ABSTRACT
The science and practice of ergonomics focusses on the worker as the most important component of the office and adapts the office components, environment and work systems to the workers involved to optimise their health and safety, productivity, efficiency, acceptance and ultimately quality of life. Traditional cell-based and open-plan office design, where each worker is allocated an individual ergonomic seated workstation, has been undergoing rapid change over the last 20 years, with an increased availability of ergonomically designed sit-stand and active workstations to optimise regular posture change for the worker; as well as a transition to alternate office designs such as activity-based working (ABW) environments. This latter change has led to ergonomic and health and safety challenges for organisations and workers as they move between different work and social areas to meet the activity or task at hand. More recently the response of government and organisations to COVID-19 was characterised by a rapid shift of workers from the office to a home ‘office’ environment, one which may not fit the worker ergonomically and which could result in an increased prevalence of MSD, posing a challenge to both organisations and workers. This chapter will look at the benefits of ergonomic design, how it can support high-performing workplaces both at the standard office building and in alternative workplaces and recommendations for its implementation.
