Deskbound employees “more susceptible” to back problems

Employees who spend most of their working day sat at a desk are more prone to posture-related problems than those who do not, according to a massage company.

Workers are developing problems such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries (RSI) from spending more time at the computer, the On Site Massage Company has said.

According to the Mercer’s Pan-European health benefits report, an average of 5.3 per cent of a company’s total payroll costs was spent on healthcare benefits for staff in 2007.

Karl Monahan, business development manager at the On Site Massage Company, said there are even conditions like ‘Blackberry thumb’ and ‘mouse elbow’ developing.

"I think companies are now starting to realise it. They are slowly starting to do things about it and they are moving in the right direction," he added.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the average level of employee absence fell from 8.4 days in 2006 to eight days in 2007.