Westminster Compliance

Poor desk side posture is a major factor in workplace associated injuries and health problems. At work, problems can occur when employees adopt poor posture through use of badly adjusted chairs and work stations, and from spending long periods working in one position forcing the body to put up with it, which can only make matters worse.

As we get tired through the working day and our muscles start to fatigue, we are more likely to slip into bad habits at our desk, slumping down in our chairs, over-reaching for our keyboards and mouse or balancing the phone under one ear as we try to finish an email at the same time to meet an urgent deadline. Unfortunately once you start to suffer posture problems, there is likely to be a knock on effect as you adopt an awkward posture to relieve pain, only to cause problems elsewhere.

It can be hard to concentrate, get motivated and creative when distracted by aching muscles. When you don’t feel at your best you don’t perform at your best and the quality of work may start to suffer to.

Maybe some of your employees are already experiencing one of the common “desk based” injuries such as back, neck, shoulder, wrist pain, or are suffering from an overuse injury such as RSI or frequent headaches from stress and tension in the workplace?

An effective way to overcome these types of problems and get you feeling great again might be to have a massage at work. However by creating an easy and quick risk assessment this is a simple and low cost way to find out how best to stop the stress or injuries of employees. This will, in turn, enhance your employee health and help to boost morale in the workplace.

Research from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) shows that one in four people (25 per cent) in the UK regularly work all day without taking a break and are thereby putting their health at risk.

The poor work habits revealed in the research, such as not taking sufficient breaks, working in the same position for extended periods, going to work when ill or stressed and not taking enough exercise, pose serious risks to health which can also cause huge costs for employers.

The UK wide survey for the CSP shows that over a third (36 per cent) of staff regularly work through their lunch break and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) take no lunch break at all. Half of those who work through their breaks (50 per cent) do so because they have too much work to do, while almost a third (31 per cent) say it is because there are too few staff to cover the workload.

The CSP, which last year launched its Fit for Work campaign, says UK workers are increasing their risk of chronic musculoskeletal disorders (such as on-going back pain), obesity, cancer, depression, heart disease, diabetes type 2 and stroke through poor working practices. Sickness absence and sickness presence, when staff come to work feeling unwell, is costing employers and society over £35 billion every year in reduced performance and productivity, sick pay and benefits.

Physiotherapists advise that ill health could in many cases be avoided if workers and employers adopted healthier working practices. Early intervention, through rapid access to treatment, is also vital in the case of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and can prevent common problems such as back pain becoming long standing, disabling conditions.

Ben Willmott, senior public policy advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) comments:

“These findings should ring alarm bells for employers. A certain level of pressure at work is of course desirable. However when the pressure people face regularly exceeds their ability to cope, in other words stress, it is likely to lead to time off work and is linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety and heart disease.

“Employers should ensure their line managers have the people management skills to prevent pressure becoming stress and to identify the early warning signs if people are struggling to cope at work. Organisations that support employee wellbeing through providing flexible working and encouraging and supporting staff to make healthier choices over diet and exercise will also benefit from a more resilient and productive workforce.”

It is a fact that poor desk side posture is a major factor in workplace associated injuries and health problems.

Whilst at work, problems can occur when workers adopt poor posture through use of badly adjusted work stations and chairs, and also from spending long periods working in one position which can only make matters worse. As people get tired through the working day and muscles start to fatigue from the long periods of staying at our workstations, they are more likely to slip into bad habits, slumping down in their chairs, over-reaching for their keyboards and mouse or balancing the phone under one ear trying to finish an email at the same time to meet an urgent deadline.

Sadly as they start to suffer posture problems, there is likely to be a knock on effect by adopting an awkward posture to relieve pain, only to cause problems elsewhere. There are workers already experiencing one of the common “desk based” injuries such as back, neck, shoulder, wrist pain, or are suffering from an overuse injury such as RSI or frequent headaches from stress and tension in the workplace.

It can be hard to concentrate, get motivated and creative when distracted by aching muscles. When you don’t feel at your best you don’t perform at your best and your work may start to suffer along with you. An effective way to overcome these types of problems and get you feeling great again might be to have a massage at work. However by creating an easy and quick risk assessment there is a simple and low cost way to find out how best to stop the stress or injuries as detailed above. This will enhance your employees health and boost morale in the workplace.