Struggling with the job

Old 09-18-2011, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Tuffgirl View Post
Oh how I wish I could send you my executive leather desk chair sitting unused in my garage!
I treated myself after I graduated, and bought one that has the built-in shiatzu massage!
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Old 09-18-2011, 12:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Freedom1990 View Post
I don't have this problem at home and am in front of the computer most of the day. I have an executive style chair with an ortho cushion to sit on, and a lumbar support pillow behind me.

At work, I pull all the charts for a certain dismissal date, and put them on a cart that I roll back to my area. Then I take a pile of about 6 folders and set that off to the right of me. I work in a cubicle at a long desk top.

They usually have loose papers in the front that I put in in the right places and then I use a 2-hole punch on all the papers, put them on the prongs in the chart, and move onto the next one.

The chair I swap out when I can is a very stiff padded chair that keeps my back arched inward all the time, and hurts early on. There is no adjusting it except to tilt the back just a bit, not much.

I have a footstool underneath that I will rest my feet on with my legs out straight just to change the position of my back for awhile.

I'm working on keeping my stomach and buttocks muscles tight like they are teaching me in PT, but it's hard to concentrate on the charts and doing that too!
I used to do ergonomics assessments and recommendations in a former life. It's not unreasonable for you to discuss with the workplace that you are having discomfort, and you have a good opening to do so, because you are very tall for a woman. It sounds as though one of two things may be contributing: 1) standing time, although you did not explicitly state this, I imagined you standing to pull the files, from somewhere, and 2) a chair that is not comfortable. (A third consideration is to see if you are spending a lot of seated time with a twist somewhere in your spine, such as looking off the the side with a twisted neck, or reaching off to the side, with a twisted lower back.)

While nobody wants to be the new kid and right off start complaining and asking for more comfort, there is a good approach based on your height and also medical history. With a straightforward discussion, perhaps you can work with the workplace and see a reason to replace the task chair with one better suited for someone of great height. You want your knees at the same level as your hips when you sit, which for a tall person means an adjustable height seat. Your lumbar curve will also be placed differently due to this height, and also notably, you may be in a chair that is pushing you forward in the seat because you have longer thighs, so are basically feeling like you are being pushed forward by the chair back while sitting - this in itself can cause terrible back strain if you are seated too far forward in a chair, it's like sitting on the edge of a chair all day long.

It's not that big of a deal to see if you could get a task chair better suited to your height - one with an adjustable seat height and one with a deeper seat and maybe even adjustable back height or lumbar curve. None of these are based on "comfort" but rather your height, when you approach this in a conversation - think of it as a discussion of body mechanics and how to get a suitable work station, don't think of it as asking for favors or to be more comfortable than the others.

You may even want to approach it that you have some ideas to improve productivity for that particular job, based on the ergonomics of the work station, and then present, for example, your considerations of your own particulars, which are that the correct chair can greatly improve performance for a worker and is a great investment for a good productivity return. Companies are not ever wanting to spend more money on employees, but they can be made interested in ideas to improve productivity where the cost is relatively small, such as a hundred or two dollars for a chair for a workstation where this will make a large productivity difference in the job.

CLMI
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Old 09-18-2011, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Freedom1990 View Post
I think you hit the nail on the head all the way around. It's frustrating to once again have a job that is more physical than mental, and I'm not particularly utilizing any of my college education. My purpose in obtaining the degrees was to find work that was no longer physical. I've had that all my adult life.
Freedom: I seem to have hit that roadblock since I finished my course I received high marks in my accounting courses-this certificate was to help me get a foot in the door so I could put my skills (both old and new) to work. At the moment, I'm working in a large retail book chain for peanuts, getting jacked around for shifts, back to no structure in my life for me and the pup.

It is frustrating as I have flooded the market here with resumes that reflect my new skills. Out of all of those resumes, I have had one interview and I am supposed to hear the results at the beginning of the week. Somehow, I have to put a dent in the debt I incurred to get this education, yet, what is out there at the moment does not come close to this.

Sending hugs and encouragement your way that things will be resolved for you........
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Old 09-18-2011, 03:50 PM
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Hang in there Freedom!!!!

Ask your staffing coordinator for an ergonomic assessment of your work area. They are pretty standard and should be happy to provide you with one. They may recommend some helpful adjustments to your work area.

I hope you can stick it out. If it's a large medical center, there will be LOTS of opportunities for you in the future. I would think it's worth it to suck it up a little and get your foot in the door.

No job is perfect and (this is coming from someone who lost her job 3 months ago and is about to lose her house) I wish I had an imperfect one right now.
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Old 09-18-2011, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by catlovermi View Post
I used to do ergonomics assessments and recommendations in a former life. It's not unreasonable for you to discuss with the workplace that you are having discomfort, and you have a good opening to do so, because you are very tall for a woman. It sounds as though one of two things may be contributing: 1) standing time, although you did not explicitly state this, I imagined you standing to pull the files, from somewhere, and 2) a chair that is not comfortable. (A third consideration is to see if you are spending a lot of seated time with a twist somewhere in your spine, such as looking off the the side with a twisted neck, or reaching off to the side, with a twisted lower back.)
The standing time isn't much, but it can be a real struggle to get files back onto the corresponding shelves if they are the lower ones, and no chair to sit on while doing that. I am pulling the files from tall shelving units on rollers at one end of the room. I do twist off to one side after I finish a chart as I put it back on the cart that I have to park behind and to the left of me so it is out of the way of the 3 ladies using the printer behind my workstation. I need to be more conscious of whether my upper legs are parallel with the floor while I am sitting. I can adjust chair height on any of them that I use. Being 6' tall does present a challenge when I'm working with ladies averaging much less in height, and I have no idea how tall the gal was who had the area I work in now.

I will go through my job counselor at the temp agency first to see if I get any results as that is technically what I am supposed to do in the event of any difficulties with the job.

If that doesn't produce results, I will go to my supervisor on the floor.
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Old 09-18-2011, 05:35 PM
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Freedom-

I am also quite tall (almost six foot) and have a coworker that is six two. I don't struggle with constant pain, but sitting especially can upset my back because I don't sit correctly.

I got a FIT disk for both my car and my desk at work (they use them for balance to stand on at gyms). Neither cost me more than 25 dollars, but they are worth their weight in gold. I realize you might have a lot more to your pain, but this was something simple that at least prevented problems for me. One of my body workers suggested it.
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Old 09-18-2011, 05:36 PM
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Oh yeah

I work in a hospital also and we have a PT who does ergonomic set ups for the employees. I work in only a medium sized community hospital but I wonder if yours might have something like this.
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Old 09-18-2011, 06:05 PM
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Originally Posted by LifeRecovery View Post
I got a FIT disk for both my car and my desk at work (they use them for balance to stand on at gyms). Neither cost me more than 25 dollars, but they are worth their weight in gold. I realize you might have a lot more to your pain, but this was something simple that at least prevented problems for me. One of my body workers suggested it.
This solution intrigues me. I would love to try this. How are you suggesting to use a FIT disk? Do we sit on it, or is something placed behind you back? I’m actually on amazon.com right now searching for one. Thanks for this suggestion.

After my car accident November of 2008, my back has never been the same. I feel your pain Freedom. Actually, the chiropractor said that my pelvic bone slips out of place sometimes as a result of the accident. When the pelvic bone is out of place, it causes my spine to curve to accommodate the misalignment.
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Old 09-18-2011, 07:00 PM
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Sometimes I sit on it, sometimes I lean my back against it, sometimes I do a little bit of both (squish it in half), and sit on the edge of it. I got mine at a sporting goods store.

I am long legged and thought standing works for me and my posture is fine, sitting is a mess and I slouch because my knees are always higher than my hips (I can NEVER get a chair to go high enough). Plus when I am bored I attempt to stand on it and help my balence. I love the one in my car especially because when I am going to a workshop or something I take it with me. It eliminates most of the problems. Your chiropracter might have suggestions for it for you. The nice thing about it is that you can add/subtract air from it as needed. I know lots of people use the balls to sit on but they don't make those tall enough for me either.

Again I don't have chronic pain, but this has helped me to prevent neck/back discomfort. I really just need to figure out how to get myself a treadmill work station.
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Old 09-19-2011, 10:03 AM
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The good news is I have an appointment with my job counselor on Wednesday. Tomorrow I can swap out the crap chair with another gal's chair in my work area as she's off on Tuesdays. Hopefully we can get this resolved ASAP.
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Old 09-19-2011, 10:06 AM
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All right, now you'll only have the normal stuff at a job to complain about.

Your friend,
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Old 09-20-2011, 07:57 AM
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I hope you find a solution DeVon. I'm the exact opposite of you -- I'm 5 foot and chairs never go low enough to accommodate my height, nor are the seats small enough for my thigh length. The only solution I found was to get a foot stool and I even had to saw the legs a little shorter. By elevating my legs I can sit further back and it tilts the chair.

Crowded restaurants are a pain and I can never sit in a high traffic area. Wait staff and even managers have asked me if I'd please bring my chair closer to the table. The looks on their faces are priceless when I tell them no, because I'm forced to sit on the chair's edge. If I sit back all the way, my legs will stick straight out as the edge is usually under my upper calves.
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Old 09-20-2011, 02:45 PM
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Rescheduled for Thursday with the job counselor as I have PT tomorrow. I'm taking the entire day off as I cooked my back good today. Ugh.
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