34 Ecology of physical work

Ajeet Jaiswal

epgp books

 

 

 

Contents:

 

1.      Introduction

2.      Physical work environment

3.      Physical work

4.      Physical activity

5.      Impact of work Environment on Employee Productivity

5.1 Noise

5.2 Lighting

5.3 Color

5.4 Air Quality

5.5 Office Furniture

6.      Physical work environment and stress

7.      Ecology and Physical activity Summary

 

Learning objectives:

1.      To provide an introductory information about Physical work environment and Ecology of physical work.

2.    To elucidate the Impact of work Environment on Employee Productivity like Noise, Lighting, Color, Air Quality and Office Furniture.

3.   To enable the students at postgraduate level to understand the relationship between Physical work environment and stress and also Ecology and Physical activity.

 

1.  Introduction:

 

The physical aspects of a workplace environment can have a direct impact on the productivity, health and safety, comfort, concentration, job satisfaction and morale of the people within it. Important factors in the work environment that should be considered include building design and age, workplace layout, workstation set-up, furniture and equipment design and quality, space, temperature, ventilation, lighting, noise, vibration, radiation, air quality (Burke, 2000). The office environment in which employees work and undertake most of their activities can impact on their productivity. The quality and quantity of work generated by employees are influenced by the office environment and poor environmental conditions can cause inefficient worker productivity as well as reduce their job satisfaction, which in turn will impact on the financial well-being of the organisation Extensive research concerning the effect of an unfavorable workplace environment on employee productivity has been undertaken worldwide. The majority of research found that there were several elements known to contribute both positively and negatively to productivity (Sarode and Shirsath , 2014).

 

Some researchers discovered that these elements affected both the psychological and physiological welfare of the workers, causing such conditions as eyestrain, fatigue, headache, back pain, and nausea. It is important to solve these problems; otherwise it will place the organisation in a bad situation as many people in the office may become sick due to inadequate office conditions. Administrative Office Managers should be able to organize the workplace based on an ergonomically sound office environment. Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people, the equipment they use and the physical environment in which they work. Applying ergonomic principles to the design, modification and maintenance of workplace environments, has a benefit on people’s work performance and short- and long-term health and safety (Sarode and Shirsath , 2014).

 

2. Physical work environment

 

Work environment is the Location where a task is completed. When pertaining to a place of employment, the work environment involves the physical geographical location as well as the immediate surroundings of the workplace, such as a construction site or office building. Typically involves other factors relating to the place of employment, such as the quality of the air, noise level, and additional perks and benefits of employment such as free child care or unlimited coffee, or adequate parking (Burke, 2000).

 

The physical environment in the workplace has been described as all material objects and stimuli that employees interact with in their working lives (Elsbach & Pratt, 2007). Material objects can be observed at both the macro (e.g. buildings) and micro levels (e.g. furnishings and office arrangements). Stimuli include the conditions under which employees work such as the lighting and temperature. Salient factors within the physical work environment that may impact on employees can be divided into several broad areas: ambient properties, spatial arrangements and architectural design. Ambient properties refer to factors such as noise, temperature, air quality, and vibration; spatial arrangements refer to factors such as office layout, level of enclosure and proximity to office (Evans, Johansson & Carrere, 1994; McCoy, 2002). Architectural design refers to elements such as lighting or the presence of windows (Evans et al., 1994; McCoy, 2002).

 

The physical work environment may be influenced by a wide variety of elements or sources of material objects and stimuli. In the workplace ambient properties such as noise can arise from sources such as telephones, employee conversations or noises generated by industrial equipment (e.g. construction sites, factories) (Raffaello and Maass, 2002). Concerns with temperature may arise in office environments but also exist for workers employed in outdoor working environments who are exposed to extreme weather conditions (e.g. fishing or resources industry). Indoor air quality is a complex issue where problems may arise from pollutants or odours (biological, chemical or particle) or defects in building ventilation systems (EPA, 1998). However, employees who work in external industrial sites may also face air quality issues from chemical and dust exposure. An example of spatial arrangements is office type (open vs enclosed) while architectural issues refer to the lighting (intensity of artificial lighting, access to daylight, sunlight penetration) and presence of a window or type of views from the workspace (natures scenes, other buildings).

 

3. Physical work

 

Physical work or Manual labour is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and to that done by working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word “manual” comes from the Latin word for hand), and, by figurative extension, it is work done with any of the muscles and bones of the body. For most of human prehistory and history, manual labour and its close cousin, animal labour, have been the primary ways that physical work has been accomplished. Mechanization and automation, which reduce the need for human and animal labour in production, have existed for centuries, but it was only starting in the 18th and 19th centuries that they began to significantly expand and to change human culture. To be implemented, they require that sufficient technology exist and that its capital costs be justified by the amount of future wages that they will obviate (Crawford, 2017).

 

Although nearly any work can potentially have skill and intelligence applied to it, many jobs that mostly comprise manual labour—such as fruit and vegetable picking, manual materials handling (for example, shelf stocking), manual digging, or manual assembly of parts—often may be done successfully (if not masterfully) by unskilled or semiskilled workers. Thus there is a partial but significant correlation between manual labour and unskilled or semiskilled workers.

 

Based on economic and social conflict of interest, people may often distort that partial correlation into an exaggeration that equates manual labour with lack of skill; With lack of any potential to apply skill (to a task) or to develop skill (in a worker); and with low social class. Throughout human existence the latter has involved a spectrum of variants, from slavery (with stigmatization of the slaves as “subhuman”), to caste or caste like systems, to subtler forms of inequality (Crawford, 2017).

 

4. Physical activity

 

Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (2008) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans physical activity generally refers to movement that enhances health. Exercise is a type of physical activity that’s planned and structured. Lifting weights, taking an aerobics class and playing on a sports team are examples of exercise. Physical activity or Work is good for many parts of your body. This article focuses on the benefits of physical activity for your heart and lungs. The article also provides tips for getting started and staying active. Physical activity is one part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. A heart-healthy lifestyle also involves following a heart-healthy eating, aiming for a healthy weight, managing stress, and quitting smoking (Brill, 1992).

 

5.  Impact of work Environment on Employee Productivity

 

Factors of workplace environment play an important role towards the employees’ performance. The factors of workplace environment give an immense impact to the employees’ either towards the negative outcomes or the positive outcomes (Chandrasekar, 2011). Over the last decades, the factors of work environment of the office workers had changed due to the changes in several factors such as the social environment, information technology and the flexible ways of organizing work processes (Hasun and Makhbul, 2005).

 

According to Boles et al. (2004), when the employees’ are physically and emotionally have the desire to work, then their performance outcomes shall be increased. Moreover, they also stated that by having a proper workplace environment, it helps in reducing the number of absenteeism and thus can increase the employees’ performance which will leads to the increasing number of productivity at the workplace. Some research had shown that there are some positive affects when applying a proper workplace environment strategy such as the machine design, job design, environment and facilities design (Burri and Halander, 1991). Therefore, Chandrasekar (2011) had stated that the connection or relationship between the work, workplace, tools of work had becomes the most important aspect in their work itself. In this module, several factors of the workplace environment that affects the employees’ performance will be determined and also be discussed.

 

When people are working in situations that suit their physical and mental abilities, the correct fit between the person and the work task is accomplished. People are then in the optimum situation for learning, working and achieving, without adverse health consequences, e.g. injury, illness. The following are the work environment elements and how they affect employee productivity.

 

5.1 Noise

 

Noise is element of the work environment, which has an important role in affecting employee productivity. Too much noise, such as sound from equipment, tools, and people’ s conversation, may prevent workers concentrating on their jobs, consequently decreasing their productivity. However, according to Keeling and Kallaus (1996) people cannot achieve good performance in a silent environment, because at some level, sound may generate a healthy background and can also assist employees accomplish their work. In general, noise can influence employees while doing their work and the impact can be both positive and negative. If there is soft background sound, which is coming from instrumental music, and there is an employee who has to tackle claims from some inpatient customers, the background sound in turn, will assist him/her to become more relaxed in solving the customer s problems. In contrast, if the sound background is quite hard, which may develop from the telephone ringing and loud conversation among people in the same room, this situation can hamper both the employee and customers. There are several methods for controlling the noise in the office: proper contraction, sound-absorbing materials, sound-absorbing devices, and masking (De Croon et al., 2005).

 

5.2 Lighting

 

Working in dim or overbright work environments can result in eyestrain, headaches, irritability and, inevitably, reduced productivity. Light sources, including the sun, can create unwanted reflections, glare and shadows in the workplace that can cause discomfort and distraction, and can interfere with the performance of visual tasks. Low levels of lighting can cause depression, which for some people may be severe. There are two kinds of light that are available to office: natural light and artificial light. Natural light is a free resource that enters the office through window or skylight, whereas artificial light is the kind of light which is produced and designed by manufacturing. A poor lighting system may reduce employee performance as well as productivity, because those who have to work related with reading might have a serious problem with their vision, which in turn may cause fatigue or eyestrain. point out that Administrative Office Managers should also take into account the amount of light as well as the quality of lighting (De Croon et al., 2005). More lights, for some workers, may be helpful in overcoming their tasks. However, for the rest of them, especially those who have to work in front of computers, excessive light may cause difficulties viewing the characters on the screen. In addition, those employees who work in a better quality of lighting are likely to create faster work with fewer errors, compared to those work in a poor lighting (Evans and Cohen, 1987).

 

5.3 Color

 

Another element of the work environment, which has impact on employee productivity, is color. The majority of workers are only concerned about the physical effect of color, while many of them do not pay more attention to its psychological impact. In fact, color plays a very important role on the human body, mind, and spirit, because it can impact both productivity and wellness. For some people, different colors can have a different meaning; for example, those who prefer red color means that the people are energetic, aggressive, and brave. Those who like the blue color mean that they are very loyal people or faithful. In the work environments, different colors can also have a different impact, specifically for those involved in particular rooms. Choosing inadequate colors may impact on worker health, such as, eyestrain, headache, and fatigue. However, it is very difficult for Administrative Office Managers to facilitate desirable colors for every worker. There are three factors which Administrative Office Managers need to aware of before choosing an appropriate color for the office environment these are: work functions, physical location, and type of emotion desire . Different activities need a different color environment. Activities which need more concentration, such as accounting, will be best with cool color, for instance, blue and green, while some creative work, such as, advertising, software design, and fashion design, will be successful with warm color environments, for example, red and orange. An intelligent choosing of color environments in turn will enhance creativity, as well as productivity, while at the same time reducing fatigue and other health problems (Vischer, 2007).

 

5.4 Air Quality

 

The last element of the work environment, which has impact on employee productivity, is air quality. Poor air quality can raise a negative impact on employee health in the form of respiratory problems, headaches, and, fatigue, which in the long periods will reduce productivity. The air quality contains four factors that are: temperature, humidity, ventilation, and cleanliness.

 

5.4.1 High Temperature Levels

Employee lethargy and tiredness as a result of increased body temperature lead to possible efficiency decreases.

 

5.4.2 Low Temperature Levels

Low Temperature Levels decrease in efficiency due to cooler body heat and shivering.

 

5.4.3 High Humidity

In itself may not be a direct problem, but it does increase our susceptibility to high temperature levels as evaporation of body sweat is impeded.

 

5.4.4 Low Humidity Levels

This have a debilitating effect on our ability to breathe and swallow without discomfort as our mouths and noses can become dry due to the increased level of evaporation in the surrounding environment.

 

A comfortable work environment is a building or room in which workers can generate their work properly as it clean, with proper range of temperature, enough ventilation, and an adequate humidity. Too little humidity level may causes magnetic tapes and disks to stick during processing operation, whereas too much humidity, on the other hand, produces condensation on the electronic parts of the equipment and causes short circuiting (Vischer, 2007).

 

5.4.5 Ventilation

Ventilation is important for the control of dust, fumes, gases, aerosols, climate and thermal comfort factors. Exposure to different types of dust can result in fibrosis of the lung, allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Various vapours, gases and aerosols have the ability to cause respiratory and skin damage. Extremes of heat can reduce concentration and motivation and cause a number of heat-related illnesses. Extremes of heat can also reduce tolerance to chemical and noise exposure, and increase the risk of heart attacks.

 

After the temperature level in an office has been set-up properly within the favorable level of humidity, the air in the office still needs to be circulated, otherwise it can increase the temperature, which in turn may cause discomfort Air circulation is also essential as it can avoid people inhaling inadequate air. Moreover, smoking must be prohibited in the office. Some small offices still use electric fans to make sure that the air is circulated well (Shikdar and Sawaqed, 2003).

 

5.4.6 Air cleanliness

Air cleanliness is also becoming one consideration of office management to develop better air quality. Due to technological advances, many devices have been developed to clean the air. These devices clean the air of germs, dust, and dirt.

 

5.5 Office Furniture

Office furniture comprises of desks chairs, the filing system, shelves, drawers, etc. All these components have a specific role to play in the proper functioning of any office and the productivity and the efficiency of the employees. And, one of the most important thing to be considered while buying office furniture is to ensure whether it is ergonomic or not. Ergonomics of office furniture is important because an employee has to work with them for the entire time that he is on office, and if they are uncomfortable and not user friendly, their working style and efficiency gets hampered considerably, in turn affecting the overall organizations. Non-ergonomic office furniture can also lead to health problems of employees, which again has an adverse effect on the productivity (McCoy and Evans, 2005).

 

Ergonomic office furniture ensures that each employee gels well with the things around him, like desks, chairs, computer alignment and even environmental factors. If the employee is uncomfortable due to any reason, his work is bound to get affected. If all factors surrounding the employee are ergonomically correct, then the employee will be comfortable and remain motivated to give his best. These days’ organizations consult, and even employ ergonomic experts that advice people on how to improve their office ergonomics and what type of furniture would be suitable to make the ergonomics of a work place better. Having ergonomic office furniture reduces the chances of any risk injury. They are designed in manner that makes them safe to be had around and also reduce the possibility of any accidents in the work place.

 

Office furniture like desks can be designed to give greater leg room and adequate support to the elbows while working on the computer. The positioning of the computer monitor and the mouse should also be adequate, so that the user does not have to strain his vision to view and stretch uncomfortably far to reach them. Office furniture helps the organization tremendously in increasing its productivity, and at the same time taking care of the employees’ health (McCoy and Evans, 2005).

 

6. Physical work environment and stress

 

Recent research has suggested that stress at work is a major public health risk associated with cardiovascular morbidity (Rosengren et al., 2004; Kornitzer et al., 2006; Chandola et al., 2008). In addition, stress at work is associated with substantial economic consequences, including increased absenteeism, increased worker turnover, decreased worker job satisfaction and associated decreases in worker productivity (Harter et al., 2002; Duijts et al., 2007).

 

Importantly, the physical characteristics of the work environment including noise, lighting, and ventilation have been linked to job satisfaction in office workers (Veitch et al., 2007) and are therefore implicated in the effects of work-related stress on health. To date few studies have directly investigated the effects of the physical work environment on physiological health outcomes.

 

7. Ecology and Physical activity

 

In industrialized nations like the United States and Sweden, the vast majority of adults do not meet the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes per week (Hagstromer, 2010). Inactive lifestyles put most adults at risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, obesity, some cancers, osteoporosis, and psychological disorders (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008). Physical activity can be effective at all phases of chronic disease management, from primordial prevention (prevention of risk factors) through treatment and rehabilitation (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008). There is particular interest in the potential for physical activity to prevent chronic diseases, thereby improving quality of life and reducing health care costs (Dishman, 2004). In the past decade, limitations of prevention approaches that target mainly individuals with educational and motivational programs have been recognized, triggering a trend to consider influences on behavior that are outside the person, such as the built environment (Pearson et al., 2003; Koplan et al., 2005).

 

Summary

  • Employees are very important assets that the organization has. A good organisation is one that can nurture its employees.
  • One technique to nurture the employee is by paying attention to the office environment. Many employees spend most of their time on generating activities in the office.
  • Thus, the office environment plays a very important role if the organization would like to maintain better productivity.
  • There are four factors of the office environment under which it has impact on employee productivity that are: lighting, noise, color, and air quality.
  • All of these factors cannot be treated separately, as they connect with each other.
  • For instance, even though the lighting system of the office is desirable as it meets employee needs, the noise in the office still has to maintain to ensure that employees can work in favorable sound.
  • An adequate lighting system, noise, color, as well as air quality can impact employees both physically and psychologically, and some health problems that may occur are headaches, as a result of poor lighting system and undesirable noise, respiratory problems as a consequence of poor air quality, fatigue as a result of inappropriate of selecting color, and so forth.
  • In the long term, these problems will impact the financial well being of the organization.
  • In addition, in order to maintain employee productivity, Administrative Office Managers are recommended to organize the office environment based-on an ergonomically sound office in which all of the office environment aspects can be appropriate for employee.
you can view video on Ecology of physical work

    Glossary

 

Work environment: Work environment is the Location where a task is completed. When pertaining to a place of employment, the work environment involves the physical geographical location as well as the immediate surroundings of the workplace, such as a construction site or office building. Typically involves other factors relating to the place of employment, such as the quality of the air, noise level, and additional perks and benefits of employment such as free child care or unlimited coffee, or adequate parking

 

Ecology– Ecology is the study of the interaction between living and nonliving components of the environment. This pertains to the relationship between an organism and all aspects of its environment.

 

Physical work or Manual labour :Physical work or Manual labour is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and to that done by working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word “manual” comes from the Latin word for hand), and, by figurative extension, it is work done with any of the muscles and bones of the body. For most of human prehistory and history, manual labour and its close cousin, animal labour, have been the primary ways that physical work has been accomplished. Mechanization and automation, which reduce the need for human and animal labour in production, have existed for centuries, but it was only starting in the 18th and 19th centuries that they began to significantly expand and to change human culture. To be implemented, they require that sufficient technology exist and that its capital costs be justified by the amount of future wages that they will obviate

 

Physical activity: Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans physical activity generally refers to movement that enhances health. Exercise is a type of physical activity that’s planned and structured. Lifting weights, taking an aerobics class and playing on a sports team are examples of exercise. Physical activity or Work is good for many parts of your body. This article focuses on the benefits of physical activity for your heart and lungs. The article also provides tips for getting started and staying active. Physical activity is one part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. A heart-healthy lifestyle also involves following a heart-healthy eating, aiming for a healthy weight, managing stress, and quitting smoking.

 

Interesting facts

  • The physical aspects of a workplace environment can have a direct impact on the productivity,
  • health and safety, comfort, concentration, job satisfaction and morale of the people within it.
  • Some researchers discovered that these elements affected both the psychological and physiological welfare of the workers, causing such conditions as eyestrain, fatigue, headache, back pain, and nausea.
  • Work environment is the Location where a task is completed.
  • The physical environment in the workplace has been described as all material objects and stimuli that employees interact with in their working lives
  • The physical work environment may be influenced by a wide variety of elements or sources of material objects and stimuli.
  • Physical work or Manual labour is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and to that done by working animals
  • Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity.
  • Exercise is a type of physical activity that’s planned and structured.
  • Factors of workplace environment play an important role towards the employees’ performance. several factors of the workplace environment that affects the employees’ performance
  • Noise is element of the work environment
  • Working in dim or overbright work environments can result in eyestrain, headaches, irritability and, inevitably, reduced productivity
  • The majority of workers are only concerned about the physical effect of color, while many of them do not pay more attention to its psychological impact.
  • Poor air quality can raise a negative impact on employee health in the form of respiratory problems, headaches, and, fatigue, which in the long periods will reduce productivity.
  • The air quality contains four factors that are: temperature, humidity, ventilation, and cleanliness Office furniture comprises of desks chairs, the filing system, shelves, drawers, etc.
  • Recent research has suggested that stress at work is a major public health risk associated with cardiovascular morbidity
  • In industrialized nations like the United States and Sweden, the vast majority of adults do not meet the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes per week

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