This is a survey which is aimed at assessing the way an employee works and what are the kinds of issues he/ she faces due to working on computers. Please fill in the survey objectively, keeping in mind your general response at work. Your responses are invaluable to us. Please feel free to voice out your opinions as this is the right platform for it.

How long do you work on the computer at work (at a stretch)? 0-2 hrs 2-4 hrs 4-6 hrs Almost the whole day

What kind of monotony does your work include? This may include typing, data entry or any other repetitive tasks (On a scale of 1 to 5)

What kind of body pain do you feel because of your work? (Can select more than one option)

Pain in the wrists Pain in the back/neck/shoulders Stress on the eyes Others

Which is the main constraint you feel at work? (Can select more than one option)

Furniture Computers Work pressure Others

According to you, what would be the ideal rest break? (All inclusive) 10 minutes 20 minutes Half an hour Flexible

What is the severity of the pain (On a scale of 1 to 5)?1 2 3 4 5

Pain in the wrists

Pain in the back/neck/shoulders

Stress on the eyes

Severity

Kind of pain

REPORT

Executive Summary

There are approximately 13 lakh IT companies in India. This shows the number of employees who operate on computers for a living. About 70% of India’s population is directly or indirectly related to the IT industry. Needless to say, the IT industry is the main reason due to which India has grown by leaps and bounds in the recent years. However, the fact which is more important to note is the quality and the quantity of work which they put into their work.

The Brijfax systems case is a classic case where employees are forced to work all day long on the same kind of work. This might prove to be hazardous as far as employees are concerned. They need to concentrate on the monotonous work so that they avoid errors. In the process, they are put under heavy physical as well as mental pressure. Many employees suffer from acute body pain, wrist pain etc. This has become increasingly common especially in Data Entry firm. Brijfax systems is now moving towards digitizing all their records gradually. During this process, the organization would need more number of employees. In this type of monotonous but stressful work, it is important for employees to value their health.

Off late, more and more employees are going through a lot of physical problems. As an organization, it is important to be aware of the reasons due to which the employees face these types of problems. We conducted a survey among 50 employees to gauge the level of physical problems which employees go through.

Introduction

Employee welfare should be one of the primary concerns for any organization as employees are the main assets of an organization. Every organization needs to maintain the welfare of their employees and ensure sustainability and at the same time, a competitive advantage over their competitors. This also helps to enhance the culture of the organization.

However, recently more and more employees are feeling physical stress due to the highly repetitive and stressful work. For instance, last year, one of the employees, Rajiv Sen was diagnosed with a carpal tunnel syndrome which is a neuro-muscular disorder of the tendons and tissues in the wrists caused by the repeated hand motions. His symptoms also included a severe ache in the wrists and excruciating pain in the neck and shoulders.

Survey results and Analysis

A survey was conducted among the employees to gauge the level of comfort during work. From the results, we found that

Recommendations

The first step to ensure that employees give their best would be to ensure a conducive environment. This includes maintaining proper infrastructure. Infrastructure of an organization includes the furniture which makes employees comfortable. Comfort leads to the highest output. The employees can concentrate on their work alone rather than the other factors like furniture. Technology is rapidly improving, and it is vital to make full use of technology in companies as it would bring in a lot of ease in work. The touch screen technology can solve most problems which were the cause for hand or wrist pain. Many employees also face a lot of eye problems too. These can be solved to a great extent by introducing screen guards. These types of technology changes could offer a lot of benefits ergonomically.

The second step would be to have routine medical check-ups as this would ensure that the employee health is maintained. These medical check-ups would include a thorough analysis of the employee health in general. Also, if there are some physiotherapy or massage centers, it would enable employees to put in longer and more efficient hours of work. Another factor here is maintaining employee fitness. Hence, a mini gym could also be started. This is something which can help

employees stay fit. Exercise is something which enhances employee health. Since the amount of work is ever increasing, reducing the hours of work would not really be feasible. Hence the immediate solution for this would be to keep employee health as great as possible. These solutions would also keep employees in high spirits and high morale.

The third solution would be to have periodic breaks in between work. Some employees may continue to work owing to the fact that they could return home early. However, sitting for long hours at work at a stretch is harmful as far as health is concerned. Hence, the ideal solution for this would be to have compulsory breaks, which are more spread out in the day. Rather than two 15 minute breaks in between the long hours of work, they could have about three 10 minute breaks. A recent study says that the employee efficiency is at the highest only in the first two hours of work and drastically reduces for the next 6 hours. Hence, it is vital to maintain the freshness in the employees throughout the day’s work. This can be achieved by the periodic breaks in the work. This would also encourage employees to be present on most days at work. In other words, the rate of absenteeism would drastically reduce, which would in turn increase the efficiency of the organization.

Thus, employee efficiency can improve significantly, by a few changes.

APPENDICES

How long do you work on the computer at work (at a stretch)?

What kind of monotony does your work include? This may include typing, data entry or any other repetitive tasks (On a scale of 1 to 5)

According to you, what would be the ideal rest break? (All inclusive, in the whole day)

What kind of body pain do you feel because of your work? (Can select more than one option)Pain in the wrists 40Pain in the back/neck/shoulders 35Stress on the eyes 29Others 32

Which is the main constraint you feel at work? (Can select more than one option)Furniture 33Computers 38Work pressure 46Others 36

What is the severity of the pain (On a scale of 1 to 5)?Pain in the wrists Pain in the back/neck/shoulders Stress on the eyes

1 0 1 22 2 2 33 3 2 34 10 32 285 35 13 14

Total 50 50 50