After the experience of a hundred days of work from home, we understood that the main features of Smart Working are autonomy and freedom to manage our own time.
And it is now clear that most workers are not experiencing Smart Working. It’s just a brutal remote working.
And above all, it is clear that the workplace ergonomics is essential, even at home. For this reason, Prof. Francesco Marcolin, Certified European ergonomist and CEO at Ergocert, proposes a certification for the workplace at home, so that remote working is not torture.
Ergonomically speaking, the office offers us high-level equipment: a large desk, perhaps sit-stands, a task chair, a large screen; efficient lighting and air conditioning systems.
In other words, we realized that the ergonomics of the place and the workplace is not a luxury, it is something we need!
Ergonomics and Smart Working
The task of the ergonomist is to study what happens when a person interacts with something, trying to find the best solution.
In case of “Smart Working” the main elements are:
the company and the type of organization;
the type of work done;
the type of tasks it assigns to people;
the type of tools used to carry out this work;
the characteristics of the environments;
the characteristics of the networks of internal and external relations between people and customers / suppliers;
the goals to be achieved by the collaborators;
human resource management systems motivational tools;
the communication systems among the various elements (people, departments, external subjects, etc.);
other peculiar elements.
It is clear that this is a complex analysis.
The ErgoCert Smart Working Certification
The ErgoCert Smart Working certification is based on the following elements:
The use of a platform specifically dedicated to ergonomic issues and dedicated to the Smart worker who, by connecting through a unique code, will be able to benefit from a series of services and useful information for:
correcting and optimizing your “Smart” workplace and workspace;
having specific technical and health information;
accessing a section called “ergonomic solutions to better work remotely”;
having a distance learning on ergonomic issues and related work stress at Home Office
benefit from a remote assistance service (chat) with ergonomics and work stress management professionals.
The advantages for the company are the following:
Respect the legal requirements regarding Smart working by having an assessment of the collaborator’s remote workplace carried out by experts and based on evidence;
Enjoy the evaluation at a low cost;
Provide its employees with effective solutions to make the remote workplace comply with at least the minimum requirements, specific information and remote training on risks and an assistance service (chat or phone) to solving any ergonomic problem in a short time ;
Possibility to insert the evaluation in your DVR;
Obtain a certification issued by an internationally accredited certification body.
A world so quickly changing requires equally quick responses and actions.
Smart working is certainly the new frontier for the competitiveness of work.
Managing remote work teams is a challenge for companies in a global market that will not allow the use of the old schemes that have allowed companies to survive to date.
After covid-19 it won’t be like that anymore. A new way of thinking was born. It will be good to get used to it.
Text by Francesco Marcolin, European Ergonomist Certified EUR.ERG. Ergocert Manager – Certification Body for Ergonomics
Prof Marcolin smart worker on his own boat.
Caption upper photo: Lago Home Office for new ways of experiencing domestic spaces.
