The Economics And Ergonomics Of Headsets

THE ECONOMICS AND ERGONOMICS OF HEADSETS

Did you know that using a headset can improve your health and the health of your company? It’s true.

We live in a global economy, with more and more people working remotely. Call centers exist all around the world. As a result, the average time spent talking on the phone to clients, customers and/or co-workers has increased drastically over the past several years.

Think about how much time you spend on the telephone every day. Let’s face it, telecommunication is a crucial and growing part of office work and other jobs. Communication is one of the most important aspects of doing business.

If you use a traditional telephone handset or mobile phone to conduct all of your conversations and conference calls, you’re putting your body at risk. Holding a phone to one ear can often lead to poor posture and corresponding musculoskeletal problems. The great amount of pressure on your neck and back over time leads to pain and discomfort.

Continued over-reaching, twisting or cradling the handset between the neck and shoulder to free the hands up for other tasks causes ailments ranging from tingling and numbness to permanent disability. According to researchers, these ailments can be reduced dramatically simply by using a headset.

A study conducted at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center concluded that office workers can reduce neck, shoulder and upper back pain by as much as 41% by using headsets. Since neck and back pain are among the most common ailments of office workers, headsets offer a cost-effective, preventative solution.

Headsets leave both arms and hands free to handle other tasks – typing, retrieving and handling information, paperwork and objects. Using a headset enables users to avoid cradling a handset between the shoulder and ear, allowing them to stay relaxed. The users neck remains in an upright position, thereby reducing the risk of any unwanted aches and pains. Keeping the neck and shoulders relaxed also helps increase blood flow through the muscles, increasing mobility and comfort.

Simply put, headsets are the most versatile telephone utility. The headset moves communication to the head, allowing users natural range of motion. They enable you to work uninhibited while on the phone and keep your body in an ergonomically safe position. In fact, using a headset as part of your daily work routine will make you feel more relaxed and pain free at the end of your work day.

While speaker phones offer flexibility to work while talking, there are many situations in which they are just not appropriate. Speakers phones are not the answer when clarity, volume and professionalism are required. Can you think of a time when someone near you was using a speakerphone and you wished they had a headset so you did not have to listen to their entire conversation? A speaker phone is definitely not appropriate in an office environment where it will be distracting to co-workers. Also, if clarity and noise are a problem, headsets provide the more viable solution.

Not only does using a headset help you physically, it also increases work productivity. A study conducted by H.B. Maynard & Company confirmed that using headsets improves workplace efficiency and productivity by as much as 43%.

Using a headset frees up hands so that workers can focus on other tasks, enabling them to get more work done each day. Productivity is also enhanced by the fact that users are less likely to be affected by pain and fatigue. Employers benefit from having healthier, more productive employees. Healthy employees take fewer sick days and are more engaged at work. Employers may also see a corresponding reduction in costs associated with workers’ compensation and disability claims.

Regular headsets enable you to keep your hands free, while the wireless option allows users to leave their desk and move around during calls. Handset lifters/ehs cables enable users to answer the phone even when they are away from their desk. This means that users do not miss calls and avoid spending as much time following up on voicemails. Again, users are more efficient and productive.

There is no question that investing in headsets now will improve efficiency, increase productivity and lower medical costs overall. Since both employers and employees alike benefit from using headsets, it just doesn’t make sense not to use them.

In the wise words of one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”