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Assisting office, remote and hybrid employees to reverse unhealthy and counter-productive high-risk ergonomic behaviors can be challenging – while at the same time is vital to prevent, beyond injuries, unnecessary financial loss from preventable risk exposures and worker disengagement.

So where does a Safety or Wellness professional begin in 2025 when the budget is tight or non-existent? Seasoned professionals know that meaningful results can only be achieved starting with an organization’s process of Continuous Improvement.

April’s release of the 2025 Gallop Workforce Report…

Irrefutable evidence from a large number of Tier One studies over the past decade has been published confirming significant health problems, for the average otherwise-healthy population, resulting from static postures particularly involving prolonged sitting at work. Commenting on the mountain of data, Dr. Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., of the Department of Behavioral Science at MD Anderson Cancer Center stated: “Extended sitting raises your risk for colorectal, ovarian and endometrial cancers. It also increases your risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

You probably already know that there have been many studies by Tier One Institutions establishing and confirming how microbreaks are crucial in providing a safety net of mitigation enabling recovery time during work. But how exactly does this all work? What does it mean to our employees and our company financially? Lastly, why are so many of “The Best Companies to Work For” employing this science throughout their enterprise?

“Historically, efforts to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace have focused on physical work factors. However, the relation between MSDs and psychosocial factors, such as excessive workloads and a lack of support, is important. Psychosocial risks can contribute to and exacerbate MSDs, and MSDs can be associated with psychosocial factors.“ That statement is from an EU-OSHA paper…

Although computers are an integral part of our daily lives, transforming how we work, communicate, and entertain ourselves, it’s become well-understood how the dangerous endemic rise in sedentary behavior and prolonged static postures harms our bodies. Many studies over the years have confirmed these prolonged periods of sitting and repetitive motions have significant adverse effects on our health, well-being and productivity.

Digital Eye Strain (DES), also known as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), is a condition which often results from chronic unmanaged use of digital devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets due to the repetitive need for viewing text and images often at very small scale. With the rise of individual workload demands, needed to fill in the gaps created by organizational streamlining and rightsizing in 2024, DES has emerged as a significant concern of many employers due to palpable human and financial costs.