Worksite International Blog

Now that the pandemic is in our rear-view mirror, many employers have committed to fully remote, or hybrid work schedules. This has led to rapid innovation and change in how we work, communicate, and learn.

It has thrust e-Learning into the forefront as a practical and inexpensive way to train employees. There are so many practical reasons to implement online learning ergonomics if you haven't yet.

This especially applies to full-time remote workers. For this reason, e-Learning home-office ergonomics is essential to onboarding remote and hybrid workers and training current workers! 

College is Out, Alternative Credentials Are In

Before technology evolved into what it is today, college was where you could learn about one subject deeply and acquire specialized knowledge in a particular field earning a four- year degree. Then subsequently, landing a fantastic job so you could pay back your student loan.

The pandemic has changed our sense of community.  During the pandemic, everything changed. Most of us were forced to transition from working in the office to working from home and online. In the process, we learned how to adapt and connect worldwide. Online communities thrived during the pandemic and continue today. The WINetwork is an example of unifying the ergonomics community globally.  

Ergonomics Credentials are Like Alphabet Soup

These days ergonomic credentials are like a bowl of alphabet soup leading to lots of confusion for buyers of ergonomics services and those seeking to uplevel their career with ergonomics. There are many credentials available in the ergonomics training marketplace. Understanding the various ergonomics credentials helps to understand the education, training, and experiences impacting the quality of service provided, the fees charged and the results the buyer or employer will achieve. 

Early on in my career as a certified professional ergonomist, I became fascinated by the value of ergonomics as a process change agent and influencer on many aspects of organizational design and management. There are several key concepts and people who helped me to formulate the Worksite International Ergonomics Process as it is today as reflected in the Ergonomics Process Influence Model. 

The State of Higher Education

We were already headed for a crisis in education before COVID hit. But that crisis has accelerated like so many other things this year.

Dozens and potentially hundreds of small four-year colleges are likely to go under within the next year, and others in the next five years, according to Frank Bruni, NY Times article (6/4/2020).

As the virus proliferates, so does online instruction, as it allows for learning in a safe environment at home, expanded enrollment, better access to financially strapped students and adults wanting continuing education.

The Era of the Remote Worker 

The era of the remote worker is here to stay. With it comes new responsibilities for all employers who are pivoting to remote work as a corporate strategy. In the last year, many have had to make the change from the office to working from home whether we had a home office or not.

This country has been in a big “reset” lately! Everything has changed. To survive in our new economy, companies have had to become more mindful of the impact COVID-19 has had on their employees and customers. Companies thriving right now demonstrate agility, resilience, and a unifying purpose within their organizations and externally to their community. There is a significant emphasis on holistic wellbeing to include mental, physical, financial, and social wellness.

Businesses tend to be reactive when it comes to employee health and safety, mostly because they don’t budget for prevention. Employers typically wait to act until after a workers’ compensation claim occurs. By then, it is too late! Not only did the employer miss the early warning signs and an opportunity to prevent the injury, now the financial implications are real. In California, the average cost of a typical seated work injury is at least $40,000 per case, according to the California Division of Workers’ Compensation.

“We all know how to do our jobs, but no one has ever taught us how to work safely and with good ergonomics." ~ Alison Heller-Ono MSPT, CPE

Employers today face an ever-changing, complex work environment. The challenges are significant, ranging from new employment laws to changing work schedules allowing employees to work from anywhere at any time to a deepening multi-generational workforce. Beyond the human aspect is the rapid advances in technology, which we all must embrace. Employers must take these factors into account as the socio-technical system of work evolves, becoming more complicated into the next decade.