I am writing this in response to Chantels post and christiana's response to that post

I definetely understand what you are trying to say with this Christiana, because i to had to deal with one of those awkward “ergonomic” shovels. And i do believe that because it has become such a big thing recently, as you said already, manufacturers are taking advantage of this and making phony products.
Although, i do have an image i found online at http://www.hightech.fi/direct.aspx?area=htf&prm1=374&prm2=article and as far as i can see it does not look comfortable. Maybe for short periods of time, but you have no backrest to lean back on to relax, to me this product looks like it was designed with good intentions but is one of those things that looks as though it was not well thought out. But i have noticed chairs that have a similar set up, but with a backrest; the seat is adjustable like the one shown in the image and it also has an adjustable back support with lumbar support.
Perhaps that’s part of what ergonomics is, is that it is a personal preference; maybe some people find those shovels to be of great use haha.

Stress is a part of workplace health that is often overlooked, and can usually be reduced quite inexpensively. Stress is one of those things that people don’t often think hard on and never realize that they are having more stress than is healthy for them.
If employers were to offer more flexible work environment, that could very well promote better productivity and better health. A flexible work environment could be in regards to hours, vacation time, or more freedom on how employees are to do their work. Another good way to reduce stress would be for employers to have good communication with their employees, so that if there is ever an issue the employees feel comfortable enough to speak to a supervisor, or whoever it may be, about it.

Wow, you guys have some great ideas going on here. I believe that Christiana makes a valid point in saying that the employee must act if they want something done.
In my opinion, employees should act if they expect to ever see any changes; maybe the employer may not see the problem, or never saw it as a problem, and so it takes initiative on the behalf of the employees to bring up the issues to their employer for the wanted changes to come about.
Perhaps if work place health, and ergonomics were promoted more by government agencies or third party agencies work place health would be a lot more common.

Government Support

In my last blog, I forgot to mention that there are many resources in Canada that are willing to help companies (loosely translated employees) set up healthy workplace initiatives. For example, the National Quality Institute (NQI), whose Mission statement is to "Helping Canada live and work better". One of the product and tools that they offer is a "Healthy Workplace". There are of course government organizations like Health Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

You never realise how many resources are available to pursue your ideas until you start looking. In looking at some of the ideas these agencies have in mind like "active living at work", "walking the talk", "size doesn't matter", and many others, I have gotten some ideas that I know I will pursue at my next job and even now at NAIT. What's even better is the resources these agencies are willing to share in helping us become more healthy. So really, we don't need to go far to effectively contribute to a healthy workplace.

The Employee Must Act!

It was good to note that employers are taking an active role in promoting healthy eating (Mah-E's post) and ergonomically designed offices (Chantal's post). However, the reality is most employers do not want to spend more on infrastructure for employees than they really have to. Working in an office environment for a number of years, I've noticed that the farthest employers are willing to go is to provide some sort of money for a "Welness Account" or ergonomic desk set up. For anything more than that - it's really up to the employee.

If employers pay more attention to the organization's benefit cost, they will see that about 70% fall into about 6 categories: cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive, cancer, and stress. These categories represent the most commom types of illness and injury employees experience in the North American workplace. Indirect productivity costs due to premature death and disability, due to physical inactivity and obesity, costs in the hundreds of millions. In the long run it's the employer that suffers in lost productivity and revenues.

It's sad that employers don't realise that the workplace is better-positioned to influence a large segment of the population. Larger employers, like Google, have the infrastructure, human resources, and support networks to encourage participation. So for most employees, the optimun opportunites will exist within their peer groups. This is really the strongest way to affect change, rather than waiting on the employer to provide a healthy workplace. Even with infrastructure in place, nothing will happen unless the employee ACTS!

Why Promote A Healthy Workplace?

We all know it is very important to promote a healthy work environment, but the question is why do have to promote a healthy work environment, what are the benefits?
There are two main benefits a Company's Benefit- Productivity and Performance and an Employees Benefits- ones health. Take a look at this article I found on www.fruitdrop.co.uk

Company Benefits - productivity and performance

Apart from being lower in calories than the usual office snack, the benefits of eating more fruit at work impact positively on business performance.

* A study carried out by health and well being proved that a healthy employee is up to 20% more productive than an unhealthy employee. Healthy employees therefore equal a healthy bottom line.
* Employees who look after their weight report less sickness absence than those classed as obese which means lower costs associated with illness and absence from work.
* Providing free fruit shows you care about the health of your staff who in turn feel more appreciated and motivated.
* The natural sugars in fruit allows us to think faster and remain alert longer which means no more afternoon slumps in energy and fuzzy brains.


Employee benefits - your health

We spend up to 60% of our waking hours at work so need
to eat 3 of our 5 A day at work.

* Eating more fruit and veg is the second most important cancer prevention strategy after giving up smoking.
* For each portion of fruit eaten there is up to a 40% greater level of protection against having a stroke.
* Having fruit at work means we are more likely to reach for a banana than something unhealthy and fattening from the vending machine.

What is Ergonomics?

When discussing the promotion of a healthy work environment, ergonomics is a term that is frequently mentioned. What is ergonomics, and how does it relate to a healthy workplace?

Ergonomics is the study of a worker’s environment in relation to his/her work demands. The purpose of ergonomics is to optimize work performance and prevent injuries that could worsen over time. The benefits associated with introducing ergonomic programs in businesses far outweigh the costs; therefore, it has become an increasingly popular trend.

Introducing an ergonomic program into a business involves three steps: Conducting an ergonomic assessment, redesigning workspaces, and training employees. Every workspace must be specifically designed for the individual using it. Employees also require training in order to know how to properly use their newly designed workspace. Common work related injuries such as back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain disorders can be avoided if employees are informed about ways to reduce strain caused by repetitive activities; an ergonomic assessment is a perfect way to not only show employees that their good health is a priority of the employer’s, but to kick-start a health conscious attitude at the workplace.

Businesses with ergonomic programs are able to reduce absenteeism and lower their costs for healthcare. Employees gain a great sense of importance when their employers take the time to tend to their individual needs; Therefore, ergonomics also increases contentment in workers and as a result they are more efficient and productive.

The image above displays an ideally ergonomic workstation (image taken from Wikipedia).

Good Start!

You have chosen an interesting area to investigate. More and more companies are realizing that offering exercise facilities and incentives really pays off.

Response to Google video

That was an interesting video about Google's proactive approach to encouraging their employees to get and stay fit. I like the fact that employees can go whenever they want to the gym. I've noticed it's becoming a trend for employers to provide infrastructure to creating such a supportive environment.

My last employer did this to a limited degree in providing locker and shower facilites. They also provided a "Wellness Account" of $500 per year that could be used to pay for the cost of a gym membership of personal trainer. By means of this approach, organizations are not forcing employees to participate in diet or fitness related activites. Rather, they are structuring their benefits programs and work environments to be more conducive to making healthy lifestyle choices.

Ayt my office building, there was no gym in the building or anyplace nearby. However, we had the advantage of the Legislative Grounds with its numerous paths with a park-like setting, and other connections to the city's bike path and walking trails. We all walked on our breaks. But the disadvantage was that we did not have flex hours to extend our breaks to allow adequate time to exercise.

One thing that could be done if there are no nearby gym facilites is to use a spare room for exercise equiptment. Having access to the these tools in the workplace will help employees fit time to exercise into their daily routine, and provide an outlet for stress relief. It's certainly better to head to the treadmill to let off steam rather than having a junk food fix.

I hope that my next employer has some of these ideas in the work environment! Who knows maybe Google needs some HR people to read the thousands of applications they receive every day. :)

In response to the second post i would like to say that i agree with you. I also believe that lots of employers have already taken note that healthy work environments promote more worker productivity. And i believe that lots of employers these days are making a real effort to promote a healthier workplace. Many companys these now offer bonuses based on company or individual progress, or other kinds of benefits such as free gym memberships and company outings.
I believe that the leading cause of low productivity in the workplace is worker dissatisfaction due to unfavourable work conditions, such as to many hours or having too much of a work load or maybe poor working conditions. If an employer were to notice these things and really do something about it, worker productivity would improve.

A Healthy Workplace - Blog 1

Businesses realize that in order to be successful, it has to retain and maintain a satisfied, motivated workforce. While they acknowledge that compensation, recognition, and advancement opportunities contribute to employee satisfaction and retention, the quality of the work environment must factor in as well.

Most Canadian workers spend more than half of their waking day, during a typical week, working and commuting to and from their place of work. When we look at the competing demands of work, family and/or personal responsibilites, it often mean less time or energy to be engaged in preventative behaviours like physical activity. These pressures not only make it difficult for a person to be active but often increases stress levels that can also lead to other physical and emotional health issues such as unhealthy eating, tobacco use and substance abuse.

So how do most employers cope with this situation? They allow staff to take a lead role in redesigning their work space to ensure it reflects the needs and wishes of the staff in creating a healthy work environment. This may involve focusing on a number of aspects of physical design such as lighting, color and art, and ergonomics, but it also allows for more proactive measures, for example, increasing physical activity and healthy eating, decreasing tobacco use and managing stress in the employeee population.

Some important contributing factors are as follows. Increasing employee's awareness of benefits and directing them to information and resources that will help them make wise decisions. There is the need to develop healthy living skills and provide internal support to maintain those practices. When employers create a supporting environment for employees to make healthy choices, it creates a new culture. Employers also need to provide information to assist employees in setting up policies and programs for healthy choices.

Hey Blogger Buddies! Check out this video on youtube, its about Google, which is considered the best place to work for. Google’s headquarters includes a fitness centre with free trainers, a volleyball quart, lap pools for exercise and 5 free doctors on site! Not only does Google promote a healthy environment, it also gives its workforce many incentives, which all equals great profit for the company and extremely happy employees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6h-gm01Fb0&feature=related