Participatory ergonomics-An exemplary paradigm in work-place design Niranjan L R*, Dr Elangovan N** *Asst Professor, School of Business Studies and Social Sciences, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India **Director, NIFT, Kannur, Kerala, India Online published on 24 October, 2019. Abstract Employee participation in the decision-making process has always been extolled as a great management practice in employee engagement initiatives by the corporates around the globe. While this was true to the extent of managerial decisions, a newer paradigm has emerged. An employee knows his work better than anybody. So, who better than the employee, be involved in the work-place design process? While designing a physical work setting, employees are at the centre of the design and not just the chair, table, light fan etc. Efforts are made to align the physical surroundings to suit the individual needs. While customization heralded a new era in the field of manufacturing and has embraced every walk of our lives, it is high time firms look at customizing the environment where employees spend quality and quantity time. This not only creates a sense of ownership but also enables employees work in a safe and sound environment. Issues like Productivity, absenteeism, accidents at work place, attrition etc due to non-engaging physical work set up can be addressed with participatory ergonomics. For a program of this sort to take shape, see the light of the day, and be sustainable, the support top management extends plays a crucial role. While the management is ready to shell out huge money and approve budgets for re-skilling employees which helps them contribute to the bottom line; a healthy worker ideology needs to dawn upon the new age leadership. This conceptual paper is an attempt to explore literature that is similar to the train of thought the researcher posits. Top Keywords Participatory Ergonomics (PE), workplace, working environment, employee participation. Top |