What are the adverse impacts of ignoring ergonomic furniture and accessories? Observations

Injuries, ailments, low morale, dull ambience, high absenteeism, low productivity, and diminishing profitability are the adverse impacts of ignoring ergonomic furniture and accessories.

There are loads of adverse impacts of ignoring ergonomic furniture and accessories. Firstly, lack of ergonomic furniture and accessories leads to musculoskeletal disorders such as spinal tension, neck pains, tendonitis, backpains, and the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Secondly, if your workplace is devoid of ergonomic furniture and accessories, the probability of office injuries such as fractures increases. Thirdly, un-ergonomic working conditions can make employees obese, hypertensive, and prone to cardiac problems. And furthermore, without office ergonomics, employees go into a depressive mode, which impacts their productivity.

Ironically, there’s a misplaced belief among some people that ergonomic furniture and accessories are an expensive proposition. Well, that’s a rather cynical way of looking at them. What you should realise is the fact that quality comes at a cost, and it’s an investment rather than an expensive one. Ergonomic furniture and accessories, contrary to popular belief, help you save immensely on medical bills and furniture replacement costs. Needless to say, this is a guarantee to sustained returns-on-investment (ROI). So, if your office is functioning without ergonomic furniture and accessories, you are actually spending more than what’s required. Mind you, these overheads (medical bills and furniture replacement costs) are huge overheads, and impact your company’s profitability.

5 perils of ignoring ergonomic furniture and accessories

Office injuries and afflictions

Without ergonomic furniture and accessories, employees are susceptible to a number of office injuries and afflictions such as fractures caused by slips and falls; migraines caused by improper lighting; foot aches and swelling; tendonitis; and the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. One of the major tribulations faced by employees of un-ergonomic offices is a slouch which leads to spinal tension and neck pains. On the other hand, when people are forced to work without ergonomic furniture and accessories, they usually spend most of the time in ‘one-size-fits-all’ chairs. This leads to severe back aches, which can debilitate people for life. As far as ailments are concerned, un-ergonomic offices are the breeding grounds of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular illnesses.

Low morale, depressive tendencies, and low productivity

Unfit and unhealthy employees are victims of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and many other mental traumas. There comes a time when people begin to perceive work as a burden. The morale plummets and so does their zeal to perform at the professional front. Well, these psychological disorders can seriously hamper work-productivity and a company’s profitability.

Visual displeasure in the office premises

Sorrow is way too conspicuous to be ignored! It shows itself in the ugliest forms in un-ergonomic offices. Without ergonomic furniture and accessories, the office ambience looks very dull and boring. It’s more than enough to pull you down mentally; it distracts people from spending quality time at the workplace. It may even lead to absenteeism. Meanwhile, it’s always a sore sight when your employees are down with one affliction or the other. The gloom is visible on their faces. Sadly, it’s pervasive and makes the entire office gloomy.

High attrition and absenteeism

It sounds harsh, but no one likes to work in an office that teems with gloom and afflictions. And that’s enough for employees to switch loyalties on a regular basis. It has been noticed that offices where ergonomic furniture and accessories are used, hardly face any attrition or employee absenteeism. On the other hand, the opposite is the pinching reality in un-ergonomic ones. High attrition and absenteeism not only impacts a company’s profitability, but also dents its goodwill. Well, that can be a serious dampener!

Huge medical bills and furniture replacement costs

An office without ergonomic furniture and accessories renders employees ill, and companies are forced to spend excessively on medical bills. Secondly, un-ergonomic furniture isn’t durable and needs frequent maintenance. You may even need to replace it quite regularly. These two overheads add-up and give sleepless nights to managers and employers. Their impact is visible in a company’s reduced profitability.

Conclusion

We have analysed the adverse impacts of ignoring ergonomic furniture and accessories in offices. Well, you cannot procrastinate on this front. It’s better late than never.