Workplace Ergonomics
Open concept ergonomics work wonders
In the modern age, the workplace is a reflection of society. Hierarchy and competition abound as more doors are shut and locked to the point where the average person feels shut out, scared and discouraged in the office.
Virtually every company or government office has security passes to enter the buildings. Many higher security establishments may have eye scanning retina software, which is essentially like a fingerprint; used for access in more top secret lines of work. Many companies have to be careful so their research and development ideas are not stolen from outside sources, or internal employees. Society has created a culture of lower emotions, so man should not be surprised that this is part of day to day life.
This narrow minded, non-trusting view has trickled down from the most secure government facilities, down to the private sector and beyond. Trust has become a word used as much as the word value or honesty is these days. Decency and integrity have been compromised by technology and paranoia.
The purpose of security is to protect information, and the employees. This however, has an effect on the behaviour of the average human being as they start to constantly look over their shoulder, especially if some sort of emergency (for example a fire threat) ensues. Trust isn’t even explored at this point, and safety and self-preservation come to the forefront. It’s been implanted over many years in the consciousness of people, so now it’s accepted as
standard.
All these ways of life are the result of lower emotions.
It’s gone so far as many employees have to go through a security gate for their vehicle, a security turnstile to enter the building, and possibly a number of other doors to get to their office, or access whatever they need to for the day. The situation comedy Get Smart starring Don Adams as agent 86 conceived in the mid 1960’s had the agent going through a number of security doors to get to his work. At the time, this idea was thought absurd, and would never happen, yet because of the negative media spillage throughout the world it has indeed become reality.
In addition, it’s not uncommon for employees working in different departments, in a building with only a few floors, to never meet each other. Even over a period of decades! There are doors everywhere, each with their own security code, and walls erected to keep people from talking to one another. Cubicles are raised to ensure the employees privacy, but it also keeps out person to person interaction. The companies that do lower the cubicle walls only do so to ensure they can physically see the person working at their cubicle, thus to ensure maximum stress and production of the employee. Those companies have very high turnover rates of employees.
This approach to life must begin to stop.
Each and every person has a life outside of work (in most cases) and people are generally sociable creatures, not hermits. Old ways of doing things need to be re-thought and new bright ideas must be brought to the forefront.
Virtually every company or government office has security passes to enter the buildings. Many higher security establishments may have eye scanning retina software, which is essentially like a fingerprint; used for access in more top secret lines of work. Many companies have to be careful so their research and development ideas are not stolen from outside sources, or internal employees. Society has created a culture of lower emotions, so man should not be surprised that this is part of day to day life.
This narrow minded, non-trusting view has trickled down from the most secure government facilities, down to the private sector and beyond. Trust has become a word used as much as the word value or honesty is these days. Decency and integrity have been compromised by technology and paranoia.
The purpose of security is to protect information, and the employees. This however, has an effect on the behaviour of the average human being as they start to constantly look over their shoulder, especially if some sort of emergency (for example a fire threat) ensues. Trust isn’t even explored at this point, and safety and self-preservation come to the forefront. It’s been implanted over many years in the consciousness of people, so now it’s accepted as
standard.
All these ways of life are the result of lower emotions.
It’s gone so far as many employees have to go through a security gate for their vehicle, a security turnstile to enter the building, and possibly a number of other doors to get to their office, or access whatever they need to for the day. The situation comedy Get Smart starring Don Adams as agent 86 conceived in the mid 1960’s had the agent going through a number of security doors to get to his work. At the time, this idea was thought absurd, and would never happen, yet because of the negative media spillage throughout the world it has indeed become reality.
In addition, it’s not uncommon for employees working in different departments, in a building with only a few floors, to never meet each other. Even over a period of decades! There are doors everywhere, each with their own security code, and walls erected to keep people from talking to one another. Cubicles are raised to ensure the employees privacy, but it also keeps out person to person interaction. The companies that do lower the cubicle walls only do so to ensure they can physically see the person working at their cubicle, thus to ensure maximum stress and production of the employee. Those companies have very high turnover rates of employees.
This approach to life must begin to stop.
Each and every person has a life outside of work (in most cases) and people are generally sociable creatures, not hermits. Old ways of doing things need to be re-thought and new bright ideas must be brought to the forefront.
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A good start is having an open concept interior of a building. One where the people from one department can meet the people of another – even if they are on a different floor – without stressing too much about it. For example if one
department is on the fifth floor, and another on the first floor, the design of the building should be of one that encourages interaction. How about a games room for breaks or lunchtime? Something that has a ping pong table to help relieve the stress a typical workday can produce. |
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Elevators should be encouraged to be used only by people that absolutely need them. The
rest can use the stairs. This would go a long way to shedding weight across any nation. The stair well should not be some deep dark dungeon like area, where there are no windows or proper ventilation. Architects should design dynamic buildings that have the stairs wide open to the view of every floor, essentially an open air staircase. This would encourage a happy, less stressful environment and may even allow some people to say good morning to each other that otherwise would have had no idea who they were.
People should be encouraged to share and cooperate. This will eventually result in the
virtual and physical walls being breached and communication and happiness being restored. Remove some of the doors with security on them and allow a more trusting, empathetic environment. If everyone felt this way, theft would decrease, interaction, health and state-of mind would increase, and folks may even not mind going to work.
Achieving these objectives is just a start in the dawning of a new era that must be envisioned so people don’t feel like robots when they go through the same routine to get to and from work. If these types of initiatives are not met in the near future, employee retention will decrease even further and morale will hit new lows.
Envision if you can, having a cheerful security person when the building is entered by employees. That will make a difference at the start of each day, rather than a cold, technological gate to pass through. Is it a step backwards to do this? Or is the security gate the step backwards? Surely the answer is the security gate, unless you like talking to a piece of metal as your badge is scanned.
The basic message is to make life fun again, even at the work place. Encourage interaction before people sit down at their seats. This will make the workers want to come to work, and allow better cooperation and communication and above all trust and sense of self-worth in the workplace.
rest can use the stairs. This would go a long way to shedding weight across any nation. The stair well should not be some deep dark dungeon like area, where there are no windows or proper ventilation. Architects should design dynamic buildings that have the stairs wide open to the view of every floor, essentially an open air staircase. This would encourage a happy, less stressful environment and may even allow some people to say good morning to each other that otherwise would have had no idea who they were.
People should be encouraged to share and cooperate. This will eventually result in the
virtual and physical walls being breached and communication and happiness being restored. Remove some of the doors with security on them and allow a more trusting, empathetic environment. If everyone felt this way, theft would decrease, interaction, health and state-of mind would increase, and folks may even not mind going to work.
Achieving these objectives is just a start in the dawning of a new era that must be envisioned so people don’t feel like robots when they go through the same routine to get to and from work. If these types of initiatives are not met in the near future, employee retention will decrease even further and morale will hit new lows.
Envision if you can, having a cheerful security person when the building is entered by employees. That will make a difference at the start of each day, rather than a cold, technological gate to pass through. Is it a step backwards to do this? Or is the security gate the step backwards? Surely the answer is the security gate, unless you like talking to a piece of metal as your badge is scanned.
The basic message is to make life fun again, even at the work place. Encourage interaction before people sit down at their seats. This will make the workers want to come to work, and allow better cooperation and communication and above all trust and sense of self-worth in the workplace.
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