For those workers who use the phone throughout their workday, it’s worth spending some time to make sure your set-up is ideal. Changing the way you use your phone is particularly important if you’re guilty of cradling the phone between your shoulder and head. When you do this, you may be more likely to begin slouching at your desk, risking an injury and/or hurting your productivity.
#1 Placement of Phone Handset on the Desk
If you use a corded phone (handset), think about where you place it on the desk. Some workers like to keep the area around their keyboard clear, so they push the phone towards the back of the desk. This means the phone isn’t in their neutral reach zone, so the worker needs to extend their arm in order to pick up the phone. Repetitive reaching can place stress on the arm and neck.
If you need to make notes or move your mouse while you’re on the phone, place the phone on your non-dominant hand side to leave your dominant hand free to grab a pen or mouse.
#2 Get a Grip on Your Smartphone
These days, many workers don’t have a phone on their desk, preferring to be contacted on their mobile phone. If you have spent long periods holding your smartphone to talk or text, you may have noticed that your hand cramps from being in the same position. If you rest your pinky finger at the bottom of the phone, taking some of the phone’s weight, you could end up injuring your little finger. A phone grip on the back of your mobile is a cheap and easy way to hold your phone in a more natural position, with the fingers straight rather than curled around your phone.
#3 Upgrade to a Headset
Rather than trying to juggle your phone and write or type while talking, a headset gives you the freedom of being hands-free. Not only will you be able to maintain a neutral back, neck and shoulder posture and reduce the risk of an injury, you’ll also be more productive. A study in the USA shows that using a headset can improve workplace efficiency and productivity by as much as 43%.
A hand-held phone may mean you need to be within arm’s reach of your phone at all times. A headset allows you to move short distances away from your desk and still receive calls.
#4 Type Instead of Texting at Work
If you use your mobile to text regularly at work, you may be at risk of stenosing tenosynovitis, an injury also known as texting thumb. If you use WhatsApp or Google Chat, use the apps via your computer rather than your phone. You won’t be looking down at your phone as often and you can type ergonomically with a better posture.
#5 Move Around the Office With Your Headset
If you’re responsible for taking incoming calls or you don’t want to miss an important call, you can feel chained to your desk. By swapping your handset to a headset, you can move more than 100 metres from the charging base and still take calls. It means you can be more productive between calls and allows you to get out of your chair and move around the office freely. You are less reliant on colleagues to listen out for the phone if you want to make yourself a drink or stretch your legs. There are a few different phone and computer headsets available to suit all types of workers and occupations.
#6 Enjoy Better Sound Quality
If you work in a noisy environment, the caller and you may struggle to hear each other properly. Straining to hear on the phone all day is tiring and frustrating. A headset allows you to use a noise cancelling microphone and to easily adjust the volume, leading to a more professional and enjoyable experience.
If you need help with finding the right phone setup for your workstation, Ergolink can help. Call us on 9240 7066 or contact us online.