This end of financial year, invest in employee health & wellbeing

Forget the Australian Tax Office (sorry, accountants). If there’s one thing you should be focusing on this tax time, it’s your people. By looking after staff, you are looking after the bottom line. Employees who feel happy, healthy and engaged are more motivated and focused. They are also more innovative and creative, and more likely to stick around.

The good news is you don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars each year on wellness programs – gyms, health funds and yoga classes – to make a difference. Getting the best out of your people (and your budget) can be as simple as making small yet valuable changes to their physical working environment.

Ergonomic furniture is a great place to start. By investing in items that are flexible, adaptable and supportive, you will create an environment where people are happy and want to work. At the end of the day, it’s about building an office to fit your team, not the other way around.

Understanding how to get the best from your work environment can be confusing, so we asked our local expert Andrew Wilson (Osteopath & Ergonomist) for some valuable tips on how to improve your health and general well-being at work.

Get comfortable with adjustable office chairs

Let’s start with your office chair. We all know that poor sitting posture results in back and shoulder pain which in turn leads to lost time and productivity. Tax time is the perfect opportunity to invest in ergonomic office chairs that can be adjusted to support the way you work.

Key points for choosing an ergonomic office chair:

• • • There should be very good lumbar spine support without any pressure points from the seat or the backrest.
    • The controls and adjustments should be easy to use.
    • Variations of posture for different tasks are important. Office chairs should be easy to adjust and encourage regular movement.
    • A well-designed office chair should have some built in flexibility such as a synchronous action chair which moves as you move, providing support, comfort and postural variation.
    • Which-ever sitting posture you choose make sure you have regular activity breaks – at least every 30 minutes.

When setting up your new ergonomic office chair, try and have your feet flat on the floor, your hips slightly higher than your knees (with a forward slope on your thighs). There should be no pressure points on the seat that restrict your circulation. The back rest should support your lower back and pelvis and up to your mid back. The back rest should be used while you are in your usual working posture. The desk should be at elbow height with your arms relaxed and alongside your trunk. Andrew Wilson recommends the Buro Metro Task Chair: a fully adjustable comfortable seat or for during our EOFY 2019 Sale you’ll find it hard to resist our two $99 Winc Access Office Chairs (for a limited time only).

Take a stand with sit-stand desks

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you already know that too much sitting is bad news for Australian workers. Being sedentary for long periods has been blamed for everything from neck and back pain to obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. That’s why sit-stand desks are a must-have product for 2019.

According to Andrew Wilson, “regular variation between sitting and standing postures have benefits for comfort and productivity.” Did you know that spending more time standing and using your postural muscles during the working day can help to lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels?

A desk top sit/stand unit or desk is the perfect way to get more movement into your day.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your sit-stand desk:

• • • The optimum height is – desk surface at elbow height so when the shoulders are relaxed the forearms are parallel to the floor and rest comfortably rest on the desk.
    • Sit-stand desks should be adjusted to each user and for variations of posture throughout the day.
    • A good and well tolerated sit/stand schedule is 15-20 minutes of standing for every hour of sitting.
    • Whichever posture you choose – sitting, standing or high sitting (perching) make sure you have regular activity breaks – at least every 30 minutes.

Take the pressure off with ergonomic keyboards & mice

When it comes to good posture, it’s amazing the difference a few small changes can make. Take the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Kit. The negative tilt and inward angling of the keys automatically guides your hands into the most natural shape as they rest on the keyboard.

If you’re looking to elevate your ergonomics one step further, why not try a new vertical mouse offering next-level comfort and advanced ergonomics. Rise above discomfort with a vertical mouse designed to reduce muscle strain, decrease wrist pressure, and improve posture.

The end of financial year isn’t just about getting everything sorted for the Australian Tax Office (though that’s obviously important); it’s the perfect time to focus on your employees. You’ve got a great team, now support them with ergonomic furniture to ensure they work at their best and finish 2019 with gusto!

Still have questions? We’ll give you answers!

Join us on the ‘Winc Australia’ Facebook page on Wednesday 12th June at 12:30pm (AEST) for a Tax Time Q&A session with our tax expert Jason De Boer. Jason will be online to answer all your tax time questions. Click here to add the event to your Facebook calendar.