Health and Ergonomics in the Workplace

Occupational health is an important part of employee wellbeing and safety. It helps ensure that the employee can go to work safe in the knowledge that the workplace has ensured that they comply with the Danish Working Environment Authority's requirements for correct working conditions. We cover everything from ergonomics, massage programs, mental well-being and job satisfaction, as well as advice on how you as a company can implement health-promoting measures in the workplace.

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Ergonomics in the office

According to the Danish Working Environment Authority, the general principle is that the work that needs to be done should be adapted to the person doing the work and not the other way around. Read more about MSB below.

What is MSB? ‍

MSD is an umbrella term for pain, stiffness and tenderness in the body's joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, bones and associated vascular and nerve supply.

What is work-related MSB?

Work-related MSB is one of the most common causes of long-term illness and there are several risk factors to consider. These include lifting, carrying, stretching, unilateral strain and/or inappropriate work and movement postures.

What are the risk factors for MSB?

Overloading these risk factors for MSDs increases the risk of early worker attrition - a situation you want to avoid. For example, by following recommendations for proper ergonomics in the office.

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What is a health promotion initiative?

As a health-promoting measure in the workplace, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure thatergonomic conditions , among other things, are in order. In other words, the employer has a duty to ensure that the office is appropriately designed, that tasks are appropriately distributed and that health and safety conditions are in place.

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Ergonomics and posture help improve health in the workplace

You'd think that sitting still would be the least stressful for the body, but you'd be wrong. Like the guy ropes on a tent, the body needs to be stretched out - in all its joints and edges.

For the manager

If your employees are primarily sedentary, it's important that you as a manager ensure that they have optimal conditions in terms of ergonomics and posture. Here are some workplace health initiatives you can implement to ensure your employees are working in the right conditions:

• Design the workplace so that employees can both stand and sit during the day

• Introduce walk and talk as part of the meeting culture

• Place printers and wastebaskets away from desks - this forces employees to stand up during the day

• Purchase height adjustable desks and ergonomic office chairs

As a manager, you need to be at the forefront of good initiatives to promote optimal ergonomics in the office, and if you implement these tips into your workflow, it's sure to trickle down the long office corridors or in the open plan office. Read more about how toset up youroffice correctly to ensure the right ergonomic conditions.

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For the employee

In addition to keeping your manager aware of the right ergonomics in the office, you as an employee can help prevent the risk of muscle and joint pain. You can do this by following these tips:

• Alternate between standing, sitting and walking

• Get your circulation going by taking the stairs instead of the elevator

• Take a detour to the cafeteria when you're thirsty for coffee

• Take a break and go for a walk in the fresh air

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Keep ergonomics in mind at your home workplace

Working from home has become commonplace in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown, and it's equally important to make sure your ergonomics are in order. It may be tempting to sit in the soft corner of the sofa, but in the long run, this inappropriate working position will take a toll on your body. So set yourself up with a desk, a good chair and remember to get up a few times during the day.

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Introduce health promotion in the workplace with the right benefits

As part of your company'semployee benefits program, as well as a health-promoting initiative in the workplace, you as a manager can offer your employees amassage scheme. A good massage strengthens muscles, joints and general well-being, and helps promote health in the workplace. Another workplace health initiative could be to have a good and healthy - and maybe even green - lunch program in the office, including fresh fruit throughout the day for your employees to enjoy.

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Mental health in the workplace

Workplace health should benefit both body and mind. There has been a decline in wellbeing in Danish workplaces, which makes it even more important for managers to take wellbeing in the workplace seriously. We spend many of our waking hours at work, so it's crucial for our mental health to be in a workplace where highjob satisfaction and well-being share first place with the company's other objectives.

In addition, what you put on your windowsill or on your desks is not unimportant. Green plants have proven to be a miracle cure - not just for the eye, but for wellbeing. The presence of green plants as part ofthe office interior helps to reduce stress and noise, among other things, and it's also attractive to potential job candidates when you're looking torecruit new employees.

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You enjoy the snail on Wednesdays - mental health in the workplace is enjoyed by your employees every day!

As a manager, you need to make sure that you have workplace mental health in mind when you come into the office every day. It's about ensuring that your employees are happy and that they have the rightmotivation in the workplace. It's also the company's responsibility to ensure that employees have a good collegial community and get on well with each other and their immediate managers. It's a good idea to have anemployee handbook that clearly describes rules, directions and company values.

We hope that you've learned a lot more about workplace health - for both body and mind - and that you will incorporate the above advice into your coworking space in the future.