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Poor sitting habits are more threatening to one’s health than many may think.  In fact, prolonged sitting can lead to a variety of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases that, if unaddressed, can significantly and permanently affect quality of life. 

For call centers, the only thing done more than talking is sitting.  Inherently sedentary, call center agents are thus particularly susceptible to these types of chronic disorders. The last thing a company needs is for its call center agents to develop these types of injuries, which have been shown to significantly decrease job performance and lead to employee turnover. 

Fortunately, there are a number of available measures for call centers to prevent such repetitive strain injuries and disorders.  These include ergonomic desks, chairs, keyboard, monitors and other configurable furniture that allow users to position their bodies in an anatomically correct and non-strenuous way while at work.  Being able to adjust the height, tilt and pivot of various office peripherals can go a long way toward alleviate unnatural musculoskeletal stress.  In addition, ritualized exercise throughout the day and/or sit-stand desks can allow employees to keep moving while maintaining a more positive work morale.

Ergononmic furniture provider Ergomotion, however, warns that it may be difficult to get agents to buy into these concepts.  Thus, it is important to educate them on benefits of such changes and the risks of the status quo:

“Raise awareness among employees of the risks of prolonged sitting. The initial reluctance by workers to even consider changing their work habits will quickly disappear once they know the benefits. Inform employees through emails, during team meetings, and by displaying posters around the office,” the company wrote in a recent article.

It is also a good idea to work collaboratively with agents to determine the best ways to incorporate activities that can break up prolonged sitting periods without disrupting their workflow. 

“Encourage workers to not only learn about health benefits, but actually take part in initiatives. Run trials with the staff, allowing them to test new practices and furniture,” the company added. 

This level of involvement will get workers excited about daily movement activities and will keep the principles of health and ergonomics fresh in their minds throughout the day.  With such enthusiasm, call centers are sure to avoid the plague of long-term disability and debilitating pain that so often comes with a sedentary work environment.