As modern offices become increasingly connected and digitised, the need for office employees to move around is going down. This has meant most office goers work for extended hours without getting off their chairs, and often without even changing their posture. Research conducted by us at Godrej Interio revealed a direct connect between the number of hours an individual remains seated and the individual’s physical wellness. Our study shows that people who remain seated continuously for more than 5-6 hours are more likely to suffer from chronic muscular aches and pains as compared to those who walk around the office or stretch at regular intervals. 

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Today, with over 76 per cent of office goers complaining of recurring aches and pains, there is an acute need to create awareness of the health dangers related to sitting for long hours. Lack of movement during 8-9 hours’ workday tends to put unnatural pressure on the spine causing back problems. Further, when you sit uninterrupted for more than a couple of hours, the blood circulation in your lower extremities slows down as well, leading to swollen feet and ankles. 

These conditions get further aggravated with poor postures that people adopt during the long stints at work, increasing the occurrence of pains in the neck, lower back, elbows, wrists and knees. These nagging pains lead to chronic muscle fatigue and an overall sense of tiredness, leading to lowered productivity among employees. 

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The Godrej Interio ergonomics experts believe that almost 60-70 per cent of this physical discomfort can be avoided simply by adopting the right sitting posture while at work; and by including movement every 40 minutes in to your long workday. 

Experts from Godrej Interio Ergonomics Team advise office goers to ‘Keep Moving’. A couple of quick tips include: 

• Adopt ergonomically correct work posture, and change your posture every few minutes.
• Stretch in your chair; or stand up and do a few quick stretches to relax your back, neck and leg muscles.
• Take short brisk walks around the office to take pressure off your back and get the blood circulation going.

Being healthy and ache-free is not difficult. Just be mindful of your posture, and keep moving! 
To know more about how to reduce the harmful impact of long hours of seating during office hours on employee health and productivity, mail us at wellness@godrej.com.

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- By Shraddha Shah, Head Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell at Godrej Interio