How to develop effective workspaces that boost employee wellness

Concerns about the health, productivity and safety impacts of a sedentary workstyle have increased in the last decade. Nearly everyone agrees that sitting at a desk for eight or more hours isn’t conducive to physical health, not to mention to productivity and comfort.

During that same prior 10 years, employer-sponsored wellness programs have gained in popularity, driving a growing number of organizations to seek the health benefits of alternative work-station approaches, including sit-stand desks, monitor arms, mobile desks and more.

Indeed, this transition is happening at record rates, with more than half of employers purchasing height-adjustable workstations. If your organization is investing in active furniture, then this Ergotron whitepaper—Develop Effective Workspaces that Boost Employee Wellness—is essential. It offers an implementation guide from which you can test your concepts and plan your initiatives.

You’ll learn:

• To start with the “why.” Define a purpose for making height-adjustable furniture available to employees. Rather than focusing on reducing healthcare costs or the need to stay competitive with other employers, try to connect with a deeper mission of supporting employee comfort, health and well-being.
• The importance of setting goals with measurable outcomes. Use a vision statement to develop clear and measurable program goals. Sample Vision: To provide employees with home or office workspaces that prioritize movement and comfort. Sample Goal: Provide all employees with the option to adopt a height-adjustable desk within the next 12 months.
• To create policies that support movement. Organizational permission to move more is a primary enabler to sitting less at work.
• To work with various groups within the organization, like wellness, IT, facilities and leadership, and discuss how each group or individual can support successful program execution.
• To communicate your objectives. Have an official kickoff to announce the program and get employees excited. Share the goals and how each goal will be measured.
• Why it’s important to evaluate the results. Measure how many employees were invited to participate in the program and how many accepted. Use surveys to track changes in sitting/standing and the reduction in muscle pain and strain.

Launching a workspace wellness program at your company is a great way to improve employee comfort and ergonomics.  Download this guide today and ensure you develop and implement a workspace wellness program based on best practices and Ergotron’s vast experience helping other organizations.