Business Organizing

LG Home Office Makeover Contest

Clare Kumar being interviewed by CP24 host, George Lagogianes — CP24 Host, George Lagogianes interviewing Clare Kumar

You’ve likely heard me say you can’t have optimal productivity without paying attention to your wellbeing. If you’ve been working at a less than optimal home office and you live in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York), you won’t want to miss this opportunity to level up your office to a comfortable, inspiring, and productive space.

Bell Media is sponsoring this contest and LG is providing prizes worth $6,000 including two fabulous new products – see more below! – and a consultation with me to bring both fashion and functionality to your home workspace. After all, you deserve an office that feels good! Here is a link to the segment where George Lagogianes and I chat about it.

Submit your photos via email to: LGhomeofficemakeover@cp24.com

Title the email: Home Office Makeover

Be sure to include:
– Name
– Address
– Phone number

Entry Deadline: Monday, October 25, 2021 – 11:59 pm EDT

Find all the contest details here.

Here’s an overview of what you can win!

Home Office Design Consultation

I’ll be working with the winner using my Four Step P.L.A.N.™ to redesign the winning office.

Here are the steps to think about if you’re tackling this on your own:

P – Prioritize – a) how do you want to spend your time in your office, and b) how do you want the office to feel?

L – Liberate – What is currently in the space that no longer serves these priorities? Relocate these items to a more suitable location, donate them for someone else to enjoy, or dispose of responsibly, recycling when possible.

A – Arrange – Select furniture, tools, storage solutions, and accessories to create a functional and fashionable space. Incorporate inspiring art and colour to add style to your space.

N – Nurture – Identify what you need to do to keep your office feeling good and functioning well. This might mean tidying up at regular intervals, encouraging others to stop leaving random items in your space, or employing a “one in, one out” rule.

Two exciting new LG products:

LG gram 16″ 2-in-1 Ultralightweight Laptop

For a powerful, easy t0 take anywhere laptop, take a look at the LG gram line of computers. Included in this prize pack is this 16″ ultralightweight laptop featuring a sleek compact design, Gorilla® Glass, touch display, and the Intel® EVO™ platform which means you can count on it to include high-performing processing, graphics, battery life, and more.

For more details and information on where you can purchase yours, visit this LG site.

laptop computer in stand mode with screen visible and keyboard folded underneath — Displayed in “stand mode”

LG gram 16″ 2-in-1 slender profile

LG UltraWide Ergo 34″ Monitor

Declutter your desk by consolidating two screens into one ultra-wide surface complete with the space-saving C-clamp. The screen’s 21:9 ratio will accommodate both video and a text document at the same time, making tasks like editing and participating in your next Zoom meeting more efficient and easier to enjoy. The impressively flexible ergonomic arm allows you to extend, retract, swivel, tilt, and adjust the height to fit every person and purpose.

For more information and where to find one, visit this LG site.

Good luck!!

We’ll be revealing the makeover on CP24 on November 24th, 2021 around 7:50 am so be sure to tune in.

3 Ways to Keep Your Mindset Strong Through the Fall and Winter

This is a sponsored post. Opinions, as always, are my own.

With winter around the corner and Covid-19 restrictions increasing in many places, if you want to feel as productive and calm as possible this season, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your mindset strong. In fact, I consider mindset Productivity Table Stake number one. If you can hold onto a positive outlook, you can more easily maintain your commitment to the intentions you have set for yourself. If you lose positivity, you may find yourself spiraling in a negative direction.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your mindset strong even though the weather and the crisis we find ourselves in might be pulling you down.

Fight the effects of low light

According to the Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH), severe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects up to 15% of people, with 2-3% suffering severe symptoms. You might know it as the “Winter Blues”. SAD can cause depression, lethargy, and anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure). It also contributes to weight gain as we look for alternative sources of serotonin to boost our mood…which may explain the search for sourdough in the absence of sunlight. It’s more common in adults than kids, though starts to wane after age 50 (yay!), and it affects women a whopping 9 times more than men.

I’ve been looking for strategies to counter the effects since my 20’s and since my number one plan of travelling to a sunny spot is foiled this year, I am committing to something that has helped me immensely over the past few years: light therapy. My exploration of light therapy actually began in late 1994. I returned to Toronto after almost a year of travel around the world, predominantly in sun-filled locations like Hawaii, Australia, South-East Asia, and India. November in Toronto is traditionally gloomy and grey. The leaves have fallen and there is not yet snow on the ground to brighten up the landscape, nor the sparkly lights of the coming festive season. Downtown especially, the ground blends with the stone buildings which soar upwards to mix with the bland sky. Finding myself in a new job (which admittedly was not right for me), I found my energy depleting and began looking for strategies to help. I tried relaxation therapy, which felt quite good but did not really bring back my mojo, and then stumbled upon a University of Toronto study for light therapy.

I brought home a rather large light fixture and for two weeks, every morning at 6:30 am, before heading downtown to the office, I sat in my dark dining room under a wide fluorescent bulb dosing on full-spectrum light for half an hour. It was uncomfortably bright given the contrast in the room and you couldn’t really do anything else but sit there.

Fast forward to today, and not only has light therapy has now been proven as a successful remedy to counter SAD and the Winter Blues, but it is also much easier to integrate into your life. Please note though that it is a therapy and as such you will want to discuss it with your health professional. There are conditions that do not benefit from dosing in extra light such as bipolar disorder and skin or eye sensitivities. The Mayo Clinic has a helpful article on considerations.

For several years I have used light therapy lamps from Verilux. My current model is a slim, LED, full-spectrum light that doses 10,000 lux in half an hour if you’re sitting within 24 inches of the lamp. It fits in about the size of a postcard and now that the lamp is an LED, it packs flat and is sturdy enough to travel well so you easily take it with you.

Place the light to the side and sit within 24 inches of the light. You are not meant to look directly into the light. Controls offer the ability to dim the light to a more comfortable intensity and color, but be aware you may need to spend longer time bathing to have the same results. Experiment with the settings to find the most comfortable practice for you. The dimmer the light, the longer you might need it to be on. A timer has been included in the latest model to help you manage your dosing.

I used to want to crawl into bed around 6:30 pm every night when I got home from work. The lamp made such a difference to my energy level that I was able to travel to the gym for an evening yoga class.

In addition to a light lamp, I encourage fitting in daylight walks and seeking out brighter places to sit when indoors. Poorly lit basement offices may indeed be bringing you down.

Reduce known stressors – Hold onto peace of mind with protection from identity theft

Woman using smart phone in cafe. hand holding smart phone white screen — Image: Telus

With so much to worry about already, it’s important to act where we can. Statscan says 42% of Canadians report at least one cyber-security incident since the start of the pandemic¹, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tallies the financial impact of fraud year-to-date in Canada to be over $67 million.²Canadians are not only spending more time online, they are doing a wider variety of things there. In June 2020, the Canadian government urged Canadians to take action to be more secure. According to new research, while about 90% of Canadians think internet safety is an issue, only 18% are doing something about it.³

Telus Online Security has partnered with Norton Lifelock to bring Canadians a suite of new tools to help prevent cybersecurity issues, in a multi-layered approach. Tools include device protection, the provisioning of a virtual private network (VPN) which lets you drive on your own highway so-to-speak making sure transactions are safe even if you’re on public wi-fi. Identity theft protection is what caught my eye as I recently found fraud on my credit card. Not only is your credit monitored, but additional support is also available from a Restoration Agent to help you problem-solve if you do get attacked. They can help you and even take over phone calls to sort out the mess freeing up your time to do other things.

Dark Web Notification alerting me to a potential data exposure

There are a variety of levels of service from $6 per month (for device protection) through $30 per month for greater protections and a larger number of devices (pricing as at November 2020). It is important to note that this service does not guarantee protection, rather it offers multiple tools to mitigate the very real threats. It is one simple step you can take to reduce worry and preserve mindset.

Use colour to boost your energy, and the energy of those around you

Have you noticed different colours affect your mood? Science shows that colour can affect performance in a variety of ways:

Taking a test after seeing red can improve accuracy, while blue boosts creativity.⁴
Pills of warm colours had a stimulating effect. Cool colours had a relaxing influence.⁵

Tip 1 – Bring colour into your environment

I painted my wall pink last year and it gives me a lift every time I see it. It seems to be a hit with others as well since March when all my segments and presentations went virtual. I’ve even got clients because of it. Bathe in your favourite colour.

Theo, one of my two polydactyls loves posing! I think this is the third set 0f tv segments he’s appeared in. Paint colour: Peony by Benjamin Moore

Tip 2 – Bring colour into your wardrobe

I realized over ten years ago that when I wore bold colours that suited me, they seemed to have a positive effect on the people around me. This coincided with the start of regular television appearances. Take a look at a tv audience sometime and you’ll notice the producers will invite people with solid, bold colours to fill the frame for they are compelling on camera.

The powerful side effect of wearing distinct colours that suit you is that it makes you memorable. See how beautifully a client of mine, ghostwriter, and mental health speaker Cindy Tschosik, does it in her richly coloured magenta top. Cindy is getting loads of compliments on her bold purple wall.

Ghostwriter and Mental Health speaker, Cindy Tschosik rocking a magenta top in front of her bold purple wall.

And your accessories…

Fellow speaker, Emily Nichols, indulging me as I tripped out on finding glasses to match my coat!

One day last year I stumbled upon a store from Australian-based Dresden Vision in Toronto, one of a handful of physical stores in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Don’t worry, they have International shopping online. The colourful window display instantly made me curious. I went in and bought four pairs on the spot. Why? They make very affordable frames (from $59 for simple prescription lenses) and arms variety of colours…which can be mixed and matched! I was over-the-top excited. Prices are kept down because they offer one widely flattering style of frame in four sizes. With 16 standard colours plus occasional limited and blended colour editions, you can coordinate with any outfit. They also have the lens cutting machine and an optician right in the store making same day availability a possibility. No hiding behind white lab coats and sending glasses away.

Frame and arm colours currently offered by Dresden Vision.

Parents, these glasses are incredibly sturdy and come with a lifetime warranty making them an excellent solution for kids. Note – I have quite a small head and wear the XS frames for my glasses and a S frame for my sunglasses.

Dresden Vision kindly provided me with a few more colours and frames to play with. So appreciated because it seems these days I need a pair in every room!

SOURCES

Statistics Canada, “Canadians spend more money and time online during pandemic and over two-fifths report a cyber incident,”
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/201014/dq201014a-eng.htm
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
Angus Reid report commissioned by TELUS
Colour and performance
Mehta R, Zhu RJ. Blue or red? Exploring the effect of color on cognitive task performances. Science. 2009 Feb 27;323(5918):1226-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1169144. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID: 19197022.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19197022/
Effect of colour of drugs
de Craen AJ, Roos PJ, de Vries AL, Kleijnen J. Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness. BMJ. 1996;313(7072):1624-1626. doi:10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1624
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359128/

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If you or someone you know is struggling to feel calm and productive working from home, please check out the free resources and online program I created for you here.
I also have a few spots open for private group coaching for individuals and leaders. I invite you to book a call with me to find out more.

3 ways to be more productive this year

This is a sponsored post. To a view one of the media clips in which I bring these tips to life, scroll down! As always, opinions are my own.

No matter that we can choose to start a new habit, routine or behaviour at any time, the start of a new year often prompts greater reflection and the setting of resolutions for the year to come. Sadly, the majority of people don’t keep their resolutions.¹ So, is there a better way?

As a productivity coach, I work with motivated people to help them achieve the results they are looking for. Over the years I have noticed, and studies confirm², that the more clearly we can articulate what we want to achieve the more likely we are to achieve it.

You will have likely heard of SMART goals – those which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive. Thinking through these details helps us get clear on exactly what we will do it and when we will do it.

Most effective is defining the set of small, repeatable actions you can take. If you will – think it, then shrink it. Make getting started so small it is laughable to ignore it. Consistency in effort will get you there.

Traditionally, top resolutions have included eating better, losing weight, exercising more and getting organized. If you are motivated to lose weight, for example, this will effectively include several behaviours which really add up to a revised lifestyle. In fact, small positive changes in one area often lead to positive changes in another. I call this an upward spiral of momentum.

In my model, the ABC’s of Behaviour Change (post to come!), C stands for Cultivate – creating a supportive environment both physically and in terms of the people around you. You will also benefit from using the right tools. Staples Canada has a huge variety of stylish and innovative products to help you meet your goals: planners and calendars to record and importantly schedule your intentions, Swell water bottles to keep you hydrated on the go or at your desk, glamorous Bugatti lunch bags in rose gold to make it more exciting to bring in a healthy lunch, tech tools such as headphones to keep you focused, the FitBit Charge 3 to help track your sleep and exercise, and the Microsoft Surface Pen to take more effective handwritten notes.

Variety of food on a tea towel with vegetable print — Variety of Plant-Based foods from President”s Choice.

Perhaps you want to be more mindful about what you eat. If you’re like the 38% of Canadians who are interested in adding more plant-based food to their diets³, whether it be for incredibly popular #meatlessmondays or any day of the week, you’ll want to check out President’s Choice’s new line of Plant-Based foods.

Breaded chicken-less strips in a whole wheat wrap with chipotle infused mayo-style spread and fresh veggies.

Consider this meal idea: corn, carrot and kale veggie bites with cashew dip, followed by a wrap filled with breaded chickenless strips, lettuce, and peppers plus a dash of mayo-style spread infused with chipotle sauce (my add), followed by a creamy coconut-based blueberry yogurt with additional fresh berries. Eating plant-based is easier than you think!

Handbag, small purse and jewelry — An example of items that sell well on ebay.

Do you have a pile of things at home that you no longer think of as treasures which would absolutely delight others? If they are nagging at you, in a conversation you’d like to stop, invest some time and energy to not only free up space but turn your stash into cash by selling them online. If you’re looking to maximize reach, list on ebay.ca to put your item in front of millions of buyers (over 183 million, globally) in either an auction format or for a fixed price. At www.ebay.ca/sell you’ll find helpful tips to let you know what buyers are looking for, help make shipping decisions and more. Take clear pictures, write a simple, descriptive headline, and list.

No matter what you want more or less of this year, take the time to get specific and you’ll be well on your way.

Watch as I Annette Goerner and I discuss these tips on CTV Morning Live in Ottawa.

Sources

A daily to-do list to keep you focused – Your Focused Five™

When you’re not terribly busy or managing a light load, you might be able to remember everything you’re responsible for, but what happens when the pace picks up or you’ve got more plates to spin? Having a reliable practice in place can help take the pressure off. This applies to everyone from students to senior executives. Keeping track of tasks can be helped by having a task management Ritual you can count on.

Take a second and think about your to-do list. Is it scrawled on a scrap of paper, jotted down in a notebook, lurking in an online app, or perhaps just jumbled in your head? Is it a regular tool you use, or something you create in a crisis?

If you use it often and it’s working well for you, celebrate that. It’s quite a win, as many people struggle (including me) to find a system they enjoy.

Ask yourself three questions:

a) do you use your system regularly? If not there may be something to explore with mindset or the medium. It may not be the right format, but we’ll explore that in another post.

b) is it working for you? In other words, does it keep you on task and on track?

c) how does it make you feel? Do you feel good during and after using it?

Let’s explore the last question. If you’re looking at your to-do list and it leaves you feeling overwhelmed and like you’re not getting enough done, something needs to change. We simply don’t need the tools we choose to use leaving us feeling at all depleted afterward.

There is a need for two (or more) kinds of to-do lists. Just how many you need will depend on how you think and prefer to keep different tasks separately, but at minimum, I recommend having two lists.

The first, likely massive list, is what I call your Master To-Do List. It’s essentially a download of what’s on your mind. Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you’re forgetting things, it’s worthwhile pausing, and even though it feels stressful, investing the time in going through your inbox, calendar, notes on your desk, and mind to capture your intentions. As Daniel J. Levitin explains in his book “An Organized Mind” (1),

“Writing things down conserves the mental energy expended in worrying that you might forget something and in trying not to forget it.”

But, I caution you in using this Master To-Do List when it comes to focusing on your daily activities. It is simply too big. Have you ever ordered a plate of food, perhaps a big bowl of pho (Vietnamese soup), and kept eating yet it looks like you’ve hardly consumed anything? It’s somehow highly ungratifying, no matter how tasty the food.

From your Master To-Do List, choose five important things you wish to complete in a day and write those down in a separate second list I call the “Focused Five“.

Why five? Five is a small enough number to actually get through. The act of selecting items forces you to identify the most important activities to attend to. You’ll enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from ticking everything off your list.

Keep this list right in front of you. Prop it up on your computer, leave it on your desk, or pop it into your wallet when you’re on the move. It’s a simple, low-tech way to keep your priorities top of mind.

I started out using index cards and then made a template to print my own cards to use each day. You can download it here.

If you get through your list, don’t forget to celebrate a little before choosing another item or two from your Master To-Do List.

Try it and I’d love to hear how it goes!

Source:

Levitin, Daniel J. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload. Dutton an Imprint of Penguin Random House, 2017 p 69

I work with organizations to deliver sustainable performance. If you know of a forward-thinking company who wants to achieve objectives and help their leaders and teams avoid disengagement and burnout, book a Discovery Call to learn more about a range of engaging talks and effective coaching and consulting.

Choose wisely in the “dark half” – Smart food choices, inspiring desk accessories and a printer worthy of display

If you’re in the northern hemisphere, in October we’re entering the “dark half”. Have you noticed the light slipping away? According to www.timeanddate.com, we receive about 3 minutes less sunlight each day. If you’re like me, this translates directly into less energy and this can hamper productivity. I want to hold onto my spark in the dark, so, it’s especially helpful to find products and services that help me do what I need to do while respecting my STEM Resources™ of Space, Time, Energy and Money.

1. The printer that truly respects your resources

The HP Tango printer saves space, time, energy and can even save you money, all with a much-appreciated sense of style.

Spending more time inside means we notice our surroundings that much more and if cluttered, they can cause stress. I’ve seen many home workspaces with printers that have made the room feel somewhat institutional. Not every home has the luxury of a dedicated office so it can be a huge win to find a printer that combines style and function.

sleek white printer on top of cabinet — The gorgeous lines of the HP Tango printer.

The HP Tango printer with its clean, compact, simple, and elegant design is a space saver. It fits neatly on 16” shelves and with WiFi and remote access via the HP Smart app, you can place it almost anywhere. With a choice of complementary covers, it can be integrated even further into your space.

Cork cover conceals the HP Tango printer — The HP Tango printer is cleverly concealed in this stunning cork wrap.

Check out how this cork cover complements the medium wood tones I have in my office. There is a grey linen cover available too, if that’s more your colourway.

That’s great for space, but what about time, energy and money? The HP Tango Instant Ink program has got you covered. You can subscribe to automatic ink delivery based on the number of pages you print per month. No more worrying about choosing between colour or black and white. No more running out of ink at the wrong moment. For peace of mind, flexibility is built-in as unused pages are rolled over and applied to pages in addition to your monthly allowance.

As a bonus, photos under 5×7” don’t count towards your page limit. Sweet!

In addition to your resources, HP is also respecting those of the environment. Cartridge recycling and shipping is included. You can wait to send a few cartridges back at once to minimize the number of times you ship.

Using plastic from recycled printers and other electronics, the HP Tango is made with more than 30% closed-loop recycled plastic by weight. HP Original ink cartridges are made with 48 – 73% recycled plastic, and HP-branded paper with 100% certified fiber or recycled content.

For more information about the HP Tango, visit this page.

For more information about the Instant Ink program, visit HP Instant Ink.

And for information on recycling cartridges, check out the HP Planet Partners program.

2. Add some design savvy to your desk

Finding stylish office accessories has never been easier thanks to the latest collaboration between Canadian design icon, Joe Mimran, and Staples Canada. Mixing function and fashion, here are a few treasures from the line to keep you happy at work this winter.

In this photo:

Large Pad Folio in Gray – Make the best use of both technology and good old paper with this refined Pad Folio complete with integrated device stand.
Keep your pens and loose change from cluttering your desk in this sturdy terrazzo organizer
Focus Tip: Add a calming scent to the sophisticated ceramic diffuser to promote attention in a more comfy, less dry atmosphere.
Listen to some energizing music via this cloth-covered wireless speaker

5. Keeping track of time never looked so good. This sleek, silver desk clock will wow your clients for less than you think.

6. Worthy of gift-giving is this pen in a compelling combination of metal and wood in its very own metal case.

For more, search the Gry Mattr line at www. staples.ca

3. Making smart food choices just got easier

Eating nutritiously is important all year round, but as the temperature drops, I prefer more cooked food and shop a little differently. no name® brand foods have been in my shopping cart for years (the brand was launched in the late 70’s!) for these reasons:

The products I’ve tried have consistently been of good quality.
The packaging has been easy to understand and comes in handy when labelling storage containers at home.
I’ve consistently saved money when compared to other brands.

bag of oats beside container the oats will be stored in — Organizing tip 1 – Transfer produce in bags into easy to manage storage containers.

Oats in container beside can of hot chocolate and bottle of honey to show easy to read labels — Organizing Tip 2 – Use the packaging to make a label. no name brand labels are so easy to read they make for perfect in-pantry labels, too.

But what really got me interested in working together was the launch of no name® Simple Check™ products. I first noticed the no name® Simple Check™ symbol on my favourite sour cream and onion potato chips in the spring of 2019. I thought it was just a package redesign. I’ve learned there is more to it than that.

New and old package designs to show design changes including coloured titles and the simple check symbol — The new package design on the left will be replacing that on the right.

New packaging is on the left with the Simple Check symbol. Colour has been added to the product names for easier recognition in the pantry, as well.

The no name® Simple Check™ symbol indicates the absence of 10 specific ingredients which I prefer not to ingest including synthetic colours, artificial flavours and monosodium glutamate (msg) I invite you to visit the Simple Check™ website to find out more.

The no name Simple Check symbol quickly reassures me that I’m buying quality food, eliminating the need to pull out my reading glasses, find the ingredients on a package and read through it slowly! This saves me time and aggravation and helps me make better food choices.

This post is sponsored by Loblaw Companies Limited, Staples Canada, and HP. As always, opinions are my own.

Ouch! Paying attention to comfort is about more than buying the right equipment

This post is inspired by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health’s investigation of the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Staten Island. With comfort being one of the eight Productivity Table Stakes™ in Productivity CPR™, my model for sustainable performance, it’s been a long-time concern of mine to support steady improvements in working conditions.

In the mid-’90s, I noticed several fellow employees walking around wearing wrist braces. It turns out the braces were to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of intense and repetitive keyboard use at work. This was a few months after my own experience with a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

Unfortunately, when I was hired, HR had forgotten I was joining the company so instead of finding myself in an office, I was provided with a round table in a colleague’s larger than normal cubicle. I crafted financial reports for about eight hours every day at this round ‘desk’ which led me to develop debilitating rotator cuff tendinitis in my right shoulder. The injury prevented me from working for a few weeks to allow my shoulder to heal. I couldn’t sleep on my right side or carry any weight on my right shoulder for over two years. (Side note – this is when I learned to use a mouse with my non-dominant hand – a worthwhile exercise for everyone to give your dominant hand a break.)

Exercise: Hold your arms out in front of you for a minute. Soon you’ll start to feel your muscles fatigue and likely some pressure on your shoulders. Imagine eight hours of uncomfortable posture.

1. Provide the right equipment

As technology evolves and we learn more about human comfort, we can go further to provide furniture, accessories, lighting and environmental controls to make spaces even more comfortable. In the role I described above, I would have been much more comfortable with a desk fitted with a keyboard tray. Our joints need to be supported. Using a keyboard tray that accommodates a mouse to keep both the keyboard and mouse close at hand prevents reaching and wear on your shoulder.

While it’s easy to understand the potential for injuries related to physical labour, poor practices, equipment and cultures affect our ability to perform comfortably and sustainably in our offices as well. Also noted in the World Health Organization Key Facts on musculoskeletal conditions, lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability globally. (1) We know that we sit too much yet so many sedentary jobs still exist without the opportunity for sit-stand desks that invite movement and a change in posture.

We also need to pay more attention to lighting and noise. For years, over-lighting a space was naturally prohibitive due to cost. City bylaws in Toronto only provide minimal light levels. With the evolution of inexpensive LED lighting, we now need to consider spaces that are overlit, over-stimulating and ultimately exhausting.

Noise in open-concept offices is an issue not only for the workers. Have you ever been on the end of a customer service call in which you can hear the cacophony of other calls in the background? It’s a negative experience for customers, too. Too much noise is such a concern at work, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board built a new site dedicated to bringing attention to noise challenges at work. Check out www.toneitdown.ca for examples of noise issues. The site focuses on hearing loss, but neglects to talk about stress levels related to noise which are significant in their own right. (3)

2. Educate, educate!

Realizing the instances of MSD noted above, which caused pain and sometimes required time off or surgery to heal, were entirely preventable ignited my avid interest in ergonomics. From then I have been keen to make sure the tasks we take on are supported by the right tools and environments. I invited leadership to go further than providing tools they had wisely invested in and encourage employee education on how to best use them. It was as if we were in a relay race in which the baton wasn’t passed on effectively.

We’ve come a long way since the mid-90s, but there are still gaps. In August 2019, ‘The World Health Organization reported that “musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide”.(1) More recently, a report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health titled, “Pressure, Pain, and Productivity at Amazon” highlights a current example of recurring injuries. (2) The report explores the consequences of tasks completed in an environment in which some of the challenges are indeed acknowledged and given some proactive attention. Yet, even though we know what to do, why are we still getting hurt?

3. Culture matters

A critical partner to the environment in which we work is the culture. This appears to be an issue at Amazon. In an effort to meet the commitment to deliver products in near real-time, 80% of workers report being pressured to work harder or faster. Even if we know how to work safely, if there is pressure to perform, whether internal or external, chances are we may ignore the theory and succumb to what we feel pressured to do. We need leadership as role models. If not in example because their roles require a different physical construct, certainly in terms of the attention paid to staff and in an open concern for staff comfort. Comfort on the job needs to be perceived to be imp0rtant. In the absence of such positive influences, we need greater internal fortitude, even bravery to counter this pressure, take breaks, set boundaries, make time to move and to rest.

As consumers and workers, we might want to ask ourselves what we value. Is this pace necessary? Is what it costs worthwhile? Our culture of immediate gratification and speed is raising our collective cortisol while fattening fairly few wallets. Is the race to fulfill an order worth the possibility of long term physical damage?

What has been your experience with ergonomics at work? Has it got in your way? Have challenges been well-handled? Have you had to pivot? Share with me on twitter @streamlife.

Sources:

LG Home Office Makeover Contest

Home Office Design Consultation

LG gram 16″ 2-in-1 Ultralightweight Laptop

LG UltraWide Ergo 34″ Monitor

3 Ways to Keep Your Mindset Strong Through the Fall and Winter

Fight the effects of low light

Reduce known stressors – Hold onto peace of mind with protection from identity theft