Get More Productivity and Less Absence
I was at a meeting of chief executives recently discussing health problems arising from computer use. One CEO said he didn’t mind paying to fix problems but would not pay to prevent them. It was alarming to discover that intensive use of computers was actually the most common cause of absence from work in the UK.
The perspective of the CEO was that the cost of the injuries over a year was considerably less than the cost of providing a better working environment. Apart from a lack of concern for the people who were working for him you have to wonder if the sums really add up.
There is plenty of research data which shows the scale and cost of the problem. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, the Health & Safety Executive, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, produce regular reports. Musculo Skeletal Disorders or MSDs are the main problem. This includes back pain, Repetitive Strain Injury RSI, whiplash, and many other conditions including, tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, De Quervain’s syndrome, and many more.
Paul Goddard, Education Officer at Keytools and well known RSI expert claims that the majority of these problems are easily preventable. He says “It’s a bit like seatbelts; they are far more effective before you crash than after. Many companies are happy to adopt preventative strategies in other situations.
Your organisation very likely has a healthcare programme, safety training, fire extinguishers, and security systems all of which are there for “in case” something bad happens.” So why don’t employers do a bit more to make workstations easier to use and less damaging for employees?
It looks like many organisations have calculated the costs and obtained wrong results. If you get the sum of the wages, the wasted opportunity and the added work of the fellow worker, the bill for not working can be gained more than the prevention. Top organizations like Visa, HP and E-bay, that have utilized a their own position, the reality is their productivity improvements has been beneficial having cut their costs because of workers absence.
Case studies are now available that can demonstrate that organisations adopting a properly planned programme of office ergonomics, education, and the right equipment can expect an ROI within 2 years, a massive drop in problems with high-risk workers and a lot more money in the bank. For those better performing CEOs the statement is now “I paid to prevent it and now have no problem to fix!
The author, Paul Goddard is the UK’s foremost expert on assistive technology for people with RSI and his company, Keytools provides ergonomic keyboards and mice to assist with the prevention of RSI.
No related posts.