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Poor posture is a common problem in the workplace, resulting in back pain in half of all working Americans and a further 264 million lost workdays each year — the equivalent of two workdays for every full-time worker in the country, Forbes reports. Taking care to encourage your employees to maintain good posture can help them stay healthy and boost workplace productivity.
Maintaining strong shoulders can be really helpful for maintaining good posture and reducing back pain. When the back and shoulders are healthy, it’s simply more comfortable for your body to hold them up properly. You can help encourage your employees to build strong shoulders by providing the right equipment in the workplace gym. In particular, gymnastic wooden rings are an effective way to strengthen the shoulders. They’re easy to use and great for moves like ring rows, ring dips, pull-ups, and both front and back levers. Gymnastic rings also have the benefit of providing instability, which forces the muscles to work together to provide balance and stability, strengthening the muscles faster.
Positioning computer screens correctly helps improve posture and avoid neck strain — something commonly caused when monitors are too high, too low, or too far away. The average human head weighs around 12 pounds. Your head places almost 50 pounds of pressure on your neck whenever it’s bent at 45 degrees. This strains the neck and shoulders and negatively impacts breathing and mood. To alleviate unnecessary stress, the screen of each employee should be positioned directly in front of them, so the top of the screen meets their eye level. This will prevent them from tilting their neck or head, which causes eyestrain, headaches and neck problems. They may also need to use a monitor stand or adjust their chair height accordingly. Additionally, the keyboard should be placed directly in front of the employee with the mouse close to them to prevent overreaching and straining the arms, shoulders and neck.
Sitting for long periods of time can place excessive strain on the body — no matter how ergonomically-friendly your workplace is. Prolonged sitting causes the blood flow to slow down and the abs to weaken, and can even decrease life expectancy. It’s therefore important to encourage your employees to take regular breaks to move and stretch their bodies — this will boost productivity and reduce fatigue. Moreover, encouraging employees to take short walks on their lunch breaks is a great way for them to get in some light cardio exercise.
Poor posture is all too common in the workplace where days are primarily sedentary. By taking the time to encourage healthy workplace habits that protect posture, you can boost the long-term health and productivity of your employees.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
