive or negative way.  These factors are extremely...

Maintaining a work : life balance.   

Managing work, time & task requirements for productivity is necessary to get your work finished.  It's also important to  separate your work from your non-work life. A few simple strategies can help you to stay focused and avoid distractions.  

Creating 'rituals' is the best way to create new habits. 

Humans are creates of habit, and our habits are triggered by a complex web of our thoughts and environment.  Habits are behaviours or thoughts that are repeated until they become automatic for us. The act of logging out of your computer, saying goodbye to co-workers at the end of the workday, walking out the door or getting into your vehicle, taking the commute home (and what you do on that commute) are all routines and there may be triggers that allow us to begin this transition.  Creating a ritual for yourself can help you shift between work and home-life. The...

I was really excited to learn the science of how our brains are wired; it fits perfectly to the ergonomic research we know; to avoid sitting for periods of longer than 25-30 minutes at a time for the health of our back, bodies and metabolism!  The POMODORO technique for focus and avoiding procrastination recommends that our focused effort is really only good for 25 minutes, then we should take a break for 5 minutes to let our brains switch to a 'diffuse mode' of learning and problem solving.  Moving the body during this 5 minute break will improve our posture, metabolism and neural pathways!

I found some fabulous free programs on Coursera (www.coursera.org) . With my 15 year old daughter also home now and adapting to a new way of learning, I thought we would both find some useful strategies in the "learning how we learn" course.  

The POMODORO technique made a lot of sense for both of us.  Dr. Barbara Oakley explains in her video ...