Are coffee shop owners responsible for the workplace ergonomics of their customers?
June 01, 2019
"We want to fight, fight for our rights, to woooooorrrrrkkkkkkyyyyy!" murmured a socially awkward dev-op at the weekly "Rally-For-Rights" meetup. This time the rally was focused on crippling carpel-tunnel, a blight faced by pro-gamers, pro-grammers, and the genetically weak wristed. Many blame their local workplace (Jack and the Coffee Beanstalk) as the root cause of their pain.
"The table I work on is too low, the bench slopes backward, and I end up needing three Advil and a beer to cope with my 8-hour workday". Substance abuse was not uncommon when talking to others at the rally. Others take a different approach, "sometimes, I get the barista to give me a shoulder massage while I perch on the vintage metal stool, the guy has really powerful hands, I make sure I leave a big tip."
Julie, 24, artist, was starved for attention, so she raced over to me to blurt her opinion at me. I will summarize, "like, um, we really think this is an important cause, because, um, the people that sit all day really really need to have rights, and stuff." Thank you, Julie.
Conspiracy kooks have even jumped into this battle. Jeremy, a believer in all that is true, states that" the 'Man' {coffee shop owners?} have designed the seats to be uncomfortable on purpose to increase turnover and limit the number of "sit-all-day with one coffee, coworkers.
We didn't have time to talk to any coffee shop owners. It is that kind of article. I imagine a coffee shop owner would say, "the point is, don't be a mobile worker that sits all day in a coffee shop and only orders one coffee." One coffee is like 1-2 hour of work. Think of it as a timer that slowly counts down as you drink. When it is done, you should really be considering your next move.
The debate is far from over, if coffee shops are replacing formal office settings, what is the responsibility of coffee shop owners to protect the health and well-being of their clientele. We can all agree that more ergonomic seats and lighting would improve everyone's experience.
xx E.M Munster
Comentários