Improve Ergonomics by Using Headsets
In today’s world an average professional spends around 3 to 4 hours of his daily office work routine communicating through phones and for call center agents or online tutors etc. these hours can extend up to 7–8 hours per day. In order to make these significant hours productive as well effective headsets must be chosen in such a manner that they are comfortable enough to be worn all day as well as they must have all the features which are required for a smooth conversation between officials and other stakeholders in business. For communications to be carried out smoother it is vitally important that the person using headsets is able to wear these devices as long as required without suffering from any type of health hazards and consideration of all these factors while selecting a headset is included in ergonomics of wearing a headset and we can device methods and ways to improve these ergonomics only when we are aware of all the pros and cons of using headphones.
Professional working in offices is often required to multitask in order to be productive and complete their tasks on time to meet the deadlines set down by the client. Most of the time the workers are required to manage and handle calls as well as take notes of the information transferred through the phonic conversations or to note down the minutes of meeting while attending a meeting of the senior management through conference calling or it might also occur that the worker is on a call and in the middle of it he has to communicate with the team members or senior management for a high priority task and in order to do that he has to scrunch the phone tightly between neck and shoulders which causes a lot of pressure applied to these areas causing pain and soreness. Moreover when the phone is kept between head and shoulder for long time intervals the hyper contracted muscles become exasperated which results in their blood supply being cut off and this may cause a spasm. This can prove to be a major health hazard affecting the efficiency and active responses of the employee effecting work ultimately.
This pressure on neck muscles causes telephone neck syndrome which is reported to be frequently occurring injury among workplace injuries faced by professionals. Telephone neck syndrome can be avoided using a headset as the headset can be removed or paused anytime and a variety of designs like mono or duo headsets are available which can meet all the requirements of the customers necessary for handling calls. While using a headphone device user’s hands are free to perform any relevant task which results in an enhanced productivity as employees are drawn to perform multiple tasks at a time while wearing headsets. Also if someone needs to note down the minutes of meeting for a conference call or note down any details regarding work or any instructions dictated by a manager through phonic conversation it can be done easily as your hands are free while using a headset thus loss of any kind of information is avoided enhancing productivity and better results from employees.
Medical researchers have confirmed that telephone neck syndrome can be significantly avoided by using headsets for any type of communication to be carried out in professional environments. The headset must be chosen in a manner that it reduces all these health risks to a minimum level and has all the salient features aiding in the increase in productivity of the employees which results in the success of the overall organization. A famous study has stated that using a suitable and proper headset can “…substantially improve productivity and overall call volume, while reducing phone-related employee downtime and physical discomfort. “It is vitally important that the call volume must be loud enough to be heard and understood clearly but not too loud to damage the ear drums as human ears can listen to voices in a certain frequency range. Modern headsets contain noise burst cancellation properties which secure professionals from this health hazard and make it safe and healthy for them to carry out their phonic conversations throughout the day.
A research study has stated that using various types of corded or wireless headsets in high call volume office environments increases the productivity of an employee up to 43 % as compared to professionals who do not use a headset device to carry out their daily tasks which require phonic conversations. In addition to increase in productivity using headset the time consumed for telephonic activity was also reduced which resulted in more work coverage in less time. To be precise workers with headsets placed an impressive average of 16 more calls on daily basis as compared to people who avoided using headsets which clearly indicates the positive influence of using headsets in professional environments.
All these above mentioned factors conclude that there must be no question about wearing or not wearing a headset as using a headset for official phonic conversations is clearly way more beneficial than avoiding usage of these devices. So if an organization wants to enhance their productivity and ensure performance enhancement then they shouldn’t ask this question that whether headsets must be worn or not instead they should be asking the question that which headsets to be worn in order to get best results. Usage of any type of headsets like Bluetooth headsets in professional environments definitely results in avoiding a number of medical hazards and results in a lot of benefits like increased productivity, better performance and avoiding any missed information in addition to many other benefits.
