An epiphany from my past

Back in the late eighties my company brought in a chiropractor to give a lecture to interested employees about back pain and how to avoid it. I went to listen, and learned about proper sitting positions and the like: the way you sat at your computer, it turned out, was critical to keeping your spine in good shape. And then I noticed two things: first, the chairs we all had – luxurious, amply padded ones – were definitely not what this guy was advocating; and second, almost all the attendees already had lower back pain; folks who weren’t suffering remained blissfully unaware of their peril. I suddenly realized how silly the situation was!

I went to management and pointed out that instead of giving us unhealthy chairs and then lecturing to folks that had born the damage, we would be better off buying everyone healthier chairs and avoid the problem proactively. To their credit, managers concurred; we replaced all the chairs in the building with ergonomic ones (which were actually even cheaper than the posh “manager” chairs we had before).

So then people (this time, myself included) started coming down with CTD – Carpal tunnel damage due to extended typing in the wrong wrist position. This time I reacted fast: I talked the company into distributing wrist pads to all employees – and extra ones to take home if they had a home computer. This added touch, of course, drove home to them that we meant business: healthy computer usage was important to us.

The Maya astronaut

Still, then as now, one factor threatens to thwart all attempts to keep people healthy: people themselves. Even after seeing their coworkers going about with all sorts of wrist support bandages, people ignore proper ergonomics. All too often I see knowledge workers sitting at their workstation in a position I like to call “the Maya astronaut stance”. This is after the famous relief on the sarcophagus of Pakal, ruler of Palenque; it shows a reclining figure that “ancient astronaut” enthusiasts like Erich von Däniken interpret as an alien astronaut at his spaceship’s controls. I compare this pose to that of computer users who slouch in their chairs looking up at their screens, in total defiance of proper ergonomics. In my experience, it’s hard to make them change their entrenched ways. And then they get back and wrist pain…

What you can do about this

As an individual, of course, you can and should pay attention:

The way you sit and type can definitely prevent or promote serious health issues that can take months to cure – and at times stay with you for life.

And as a manager, you owe it to your employees (and to your stockholders, indirectly) to make them work in a healthy way. Here is what you might do:

• Procure proper ergonomic chairs (with fully adjustable backs and armrests) and other ergo gear.
• Train employees in how to type responsibly – I won’t repeat the advice, it’s easy to find.
• Institute stretching breaks – if done properly this can be a fun activity for all.

When I was a manager I paid much attention to this matter. I encourage you to do the same – your people will owe you more than they realize!