Office Syndrome Is Not Just an Employee Problem: It's an Office and Building Management Challenge

1. Correct Posture Starts with Truly Adjustable Equipment

Ergonomic principles recommend a seated posture with the back fully supported by the backrest, head and neck upright, shoulders relaxed, elbows bent at about 90–100 degrees, hips and knees bent at about 90 degrees, and feet flat on the floor. This posture is only achievable when the furniture supports it.

What FM Can Do

• Select and provide chairs with adjustable height, backrest and armrests, since every person has a different body shape.
• Set desk heights to suit the work, or provide height-adjustable desks where appropriate.
• Provide footrests for employees whose feet don't reach the floor.
• Position monitors so the top edge is at or slightly below eye level, at a distance that doesn't require craning the neck (generally about an arm's length).
• Inspect chairs and equipment regularly, because a broken chair or one that can't lock its height makes good posture impossible.

2. Design Spaces So That Getting Up and Moving Feels Natural

Sitting for long periods tightens muscles and slows blood circulation. The recommendation is to get up and move every hour for about 1–5 minutes, but if the office gives people no reason to get up, they tend to forget.

Space Management Ideas

• Place shared services such as printers, drinking water and small meeting rooms a reasonable distance from workstations so walking happens naturally.
• Set up a stretching corner or short break area.
• Encourage standing meetings or walking conversations for short topics.
• Use in-building communication such as posters, digital screens or gentle reminders to prompt movement.

Common Area Care and Building Amenities

• Keep common areas inviting, such as corridors, stairways, balconies and relaxation areas, clean, safe, well lit and ready to use, so employees want to walk around or change scenery.
• Maintain safe walking routes: non-slip floors, no obstructions and clear signage.
• Keep elevators running reliably, and consider encouraging stair use in suitable buildings, after ensuring the stairways are safe and well lit.
• Keep restrooms, break rooms and shared drinking water points clean and ready to use, since they are a main reason people leave their desks.

3. Lighting and Environment: The Silent Cause of Tired Eyes

Dry eyes, burning, redness, blurred vision and headaches don't come from staring at screens alone. They are also related to lighting and the surrounding environment, which requires building systems and workspace layout to be managed together.

What FM Can Do

• Arrange desks so they don't face, or have their backs directly to, windows, reducing glare on screens.
• Install curtains or blinds, and choose desk lamps that reduce glare where extra light is needed.
• Provide a "long-view point," such as a window or open corridor, so employees can comfortably rest their eyes by looking into the distance.

What PM Can Do

• Lighting systems: Measure brightness in work areas to suit document and computer work, and adjust the lighting layout so it is even, with no overly dark or glaring spots.
• Lamp and bulb maintenance: Clean fixtures on schedule and replace aging or flickering bulbs, since unstable light tires the eyes faster.
• Natural light management: Maintain window films, curtains or shared blinds so natural light can come in without causing glare on screens.

4. Turn "Advice" into a "System"

Knowledge alone is not enough. Good office and building management should make ergonomics part of routine operations.

1. Workstation Assessment: Survey employees' desks, chairs and monitors individually or by zone.
2. Building environment assessment: Measure light, temperature, humidity and noise in each work zone against appropriate benchmarks.
3. Open a reporting channel: Let employees report issues with chairs, lighting, air or discomfort through the same repair request system or helpdesk they already use, so FM and PM can receive and route issues immediately.
4. Inspect and maintain on schedule: Include ergonomic equipment and relevant building systems in the Preventive Maintenance plan.
5. Continuous education: Run campaigns, posters and short workshops regularly, so workplace health is something employees see and can act on every day.
6. Follow up: Gather feedback on satisfaction and symptoms, and analyze report statistics, to keep improving spaces and the maintenance plan.

The Result: Not Just Health, but Organizational Performance

Offices and buildings that support ergonomics help employees experience less fatigue, concentrate better, work more comfortably, and face fewer long-term health problems. In addition, preventive building care reduces emergencies and unexpected repair costs, benefiting employees, building users and the organization alike.

For Employees and Building Users: 3 Things You Can Do Every Day

A good environment is the foundation, but the results are complete only when employees take part. Here are ways to prevent office syndrome and eye strain that everyone can start today.

1) Adjust Your Sitting Posture Before Chronic Back Pain Sets In

Slouching, craning your neck and rounding your shoulders for hours every day can cause lower back pain, neck and shoulder pain, numbness in the arms or legs, and accumulated fatigue, which are causes of office syndrome.

Correct sitting posture according to ergonomic principles

• Back: Rest fully against the backrest, especially at the lower back.
• Head and neck: Upright, not jutting forward.
• Shoulders: Relaxed, not raised or hunched.
• Elbows: Bent about 90–100 degrees, close to the body.
• Hips and knees: Bent about 90 degrees, with knees not much higher or lower than the hips.
• Feet: Flat on the floor or a footrest, not dangling.

2) Get Up and Move Every Hour

Sitting at a screen for hours without getting up leads to tight muscles, slow circulation, back, neck and shoulder pain, fatigue, and increased risk of long-term health problems.

Get up and move every hour, walking, stretching or changing position for 1–5 minutes, along with these 4 stretches:

1. Neck stretch: Gently tilt your head to one side and hold, then switch sides.
2. Shoulder rolls: Lift your shoulders and slowly roll them backward 5–10 times.
3. Wrist and finger stretch: Extend one arm forward and gently pull the fingertips toward you with the other hand.
4. Torso twist: Sit upright and gently twist your torso to one side, then the other.

3) Rest Your Eyes with the 20-20-20 Rule

Staring at screens all day causes dry eyes, burning, redness, blurred vision, headaches, and neck and shoulder pain, collectively known as Digital Eye Strain.

Prevent it with the 20-20-20 rule:

• Every 20 minutes
• Look at something 20 feet away (about 6 meters)
• For at least 20 seconds

Employees are responsible for looking after their own habits, but organizations and building managers are responsible for creating an environment that makes good habits truly possible. When employees, FM and PM work together, office syndrome decreases and employees can work with greater physical comfort.