Party Like An Ergonomist

Setup your next company offsite meeting space like an ergonomics pro!

These are ways to keep a lookout for your employees’ ergonomics when planning a meeting. This article goes over venue selection, breaks, and other strategies to incorporate a healthy active environment.

Venue Selection & Seating Arrangements:

Choose a venue that offers comfortable seating options, ample space for movement, and good lighting. Seek out a location that has adjustable chairs and quite possibly desks because one size for all never works out well.

Allow people the time at the beginning of meetings and even remind them to adjust their chair and get themselves situated. Rather than just having conference room chairs, provide a variety of ergonomic task chairs and other active seating arrangements. This would accommodate the various seating preferences and make for a more modern informal space. Keep in mind that they won’t be working at a computer much so height adjustable desks are a plus, but not essential.

Keep Gaps in the Meeting Schedule for Breaks

No need to cram a bunch of talks in in one go! Let your people become better listeners by providing frequent short breaks throughout. Don’t ask employees if they would like one long break in the middle, the best way is to have intermediate short breaks in a separate area, so people come out of the room, reset, refresh, and move at least a few times.

Lighting:

You want the party “lit” energy wise and also literally well-lit through lighting. This can help energize people. Natural or full spectrum lighting is best and can create a more pleasant ambiance. Adjustable lighting options like dimmers will help you customize the lighting to their comfort levels for various parts of presentations or team building activities.

Break Areas:

Create designated break areas so guests take their breaks from sitting and move around or get up off their chair. Think outside the box sometimes with seating solutions in these areas such as benches or bean bags. Include or encourage stretching or relaxation activities during one or two of the break sessions.

Movement Opportunities:

If you want to battle against the ill effects of sedentary behaviors, you’ve got to MOVE! Guests should be encouraged to keep a bit of activity by incorporating movement-based activities during the training session. If the space has an open space, you can arrange team building activities that involve physical activity. Another idea is to organize a short stretch or movement breaks, even possibly a mini yoga sessions.

Food and Drink:

Offer healthy food options that promote energy such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and beverages. Avoid sugary beverages and foods high in carbohydrates or simple sugars. Going above and beyond would be to provide ergonomically friendly utensils that are easy to handle and do not put strain the hands.

Music Volume:

Keep the music volume at a level that allows the guests to socialize without having to strain their voices. Excessively loud music can lead to hearing damage so keep it at a level that allows for conversation without overpowering the space.

Ergonomic Games and Activities:

Plan activities that engage guests while promoting ergonomic principles. For example, set up a workstation ergonomics challenge, where guests can adjust a desk and chair to the optimal ergonomic settings. This can be both educational and entertaining.

Give Aways:

Offer prizes or take home ergonomic inspired give aways such as Pop-caps or stands for their cellular devices, ergonomic mouse pads, and water bottles. Give them a bag and place these items inside with an informational brochure taking about healthy habits and ergonomics.

The goal is to set a culture that prioritizes the well-being of your guests by having these ergonomic elements. Don’t overdo it, but make sure you get at least these subtle friendly and caring messages across so that everyone has a fun and feels great as well.