Worksite International Blog

Early on in my career as a certified professional ergonomist, I became fascinated by the value of ergonomics as a process change agent and influencer on many aspects of organizational design and management. There are several key concepts and people who helped me to formulate the Worksite International Ergonomics Process as it is today as reflected in the Ergonomics Process Influence Model. 

The State of Higher Education

We were already headed for a crisis in education before COVID hit. But that crisis has accelerated like so many other things this year.

Dozens and potentially hundreds of small four-year colleges are likely to go under within the next year, and others in the next five years, according to Frank Bruni, NY Times article (6/4/2020).

As the virus proliferates, so does online instruction, as it allows for learning in a safe environment at home, expanded enrollment, better access to financially strapped students and adults wanting continuing education.

The Era of the Remote Worker 

The era of the remote worker is here to stay. With it comes new responsibilities for all employers who are pivoting to remote work as a corporate strategy. In the last year, many have had to make the change from the office to working from home whether we had a home office or not.

The pandemic in America has deeply changed our work lives  Unfortunately, many people have become unemployed, others work tirelessly as they are essential to our daily lives. For those who are fortunate enough to continue to work most likely do so from home. 

COVID-19 has caused a significant and rapid paradigm shift which has resulted in rapid innovation and change in how we work, how we communicate and how we learn. It has thrust e-Learning into the forefront. 

This especially applies for remote workers. For this reason, e-Learning home-office ergonomics is an essential component of onboarding remote workers and training current workers! 

This country has been in a big “reset” lately! Everything has changed. To survive in our new economy, companies have had to become more mindful of the impact COVID-19 has had on their employees and customers. Companies thriving right now demonstrate agility, resilience, and a unifying purpose within their organizations and externally to their community. There is a significant emphasis on holistic wellbeing to include mental, physical, financial, and social wellness.

Businesses tend to be reactive when it comes to employee health and safety, mostly because they don’t budget for prevention. Employers typically wait to act until after a workers’ compensation claim occurs. By then, it is too late! Not only did the employer miss the early warning signs and an opportunity to prevent the injury, now the financial implications are real. In California, the average cost of a typical seated work injury is at least $40,000 per case, according to the California Division of Workers’ Compensation.

“We all know how to do our jobs, but no one has ever taught us how to work safely and with good ergonomics." ~ Alison Heller-Ono MSPT, CPE

Employers today face an ever-changing, complex work environment. The challenges are significant, ranging from new employment laws to changing work schedules allowing employees to work from anywhere at any time to a deepening multi-generational workforce. Beyond the human aspect is the rapid advances in technology, which we all must embrace. Employers must take these factors into account as the socio-technical system of work evolves, becoming more complicated into the next decade.

Under Federal Law, there are currently no regulations mandating ergonomics training for employees. However, there are OSHA standards in hazard awareness explicitly requiring employers to train employees in safe and healthy work practices. Exposure to ergonomic risk factors is a known hazard for many jobs. So, it makes sense to educate employees on how these exposures could impact them or cause a musculoskeletal disorder, and how they can minimize the risks.

Training is an investment in your employees, your most critical asset and provides an opportunity to truly enhance performance, knowledge, and skills. Choosing to make it voluntary or mandatory is important in experiencing the desired outcome. Employers most often choose to offer ergonomics training on a voluntary basis rather than making it mandatory. When training is voluntary, it diminishes the importance and makes it optional. By doing so, the message is clear, “You don’t really need this; we are offering this because we think we should."