Health: how to create an ergonomically correct work space

All of us today are suffering some from the harmful effects of computer overuse. While many of these effects can be minimized, the only way to avoid them altogether is to avoid spending hours a day at our workstations. This isn't an option for most people, so here are a few things you can do to make your workday as pain-free as possible.

The ideal workstation has an adjustable height. Many people are still using fixed-height computer tables, which means they must adjust their chair to bring them to the right height for the computer. This can be a problem if you're tall or short; tall people find this brings their knees up, as if they're sitting on a kid's stool, and short people find their feet dangling in the air. Your feet should be flat on the floor for the best support, and your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Ninety-degree (right) angles are best for hips, knees and elbows. There is some evidence that a more reclined posture is beneficial, but a hunched-over posture is a back-killer. If you're forced to use a fixed-height table for your computer, there are some things you can do to correctly position yourself. If you're tall, raise the table on blocks to keep from having to sit too low. If you're short, you may need to put foot supporters under your chair.

Constantly tilting the head to look up at your computer monitor will result in neck pains and chiropractor bills. Some of the more expensive workstations now have a niche into which you can recess the monitor at an angle, so that you are looking down at it as if it were a book on a desk. This keeps your neck straight or tilted forward, a much more natural position than tilting it upward.

When your hands rest on your keyboard, your elbows should be at a ninety degree angle or larger. If your keyboard is too high, raising your hands and bending your wrists to compensate will lead to 'tennis elbow', which many are now calling 'computer elbow'. It is surprising, as long as the computer mouse has been around, that keyboard trays do nothing to correctly position them. A mouse in line with your keyboard means that you have to extend your arm to use it. A 'wrap-around' keyboard tray which would put the mouse on an arc with your keyboard, so that you could reach it by rotating your arm rather than extending it, would be ideal, but that isn't part of a standard workstation. You can create your own by fixing an extension onto the right of your keyboard tray (if you're right-handed). Try pressed board rather than plywood.

With the keyboard now including a numeric pad and a number of direction arrows, the alpha keys have shifted to the left of center. If your keyboard is centered on your tray, your center line is at the punctuation keys, with all the actual letters to your left, where you must swivel or strain to reach them. Reposition your keyboard so that the center of the letters is directly in front of your center for easier typing.

Alter your activity every 30-60 minutes. You don't have to take an 'official' break to stop working on your keyboard and work on something else-just save up the non-computer tasks you have and dole them out on an hourly basis. Do you need another employee's input on the document you're preparing? Do you need a look at the engineering plans? Work at your computer tasks for forty-five minutes and then stand up and see if your co-worker is available, or swivel to your phone (resting your eyes from the monitor glare) to return a few phone calls. Rotate your shoulders, and do some neck-stretches while you're at it. You can program your computer clock to gently chime once an hour if you're prone to getting lost in your task.

Since some computer-related muscle stress is unavoidable, consider treating yourself to a weekly massage. If expense is an issue, perhaps your local community center has a class on couples' massage you could attend with your partner. The best treatment for muscle strain (other than a complete cessation of the activities that cause it, which is impossible for most employed people) is acupuncture. The acupuncture needles (which as so thin that very few people can even feel them) can cause the worst muscle knots to melt. Acupuncture can be expensive, but is covered by some health insurance policies; check with your personnel office to see if your policy is one of them. Other treatments you may find effective include heat, ice-packs, or muscle rubs that include arnica, an herb that stimulates circulation and healing.

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'Don't Show Us the Money-Show Us Healthcare Benefits,' Workers Say

When choosing jobs, Americans want healthcare benefits more than anything, a recent survey finds.

By Kristina Cowan

U.S. workers are putting money in its place-and it isn't first. According to a survey on what Americans want in a job, health insurance plans rank first, while compensation comes in 10th.

Next up after health insurance plans are job security, an environment with clear policies/procedures, retirement/pension plans, and a flexible, family-friendly workplace, says the survey for the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

Elizabeth Kellar, executive director for the Washington-based center, says what the survey likely reflects "is that increasingly employers are not offering health-insurance benefits that are very good, or health-insurance benefits at all, so it's much more on people's minds when they're looking for a job."

Experts and employees offer differing opinions about the survey's findings, with some agreeing and others remaining skeptical.

Are Health Insurance Plans All the Rage?

While compensation is important, some experts say nowadays workers have different priorities.

Melanie Holmes, vice president of World of Work Solutions for Manpower in Milwaukee, Wis., says she's not surprised health insurance plans rank first in the survey, given the abundant media coverage of the nation's troubled health-care system.

She also agrees with the emphasis on job security and flexibility. "The perception out there is that the economy is soft. So people might understandably have anxiety about losing their jobs," she explains. "Work-life balance is becoming more important to older workers, and younger kids coming into work want work-life balance and want time for themselves, to give back to the community. It cuts across all age demographics."

Rich Milgram, founder and CEO of Beyond.com, a niche-specific career network, says he thinks money is less important than it used to be, especially for younger workers.

"I believe the kids coming out of college today are a different breed. They're not so set on a huge career track that's going to lead them to financial gain as much as their parents or my parents would have been. So there's good and bad to that," Milgram says. "But the fact is money is playing less of a factor. Quality of life is playing more of a factor these days, and I believe that's terrific. Companies need to realize that fact and start treating employees accordingly."

Ryan Healy, who recently graduated from Penn State University, says he ranks salary approximately fifth in importance. "I put ahead of it company culture, people you'll be interacting with, the amount of personal growth the job allows for, the amount of responsibility you're allowed to take," notes Healy, 23. "And this is assuming it's an adequate salary-you're not going to take a job that doesn't pay your bills."

Last fall Healy left his job as a financial consultant for IBM Global Business Services to work as part of the small team behind BrazenCareerist.com, a new online career center for young professionals.

But Money Does Matter!

Some are more skeptical of the survey's findings.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson, a Massachusetts-based human resources expert, says money still matters a lot, and recruiters tell her money plays a critical part in the hiring process.

"People have to feel like they're being recognized and rewarded, and compensation is a part of that. If people want to say money doesn't really matter, then they're living in a dream," she says.

M

ary Froehlich, a senior property manager at Sydney Associates, a real-estate firm in Brookline, Mass., shares a similar sentiment.

"It's interesting that compensation was number 10, because that's never been my mindset, and I still, even in younger workers, am not finding that," Froehlich says. "In 25 years of managing people, I have never come across that people don't want to make money, and I think that today you need to make money."

Ultimately, the survey raises important points for employers, Kellar says."Even during economic downturns, there is still going to be competition for talent. It's important for employers to be aware of what they need in terms of benefits if they want to compete for the talent," she notes.

Kristina Cowan is the senior writer for PayScale.com. She has over 10 years of journalism experience, specializing in education and workforce issues.

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