There is a paper written by Professor Leon Straker, from Curtin University, where he talks about ‘The Goldilocks principle in designing physical activity at work to be ‘just right’ for promoting health.
The Goldilocks principle comes from, you guessed it, the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. It is frequently described as ‘The concept of ‘just the right amount’ which is easily understood and applied to a wide range of disciplines, including developmental psychology, biology, astronomy, economics and engineering’. However, it also perfectly describes the approach of ergonomics. Ergonomics is actually a multi disciplinary science and brings together biomechanics, anthropometrics and psychology in order to find the right fit for each individual, whether that be for your workstation set up, your work design (physically and mentally) or finding the right solution for your own particular issue that is affecting your ability to function at your best.
Prof. Straker’s article discusses how physical activity at work needs to be just right to have a health promoting effect, something we all need to bear in mind as we negotiate the potential return to work in the office, with a continuation of home working. The new hybrid working.
I am seeing an increased level of sedentary behaviour amongst the homeworkers I talk to, where a replacement of the activity undertaken during the old commute (do you remember it?) has to be proactively replaced with exercise and movement at home, particularly with gyms closed. I then see a direct correlation with increased levels of back pain, combined with the awkward home workstation set ups and often stress. It is going to be critical to address all of these issues with a proactive wellbeing education and assistance strategy.
This is something we are currently helping companies with, in the form of a variety of expert one to one ergonomic assessments and group workshops.
So, if you need help, do reach out, to your employer or to directly to us.
