Re: Need help with a recommendation

[Gwen Thomas <thomasgp -at- CBS -dot- FISERV -dot- COM>]

In speaking of the need for better equipment, Suzette Seveny wrote:
"Ergonomics doesn't matter to this company at all, only productivity."

Suzette:
Wendy Lewis's approach is perfect.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Point out that time is money.  Put it on paper for them:  
"The writer loses X minutes (or hours) of productivity per day flipping between applications.  Multiplied by the writer's salary rate, that is Y dollars per week that the company loses.  The appropriate equipment costs Z dollars.  This purchase would pay for itself in XX weeks."
If you use a formal cost justification, it's not about you personally.

You can consider the same approach for equipment that is causing you physical problems:
"Per the orthopedic doctor on the company insurance plan, if someone is using this furniture, that person must stretch for 5 minutes every half hour instead of the usually recommended 5 minutes per hour.  That comes to X times Y times Z = XX dollars to the company, which is much more than the cost of the furniture."

Of course, I would be careful with the latter approach.  Some places, if you appear less than robust, they don't want you anymore.  (Of course, do you really want them if they don't care?  But that's a personal decision.  No one but you can know which battles are worth fighting.  One place I worked I quietly told my boss it was a new desk, or short term disability.  Another, I quietly brought in my own stuff.)

Good luck!
Gwen


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000