Putting the Human Back in the Workplace
University ergonomics task force mediates conflict between workers and technological trends
By Holly Krambeck
This baby rolls! You park in front of a neighbors office, showing off your test-drive model. Nice color, comfortable ride, cool accessories, perfect size... yes, you will definitely call up the ergonomic office supply center and tell them that this designer chairs a keeper.
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Just as you can buy environmentally-correct recycled paper from politically-correct companies, now you pat yourself on the back for purchasing ergonomically-correct office equipment. But, do you really know what ergonomically correct means? According to Karen Allen, head of the University of Virginias Ergonomics Task Force, chances are you dont. Because if you believe that ergonomics is about preventing work-related health disorders (such as carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain) through use of more comfortable chairs and properly adjusted computer screens, then youre missing the point. In reality, no matter how many pieces of ergo-friendly office equipment you have, if you have a computer job, you are still going to be working at a repetitive (and therefore injury inducing) job for hours, days, and maybe even years. What ergonomic measures do, in terms of physiology, is simply delay inevitable injuries. Allen claims that ergonomics true value lies more in its psychological benefits, as there is no scientific proof to support ergonomics claimed physiological benefits: "There are no promises, no guarantees." Ergonomics is about emphasizing the human element in increasingly mechanized and impersonal work environments.
The University of Virginias Ergonomics Task Force is at the forefront of the ergonomics revolution, as the team boasts an award-winning Web site and will soon host Virginias first annual Ergonomics Conference. Karen Allen, a certified physical therapist, founded the team in 1992, partly in response to the low university-wide work morale caused by state cutbacks and wage decreases. The team, then consisting only of four members, would go to various University departments and work with employees on a one-on-one basis, evaluating their needs, listening to concerns and trying to make their working environment as comfortable as possible. The idea was that workers would perform much better if they knew that others genuinely cared about them. And the idea apparently worked; soon after the team began its work, positive responses came pouring in.
Today, the Ergonomics Task Force is composed of 12 people from diverse departments such as architecture, physical therapy, purchasing, occupational health, and facilities management. Together, at monthly meetings and conferences, they brainstorm better ways of helping workers overcome increasingly impersonal work environments. Methods they have come up with include issuing standardized ergonomic evaluation forms, holding public-awareness seminars, encouraging managers to purchase ergo-friendly office furniture, redesigning office spaces to promote increased human interaction and teamwork, and most important, continuing the one-on-one consultations.
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Mary Ann Couch, a soft-spoken Virginian who has worked many years in cataloging at the universitys Alderman Library, is eager to express her praise for the Ergonomics Task Force. Ever since the first hulking PC was plunked on her desk, her work environment had grown increasingly disagreeable. As her managers sought to adjust office conditions to suit the expensive computers needs, catering to the workers became secondary. Shades were permanently drawn over the windows, severing the streams of sunlight that used to pour into the office, air temperatures were lowered, and impersonal security systems were installed. Couch grew increasingly sedentary, for computers eliminated her need to replace typing ribbons, visit colleagues, or deliver messages. After just a few years, she developed carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of the repetitiveness of her computer work and had to take some time off. Couch admits she was not very keen on returning, that is, not until she had a long talk with Rose Salmon, promotions head of the Ergonomics Task Force. After repeated consultations, Salmon was able to prescribe various stretching exercises, ergonomic accessories, and specific tips that would make Couchs work more agreeable.
Now, Mary Ann Couch works at a comfortable workstation complete with an ergo-friendly chair and a dolly board. When visitors stop by her station, shell proudly point to the ergonomic wrist pad at the foot of her keyboard and ask, "Do you know why we call em dolly boards? Cos theyre filled with silicone -- like Dolly Parton." Couch speaks very highly of Salmon and follows most of Salmons ergonomic advice. But although she admits that Salmons suggestions may not cure her carpal tunnel disorder, she still greatly appreciates the special attention. Suprisingly, there is one piece of advice Couch refuses to follow, that is, to take more breaks. Now that she is in a more comfortable work environment and knows there are people looking out for her welfare, Couch finds she simply doesnt need to take as many breaks as she used to. Budget constraints and resistance from department managers are among the greatest obstacles facing the Universitys Ergonomics Task Force. As the team does not have enough money to redesign every office and computer lab on grounds, it depends on department managers to include ergonomically correct equipment in their budgets and to schedule seminars for their employees. But, since ergonomics is, in Allens words, a "warm and fuzzy" science, encouraging office managers to sacrifice time and resources can be difficult. So, a productivity spin has been added to the ergonomics mantra: "Invest in your employees and reap the returns!" This approach has proved successful in persuading penny-pinching managers. Unfortunately, the profit focus has obscured the true point of ergonomics. Designer chairs become quick commercial fixes for adding a human element into the work place. Aside from overcoming these obstacles, perhaps the greatest goal for ergonomic tasks forces all over is to better promote what it is that ergonomists truly seek to accomplish: to encourage efficiency-driven managers to consider basic human needs in the workplace. If workers and employers continue to believe that ergonomically sound work environments are achieved simply by buying trendy equipment, then once ergonomic trendiness fades into new-age obscurity, the ideals of the task forces just may fade too. And where would that leave the poor worker, sitting in a space-age chair, encircled by cubicle walls, chained to her computer, and yearning for the sun?To check out the University of Virginias Ergonomics Task Force Web site, go to: www.virginia.edu/~enhealth/ERGONOMICS/taskforce.html