Awareness of the benefits of proper ergonomic setups has grown across many workplaces. In industries like technology, both employees and employers recognise that investing in the right equipment boosts productivity and wellbeing. Unfortunately, other sectors—particularly education—are still lagging behind.
There is a huge amount of focus on student wellbeing in education. This can leave staff health and wellbeing lower down on the list. Musculoskeletal health and how it relates to ergonomics is one aspect of this. Working in suboptimal conditions can lead to musculoskeletal health deteriorating, resulting in long-term discomfort, decreased performance, and increased absenteeism.
There are so many reasons why ergonomics in education is important to get right. Here are the top four we see in practice:
1. High Amount of Desk Time
Classroom-based learning remains a cornerstone of education. Educators spend much of their working day assisting students at desks, lab benches, or junior classroom tables. In addition, they often spend time at their own desks for lesson planning, grading, and administrative work. Some educators deliver primarily digital learning and are therefore mainly desk-based for work. Whether on-site or at home, educators use a variety of desk setups. We have found that often none of these are optimised for their own health and function.
2. Working at Different Levels
For educators, particularly those working with younger students, the physical setup of classrooms often prioritises the needs of the learners. Desks, chairs, and other classroom elements may be designed for children, forcing teachers into awkward postures at lower levels. Teachers of younger students find themselves squatting, kneeling, or sitting on the floor tens of times per day, for long stretches of time. This can strain muscles and joints. In other educational environments such as science labs, educators work at higher lab benches, requiring different ergonomic considerations.
3. The Impact of Sickness Absence
Continuity is vital in education, and managing sickness absence among staff can create operational challenges. Frequent absences can disrupt student learning and development. While musculoskeletal issues are amongst the top five reasons educators take sickness absence, we also find that many educators default to working through ill health (a phenomenon known as presenteeism). This can further exacerbate their health issues and negatively impact their ability to teach effectively.
4. Leading by Example
Educators serve as role models for students beyond the subject matter being taught. Good musculoskeletal health in the workplace sets a positive example for students, many of whom will also spend long hours at desks and using screens throughout their educational careers and beyond. MSK issues are becoming increasingly prevalent among students, starting as early as primary school.
Convinced that ergonomics is important in education? Here are a couple of tips on where to start:
Assessing Ergonomic Levels
As a first step, assess the various levels at which staff are required to work throughout the day. In a typical classroom environment, educators will move through a range of postures, from standing by a board to sitting at a teacher’s desk, kneeling next to a student's desk, or even sitting at a low table designed for younger students.
Each of these scenarios demands its own ergonomic consideration. How can these setups be optimised for the educator's comfort and health? Some ideas include:
Adjustable Seating and Desks
Investing in adjustable chairs on castors or gilders that can move between the height of a student’s desk and the teacher’s desk can provide flexibility. Similarly, height-adjustable desks for educators may help them move from sitting to standing as they switch tasks through the day.
Think Multi-Purpose
Consider teaching tools that cater to different postures, or equipment that helps make teaching tools more adaptable. For example, equipment that can easily shift between standing and sitting heights may be useful depending on how teaching is delivered.
Portable Ergonomic Tools
Items like portable stools and kneeling pads can reduce the strain of sitting or kneeling on hard surfaces, especially in early childhood education environments.
Best Practices: Education and Movement
Many educators are aware of how their musculoskeletal health relates to work factors but feel powerless to address them. By investing in basic ergonomic education, schools can empower teachers to adopt solution-focused approaches to their own well-being.
This extends to encouraging movement within the classroom. Educators should be encouraged to incorporate standing and walking into their day, which often ties in well with facilitating active learning methods. Knowing how to optimise movements between levels and safely hold postures at lower levels can also be protective against musculoskeletal ill health.
Conclusion
Ergonomics in education is a huge topic. The potential impact of improving ergonomic conditions for educators is significant, with possible links to student as well as staff outcomes. The ergonomic hazards and risks in educational settings can be quite unique- an early years setting will pose completely different challenges to a higher education setting. That’s why we recommend a tailored approach in combination with best practice education for educators. The ergonomics equipment landscape can be confusing, so we’ve streamlined what’s out there.
There are over half a million teachers working in the UK, and that isn’t even counting further education settings. Recruiting and retaining educators is becoming an increasingly pressing issue for educational institutions, which is why this topic is so important. Amongst our clients in education and beyond, organisations that take the lead on work and health will not only attract and retain talent but improve their productivity too!
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