The Latvian Ergonomics Society (LES) actively promotes awareness of ergonomics as an essential prerequisite for employee health, work capacity, and organizational competitiveness. Two complementary episodes of the national Latvian Radio 1 program “How to Live Better” are dedicated to these issues, featuring Henrijs Kaļķis, a professor at the University of Latvia and a member of the LES board, as well as Katri Vintiša, director of SIA “HR Laboratory” and a human resources management consultant.
The June 16 broadcast, titled “The Work Environment as a Tool for Competitiveness: What Lies Behind This Statement?”, explains why a modern work environment is much more than just compliance with occupational safety requirements. Well-thought-out ergonomics, work organization, and human resources management directly impact employee well-being, engagement, work quality, and the company’s competitiveness.
The discussion continued on the August 4 broadcast, “Ergonomics Helps Solve the Problem of Fatigue in the Workplace; We Must Also Remember to Take Care of Ourselves.” In it, fatigue was examined as a complex physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial process. Professor Henrijs Kaļķis presented research conducted at the University of Latvia that seeks to identify early signs of fatigue so they can be detected before pain, errors due to inattention, or a decline in work performance occur. The program also emphasizes the importance of regular microbreaks, timely recovery, and the employee’s own sense of responsibility.
Together, these two segments demonstrate the broad significance of ergonomics in today’s business environment – it helps preserve people’s health, reduce the risk of fatigue and errors, improve work performance, and promote the sustainable development of organizations.
Through expert participation in social media, LES continues to raise awareness of the field of ergonomics and promote an evidence-based understanding of a healthy, productive, and people-centered work environment.
We kindly invite you to listen both episodes (In Latvian):
