--- title: Ergonomics is a Keystone Habit description: In addition to your employees playing “musical chairs” with their chairs, here are a few tell-tale signs your chairs are just not the right fit for employees. image: https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/blog/sitting-preferences-aid-in-chair-selection-and-fit-1.jpg --- [![Worksite International](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/branding/worksite-international-logo-712x255px.svg "Worksite International")](https://www.worksiteinternational.com) [** Search](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/search) | [Member Portal](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/member-portal) # Ergonomics is a Keystone Habit Posted by [Alison Heller-Ono](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/author/alison-heller-ono) on October 21, 2025 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Keystone Habit #1](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Keystone%20Habit%20%231.png?width=680&height=379&name=Keystone%20Habit%20%231.png) Many employers are concerned about how to get employees to change their unsafe work behaviors. This is demonstrated by poor postural habits, ineffective use of adjustable equipment, sedentary behaviors, and the onset of symptoms from poor work habits and practices. As ergonomists, we routinely include education and training on how to work safely using good habits in our assessments. However, it takes much more than a one-time evaluation to change employee behaviors! When we think of life-changing habits, we often imagine huge, daunting lifestyle overhauls. However, as Charles Duhigg explains in his book *The Power of Habit*, real transformation typically starts with small, fundamental routines known as “keystone habits.” These pivotal behaviors are powerful; once adopted, they often trigger a cascade of positive changes throughout other parts of life and work. #### Keystone Habits: The Catalyst for Lasting Change A keystone habit is one that, while minor, can spark broader shifts in routines and mindsets. Duhigg explains that focusing attention on these habits produces chain reactions: adopting just one can indirectly encourage the development of numerous other positive behaviors. This effect is magnified by the phenomenon of “small wins”—simple, successful changes that fuel momentum and build confidence, helping people believe that larger achievements are possible. #### Ergonomics: A Powerful, Overlooked Keystone Habit #### Ergonomics is all about aligning your workspace and activities to support your body’s health and comfort, instead of forcing your body to adapt to its environment. Teaching employees how to integrate ergonomic practices into their daily routine can serve as a true keystone habit.  Examples include using their sit to stand workstation several times a day, rather than once or twice a week.  Or adjusting the monitor for seated comfort and standing comfort through the day.  These small wins are crucial. With ergonomics, those minor victories—less soreness, better focus, fewer headaches—build momentum and encourage additional healthy choices. It is not only impactful on individual health, but organizational health  and productivity as work injury frequency and rates decline.  ### Real-World Examples #### Create an “Ergonomics Plan of Action” It is important to ensure employees understand what safe work practices and habits they need to perform following an ergonomic assessment. It is not effective to adjust equipment for employees (passive engagement) without providing essential training and education on how to actively make these changes independent of the ergonomist’s help. Their active participation is essential in the evaluation process and necessary to instill safe work habits and practices.  At the end of each evaluation, we ask employees to *identify the keystone habits *they will do in alignment with the adjustments and training they received during their assessment.  They complete a brief “Ergonomic Plan of Action”, a personal plan of changes with a focus on the habits they will practice. Then, the employee signs off on their commitment.  *"My Promise: I will take better care of my mind and body by doing more mindful work practice with good ergonomics and routine self-care including stretching, walking and postural changes through the day. " * *Your Name ___________________________________Date__________*   *![Keystone Habit #2](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Keystone%20Habit%20%232.png?width=591&height=301&name=Keystone%20Habit%20%232.png)* *Figure 1. An employee completes her "Ergonomics Plan of Action" following her ergonomic evaluation.* #### Macroergonomics as a Keystone Habit In my white paper, [*A Prospective Study of a Macroergonomics Process*](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/documents/case-study-a-prospective-study-of-a-macroergonomics-process.pdf), I explored how implementing ergonomic principles at an organizational level can drive widespread positive change. The study followed a government organization as it adopted a macroergonomics process—systematically redesigning workspaces, workflows, and organizational practices to put employee well-being and efficiency at the center. What we observed mirrored Charles Duhigg’s keystone habit framework in action. As ergonomic adjustments were integrated, employees began experiencing small wins: less discomfort, decreased fatigue, and improved posture. These early successes didn’t stop at the individual level. The process fostered a culture of proactive health and safety, encouraged open communication about process improvements, and led to increased engagement in wellness initiatives across the organization. Consistent with the principles behind keystone habits, the ergonomic changes served as a catalyst for broader transformation. Employees became more mindful not only of their own workstations but also of team workflows, job design, and break routines. Ultimately, the single keystone habit of prioritizing ergonomics unleashed a chain reaction, improving productivity, job satisfaction, and overall organizational health—demonstrating the ripple effect that keystone habits can have when embedded at both individual and systemic levels . These simple keystone habits over a five year period resulted in a savings of $15 million dollars in claim avoidance savings turning every dollar invested into a $10.00 savings! ### Conclusion: Make Ergonomics a Keystone Habit By recognizing ergonomics as a keystone habit, you can spark a ripple effect of individual and organizational holistic improvements. The journey to a healthier, more productive, and happier work life can start with something as simple as adjusting your chair or keyboard, standing more often at your desk, or taking brief walking breaks through the day. Small adjustments, repeated daily, lead to outsized benefits—a truth that lies at the heart of Duhigg’s message and the practice of good ergonomics. Start making ergonomics your keystone habit today. Download our free [Employee's Guide to Office Ergonomics](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/employees-guide-to-office-ergonomics) to unlock greater comfort, health, and productivity.![Employees Guide to Office Ergonomics](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Employees%20Guide%20to%20Office%20Ergonomics.jpg?width=458&height=310&name=Employees%20Guide%20to%20Office%20Ergonomics.jpg) Or [Contact Us](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/contact-us) to learn how you can build keystone habits for your team and help your organization thrive!   ### Comments ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Stay Connected - [![Connect on LinkedIn](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/ui/social-icons/social-media-linkedin-white-160pt.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-heller-ono-98a13a13/) - [![Follow on Facebook](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/ui/social-icons/social-media-facebook-white-160pt.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/worksiteinternational) ### Related Articles - [Why Every Office Ergo Assessment Should Begin With the Chair](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/why-every-office-ergo-assessment-should-begin-with-the-chair) - [Stop Playing Musical Chairs. Fit Employees to the Correct Seat!](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/stop-playing-musical-chairs.-fit-employees-to-the-correct-seat) - [When an Office Chair is On Its Last Legs](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/when-a-chair-is-on-its-last-legs) - [The 2025 Ultimate Buyer's Guide is Here](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/the-ultimate-buyers-guide) ### Topics - [Chair Assessment System (8)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/chair-assessment-system) - [COVID and Work (11)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/covid-and-work) - [Disability Management (3)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/disability-management) - [Ergo Process Metrics and ROI (3)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergo-process-metrics-and-roi) - [Ergonomic (17)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic) - [Ergonomic Certification (12)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-certification) - [Ergonomic Chairs (19)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-chairs) - [Ergonomic Evaluations (10)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-evaluations) - [Ergonomic Process (21)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-process) - [Ergonomic Products (8)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-products) - [Ergonomic Training (13)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomic-training) - [Ergonomics and Environment (3)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomics-and-environment) - [Ergonomics Community (4)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomics-community) - [Ergonomics Process Leader (11)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomics-process-leader) - [Ergonomics Process Metrics and ROI (2)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/ergonomics-process-metrics-and-roi) - [Goals (2)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/goals) - [Lab Ergonomics (2)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/lab-ergonomics) - [Macro-Ergonomics (13)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/macro-ergonomics) - [Musculoskeletal Disorders (14)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/musculoskeletal-disorders) - [Posture Awareness (5)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/posture-awareness) - [Psychosocial Risk Factors (4)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/psychosocial-risk-factors) - [Stand Up for Your Health (6)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/stand-up-for-your-health) - [Wellness and Well-Being (7)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/wellness-and-well-being) - [Work@Home Ergonomics (15)](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/tag/workhome-ergonomics) ### Recent Posts #### Stay Connected - [![Connect on LinkedIn](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/ui/social-icons/social-media-linkedin-white-160pt.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-heller-ono-98a13a13/) - [![Follow on Facebook](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/ui/social-icons/social-media-facebook-white-160pt.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/worksiteinternational) [Sign Up Here for Our Newsletter](https://share.hsforms.com/1F-B547aJTmKDUux3ensgOQ2fylq) #### Office: [(831) 648-8724](tel:1-831-648-8724) #### Mobile: [(831) 594-8842](tel:1-831-594-8842) [**](https://www.worksiteinternational.com/blog/ergonomics-is-a-keystone-habit#) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "contactPoint" : [ { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "areaServed" : "US", "availableLanguage" : "English", "contactType" : "sales", "telephone" : "+1-831-648-8724" } ], "legalname" : "Worksite International, Inc.", "logo" : "https://www.worksiteinternational.com/hubfs/images/ui/worksite-international-logo-512x217px.png", "name" : "Worksite International, Inc.", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/worksite-international-inc", "https://www.facebook.com/worksiteinternational" ], "url" : "https://www.worksiteinternational.com" } ```