Comfort is Ergonomic™

Message from the Inventor of the Keynamics Laptop Stand

Back in the 90's, when I came up with the idea for a laptop stand  to be used with reclining office chairs at computer workstations and desks, I thought ergonomics was some sort of disease. Little did I know then, as we say now, Comfort is Ergonomic™.

It’s really pretty simple.  If you are not comfortable in your office chair, your body is telling you that something is wrong…something is not ergonomic about your present situation.

My journey through the development and marketing of my laptop stand has brought me to one main conclusion.  Nothing can improve ergonomics for the computer workstation or office desk better than a proper ergonomic chair – Experts will agree.

I am delighted to be aligned with Ergogenesis, manufacturer of the BODYBILT line of chairs.  The folks at Ergogenesis are promoting the same thing that we are saying with our laptop stand (which we actually borrowed form OSHA - The Occupational Safety & Health Administration):

1. -Frequently change your working posture (Active Ergonomics)

2. -Reclining (Open Posture) is a good position for working at computer workstations

I realized early on, that the BodyBilt chair had something unique going for it.  These chairs are built from MODULAR components, allowing interchangeability of the parts for a custom build, or retrofit for a new user, extending the life of the chair for business users when new employees come aboard.

I truly believe that this chair can not only help prevent musculoskeletal disorders, it may actually heal that damage that has been done by sitting in an unsafe chair.

My goal is to make you more productive at work (or home).  What if I could help you feel like you have "only" put in an 8 hour day, when actually you have worked for 12?

These Bodybilt ergonomic office chairs are the highest quality that money can buy - made in the United States.  If you are looking for a "one size fits all...feels like you've worked 12 hours when you've only worked 8...gonna fall apart in 12 months - $150 chair", go down to your local "Big Box" discount store and buy one.  Your chiropractor will love you for it ;)

I would like to extend an offer to our website visitors to take advantage of BODYBILT’S “no obligation chair trial”.  Please call or email one of our chair experts today for more details 1-888-660-5057.

"My BodyBilt chair heals me"

The Chair Experts

Articles

Questions and Answers, ErgoSolutions Magazine, ErgoBiz Perspectives Matt Prochaska, VP & Plant Director, ErgoGenesis, LLC., addresses the business case for ergonomic seating.

ErgoSolutions Magazine: How have the benefits of ergonomic seating been measured through cost/benefit analyses?

Matt Prochaska: There have been many studies done to determine the benefits of ergonomic seating. Without a doubt over recent years the use of ergonomics in the work-place has been questioned, probed, measured, and in many cases applied. In general, applied ergonomics can be demonstrated in many different aspects of the every day environment of the American worker, be that the boardroom to the mailroom, architect to air traffic controller. One of the ways ergonomics can be applied to the workspace is through that of the ergonomic chair. The quantitative benefits derived from the use of ergonomic seating have been studied, and measured. Then there are those less tangible qualitative benefits that can be acquired through an ergonomic environment, such as reduced turnover, improved morale, and improved quality of work life.

Here are some specifics:

Dr. T.J. Springer, president of Springer and Associates, demonstrated that the performance of State Farm Insurance clerical workers improved as much as 15% with ergonomically acceptable workstations and seating.

In a study done at the University of Miami, Dr. Marvin Dainoff reported from his laboratory work that the keystroke rate for entry-tasks increased five percent when workers were moved from an ergonomically unacceptable environment to one that was ergonomically correct. The performance of office workers at Blue Cross-Blue Shield was shown to improve with the move to an ergonomically enhanced environment, resulting in an over-all productivity improvement of 4.4%.

The Norwegian State Institute studied the incidence of back discomfort among office workers. After improvements to work station layout and seating, back related absenteeism was halved, turnover was reduced from 40% to 5%, and 40% of employees on disability leave returned to work.

The Internal Revenue Service performed a study on productivity and found that those seated workers that sat in an ergonomically correct chair (which was a BodyBilt chair in the actual study) were on average 8% more productive than their counterparts that did not. The importance of this data is underscored when it is recognized that muscular sore-ness is the second-greatest cause of absenteeism, after the common cold.

The direct economic impact of improving human productivity in the office is tremendous. Ergonomic office furniture, and environments are not a panacea. What ergonomics can do is provide the foundation for effective management, and trained people to per-form at their best level. The percentage of human costs to all other costs pushes the business community toward investing in ergonomic environments.

Based on these findings, I believe that proper ergonomic seating is actually an invest-met for a company as opposed to an expense. Employers and Managers should take this information seriously, as it represents an impressive way to improve a company?s bo t-tom line. Truly, purchasing ergonomic seating is a "win-win" proposition as it increases a company?s profitability while making the employee feel appreciated and recognized while lowering the potential for missed work and repetitive stress injuries which will benefit the company and the employee?s quality of life. That?s why I believe that providing proper ergonomic seating makes good business sense.

ErgoSolutions Magazine: What are some of the "less tangible" benefits realized through the use of ergonomic seating?

Matt Prochaska: Certainly the most tangible benefits of ergonomic seating are less injuries and increased productivity resulting in happier and healthier employees and better profitability for a "for-profit" company or better realization of goals for the "non-profit" organization.

Less tangible benefits include better working conditions for employees, increased morale via the recognition and appreciation shown to the employee when the employer recognizes their need for proper equipment. Valuing employees and their work can be shown in many ways. Managers and employers can truly show how they value an employee by providing the very best in seating, as the office chair is the most integral part of the employee?s comfort during the work day. Also significant yet unrealized by many is the decrease in health-related costs associated with a complete ergonomic program, with the foundation of that program being an ergonomic chair. During this time of "empowerment" in the workplace, employers can realize goals and objectives by paying themselves back through the investment of a good ergonomic chair. ROI (Return on Investment) ratios can be significant through these tangible and even less tangible benefits.

ErgoSolutions Magazine: How can businesses begin their own cost/benefit analysis of ergonomic seating and applications?

Matt Prochaska: A company interested in really measuring the value and ergonomic status of its work environment can begin by collecting baseline data from a select group of employees. Using their present work environment, measure criteria such as the number of complaints of soreness associated with work tasks, number of sick days, frequency and length of rest periods, morale and volume of work completed. This data should be collected for a pre-determined length of time.

Next, introduce the ergonomic equipment, such as seating, desks, and keyboards into the work environment. Personal instruction should be given to each employee on how to use, and adjust the equipment. Permit a definite length of time to ran-spire to allow the employees in the study group to acclimate to the new environ-met. Then these same individuals can be observed, and data collected in contrast to the baseline assessment.

Introduce several different models into the environment for hands-on testing. After the initial work environment assessment, introduce your ergonomic feature and/or features into the workplace including those manufactured by several different suppliers. Rotate the ergonomic products within the work-study group, allowing each employee to test or try each different model. Then poll the employees on which models they prefer. It's a good idea to preset criteria for the employees which can be used to "grade" the different manufacturer models. And keep in mind there are many extremely qualified professional ergonomic consultants out there to help design an ergonomics plan for your company.

Today, the decision isn't whether or not ergonomics is needed, but which ergonomic product and/or products are the best cost vs. ROI for the employer.

Comments for Matt? Contact him at mprochaska@ergogenesis.com

The chairs you are buying now are designed to fail in just a few years, so they can sell you another chair.  BodyBilt chairs are made for a Lifetime.

No other chairs offer "Metal to Metal" connectors, using Heavy Duty - 1/4” steel seat pan support wing (Stabilizer Bar) - 11 gauge armrest support brackets and          - 1/4" steel plate Structural Support.

Furthermore, All BodyBilt parts are Interchangeable - (we just replaced a chair armrest for a customer with a 14 year old BodyBilt. The newest 4Arm armrest bolted right on.) Talk about Lifelong Reparability.  Try doing that with another chair, even during the same model year!