The Trigger Point & Referred Pain Guide # 18
Emma - Your Work Colleague
of the Future
(or could it be you ?)
Say hello to Emma, a life-sized representation of how we could look in 20 years’ time if we continue working with poor posture and inadequately set-up workstations.We have worked with a Behavioural Futurist and a panel of experts to create a report on how our health could be affected in the future based on our current working habits. From the findings of the report, Emma has been built to shine a light on how the human body could change, physically and visually, if we don’t begin to take ergonomics seriously and change the way we work.As part of the study, we have also commissioned a survey* to investigate the current and long-term health of office workers in the UK.
The survey has revealed that in the UK…
• We spend around 6 hours a day sat at our desks • Nine in ten British office workers are suffering from poor health due to their work environment, and as a result, find their job more difficult • Office workers are already suffering from strained eyes (50%), sore backs (49%) and headaches (48%) as a direct result of their workspace • Seven in ten workers are resorting to medication to manage these issues • Bosses are not doing enough to prevent workplace health issues – more than 25% employees have asked for their workstations to be improved and are still waiting for a resolution
It’s time to make a positive change
It’s too late for Emma now; but there are many things we can do to take better care of our health at work. We spend hours at work sat at our desks, but by introducing movement with a sit-stand solution, we can combat the health issues caused by sitting for prolonged periods. Ensuring our workstations are properly set up with the right ergonomic accessories will also ensure that our posture is correct at work; thus, helping to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal injuries and other illnesses.
Employers and employees both need to take some responsibility for healthy working. By taking an online healthy workstation assessment, moving around more, and taking regular breaks, we can avoid health problems as bad as those we thought we’d left behind in the Industrial Revolution!
Emma's Ailments
Based on the report, we have commissioned the build of a life-size model who we are calling “Emma”. Emma illustrates how inadequate workstation set ups can lead to office workers physically and visually changing, as a result of the poor office environment. Emma has:
