Atrophy
by Taylor Zajonc
Randy Grunhurd, co-owner of Blackburn Office Equipment, pulled out an executive chair with so many levers, twists and pneumatic swivels that it looked like it not only guaranteed a comfortable day at the desk, but could also do his taxes and run minor errands.
The evolution of the chair parallels the modern office. As work environments have become operated by mouse and keystrokes, chairs have changed to support workers’ bodies. Experts have found, however, the advancement of chairs comfort and support has not been enough to offset the increasing amount of hours workers spend without moving.
People are no longer forced to move around the office as part of their jobs.
“Fewer people work in factories,” said Richard Bulcroft, a sociology professor at Western Washington University. “The service sector economy has exploded since the second World War, and that includes office jobs.”
Instead of moving around in the office, workers are wasting away in their chairs, said J.R. Rawitzer, president of Trico Office Interiors.
“Technology has changed the office so much,” he said. “People used to type on typewriters. They used to be reaching for paper, white-out. Now, things are done with a keystroke.”
The transition from factory jobs to service and information sector jobs gave birth to the field of ergonomics, a science designed to increase the productivity and comfort of the office worker.
“Ergonomics, very basically, is the relationship between man and machine,” Rawitzer said. “In our case, we have skewed that to mean between the person and their work environment.”
Office chairs are the contact point in this science, the one place where the worker is in constant and direct connection with the workplace. Most chairs are specifically designed to maximize efficiency and minimize injury by having several adjustments that can be made for the individual user.
Although these adjustments might include anything from lumbar support to swivel arm rests, height and back adjustments are among the most important according to Occupational Health & Safety Magazine. Having sufficient back support as well as height adjustment for individual users are necessary features of an ergonomic chair.
Valerie Harding, a masseuse who speaks about productivity to local businesses, said the real problem is offices are becoming too ergonomic.
“Many offices have everything within reach,” Harding said. “The person is just sitting there. The problem is not because they’re with an incorrect setup, but rather because it makes the person too comfy and they don’t move.”
After 20 minutes doing one thing, in one position, the brain becomes bored and muscles start shutting down. Harding recommends workers schedule frequent breaks.
“Even if they just stand up and walk around a bit, and sit down again, it’s enough to reset the brain. No work is lost, in fact, it makes things more productive,” Harding said.
Michael Karlberg, a professor of communications at Western, said he has struggled with back pain for many years. Despite buying different types of chairs, reading books by experts and experimenting with different office setups, he has found the best approach is to keep moving.
“There have been studies that show that people who sit on hard, wooden chairs actually can do better than people who sit on soft, comfortable ergonomic chairs because people in the hard chairs squirm and move, and they don’t sit perfectly still,” Karlberg said.
The direction ergonomics has taken is to make a workers’ space as comfortable as possible. This comfort, however, has not necessarily promoted good health.
