BANGALORE: Yoga and meditation classes are not the only ways to reduce occupational stress. The way an office is designed, its furniture and lighting contribute to a stress-free environment.

"Flexible office furniture is not something new, but in recent years, office furniture manufacturers have actually started consulting orthopaedists and other medical specialists," says V. Ganesh, who supplies office furniture sourced from different manufacturers to information technology firms.

Chairs with adjustable armrests and backs that support the lower part of the spine, where most chronic backaches start, are now taken for granted by employees.

"Many employees need to spend an average of eight to 10 hours in front of a computer, and without furniture that can be adjusted to individual needs, everything from headaches, backaches, neck pain and eye strain can lead to loss of productivity," he says. K. Panduranga, a management consultant, confirms that human resource managers are taking a lot of interest in seating and lighting facilities in an office. "Open fluorescent lamps are almost not used anymore, and recessed shades, which do not cause a glare or get reflected on the computer screen, have become the norm. The `computer-eye syndrome' is taken seriously in most offices," he says. Some offices have gone a step ahead and have provided individual desk lamps as a solution.

Enquiries with employees in some corporate offices reveal that many of them have come up with their own ideas to relieve the monotony of desk-bound work. Shivangini, 29, says she and her colleagues set hourly alarms on their cellphones for small breaks.

"Before making a phone call to a customer or answering a call, we do some breathing exercises for 30 seconds, so that we are less tense when speaking," she says.

Orthopaedists say that sitting for long hours can cause stiff and tense muscles, not just in the neck and shoulders, but in the legs too.

]While everyone may not have the time to leave their seats for 10 to 15 minutes, they can stand and stretch for a minute or two to get rid of stiffness, they suggest.

The ultimate aim is to see that productivity does not slump owing to employees slumped in front of a computer for too long.

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