Isn't this ergonomics stuff supposed to be about comfort? Why would anyone think I am purposely making myself uncomfortable?
"You mean to say that I should try to remove the broken glass from my chair prior to sitting down? I never thought of that. But should I keep pouring boiling water on my legs while I'm on the phone?"
If I were actually making myself uncomfortable, don't you think I would've switched positions? Of course I would!
If it weren't for the body of literature that workplace ergonomics has produced, we wouldn't have gems like:
-remember to take breaks
-clean your computer screen and position it so there's minimal glare
-"blink frequently to moisten and relax your eyes"
I resent it having a spelling so close to "economics" because these people are sort of insane. They are the workplace equivalent of religious zealots telling me I'm headed to their version of hell.
They claim this is about "efficiency" and "minimizing fatigue" (but, really, isn't it mostly about not getting sued?). You want people to work better, more efficiently? Give them some meaning in their jobs, not a handbook of at-your-desk exercises. And fatigue? These people aren't in an Ironman triathlon. They are sitting at a desk. And I don't think free drinks would ever hurt. Chocolate milk, especially.
We aren't going to end up killing ourselves by slouching in our chairs or being so ignorant as to not give ourselves the proper lumbar support. We'll kill ourselves by drinking ourselves into a stupor to forget about our pissy boss or by chain smoking to have a reasonable excuse why we should be allowed to escape the tedium of our work for a few extra minutes a day.
The problem isn't posture or ergonomics. It's fulfillment. Giving a worker something they really enjoy or actually hiring someone who does enjoy this kind of thing - something that lights their axons on fire or can see this as an end in itself, not just as a paycheck - is going to improve your bottom line more than a ergonomic consultant will. (You want a programmer who is actually programming in their spare time, right?)
A job doesn't have to be endlessly stimulating and exciting (and I doubt there's one that will ever be just that). But people who are genuinely motivated by money have probably found their way to an investment bank already. If you actually want to get the most out of your employees, understand what motivates them.
This is quite easy for me to say since I don't really have a job.
