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Microsoft Study Says Repetitive Strain Injury Costs $600m

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the still-free-to-me-just-painful dept.

4roddas writes "Work-related RSI cases are at an all-time high and the cost to businesses is spiraling, new Microsoft research reveals. Repetitive strain injury cases have soared by over 30 percent in the last year, costing businesses over US$600 million in lost working hours — and causing pain and debilitating discomfort to over-worked staff. Microsoft claims the rapidly emerging trend of 'mobile working' — with office-based employees now working on the move for an average of an hour more per day than they did two years ago using laptops and mobile devices — is behind this alarming climb in work-related injury. The company arrived at its conclusions in a poll among over 1,000 office workers, HR managers and office managers. This showed that 68 percent of office workers suffered from aches and pains, with the most common symptoms including back ache, shoulder pain and wrist/hand pain."

3 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. Seems to be the opposite of what I thought by nauseum_dot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have to say that this is amazing, when you give your employees the ability to work at home, they over work themselves.

    That seems the opposite of conventional wisdom, and I remember reading another story here, some time ago, that said that in the office employees think that telecommuters appear to be doing less work.

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  2. We have treatment options at work by bunyip · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My employer (Sabre Holdings) offers Active Release Therapy (ART) for RSI and similar problems. The doctor that does this comes into the office two mornings a week and does 15 minute treatment sessions. No complex insurance forms and the associated cost of running around and taking time off to get it treated. It's a nice benefit to have :-)

    I've had ART done on me for running injuries (repetitive strain) and it's worked really well, I recommend it.

  3. It's the opposite in the Netherlands by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 4, Interesting

    According to this article from may 16th

    http://www.nu.nl/news/1569649/36/rss/RSI-klachten_weer_op_niveau_van_10_jaar_geleden.html

    (sorry it's in dutch) our RSI numbers are down to the same as ten years ago. So we don't see to have the problem that MS is warning us about.
    I wonder why that is?

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