Reshmi Shankar, Vice President & Head FMG and CMF, Facilities Management Group, Wipro Limited
Reshmi Shankar, Vice President & Head FMG and CMF, Facilities Management Group, Wipro Limited shares an example of how FM can intercede to improve productivity and protect employees’ health, no matter where they are working from.
In a world where technology is constantly advancing, people are spending more and more time sitting in front of computers. Office ergonomics has been an essential aspect of modern workplaces.
Through the pandemic period and even post that, with continued hybrid working , most of us end up using makeshift workstations that may not be designed with ergonomics in mind. For example, we may be working from a kitchen table, a couch, or even a bed, rather than a proper desk and chair while we ‘work from anywhere’.
Spending more time sitting in front of a computer with poor posture can lead to eye strain, headaches and fatigue. By understanding the importance of ergonomics and incorporating correct stretches and regular pauses into our workday, we can improve our health and productivity.
What is Office Ergonomics?
Office Ergonomic principles help to optimise the interaction between the worker and their work environment, taking into account factors such as posture, lighting and equipment design.
Why is it important?
Sitting for long periods of time can lead to discomfort, fatigue and even injury. Poor posture, repetitive movements and awkward positions can cause musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, neck pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. To address these ergonomic issues, it is important for us to set up an ergonomic workspace and take regular breaks to stretch and move around through the day.
At Wipro, we look at wellbeing holistically, connecting mind, body and community to help us focus on being healthy, feeling happy and living our life’s purpose.
As we assessed our risks in the post-pandemic hybrid world, and understood the importance of incorporating these practices, we introduced the ergonomic tool called ’Stretch and Pause’ under the Wipro Wellbeing initiative.
The intervention
Stretch and Pause is a desktop tool that appears in the form of an hourly reminder pop-up, on your laptop/desktop at regular intervals and helps you to take a break from work. These gentle non-intrusive reminders demonstrate easy exercises for eyes, neck, wrist, hands, legs, and the back that help to relax muscles and allows you to return to work with renewed energy.
Every hour, a short break with stretch and pause reminders, help improve circulation and reduce fatigue. Incorporating these simple, ergonomic tool based reminders into the workday can help reduce discomfort and fatigue, and improve overall health and productivity.
