Every July, Calgary offices quietly transform. Business casual gives way to plaid, jeans get a Wrangler upgrade, and you’ll see employees powerwalking to meetings in cowboy boots, for the fifth day in a row. We salute the commitment. Your feet, however, may be filing a formal complaint.
In the spirit of Stampede season, here's a look at three western archetypes hiding in plain sight at your workstation and what to do about each one.
The Week-Straight Cowboy Boot Commitment There's a special kind of office loyalty in wearing cowboy boots to Stampede breakfasts, pancake events, and back-to-back meetings for five days straight. Real leather, zero arch support, and a heel that was never designed for eight hours on hard flooring. If this is you, a rotation strategy is your friend: boots for the breakfast and the photo, supportive shoes back at the desk, especially if you have a sit-stand desk. Your lower back will thank you long after the chuckwagons have gone home.
The Chair That's Basically a Bucking Bronco An office chair that's lost its gas lift, has a backrest angle stuck somewhere between "recline" and "regret," or squeaks every time you shift weight isn't just annoying, it's actively working against your posture, all day, every day. Unlike an eight-second bull ride, most people are strapped into their office bronco for eight hours. The fix doesn't require a new saddle: proper seat height, lumbar support that actually meets your lower back, and armrests set so your shoulders can relax are usually enough to turn a bucking chair into a well-trained one.
The Barrel Racer Workspace You know the setup: monitor angled one way, keyboard shoved to the side to make room for a coffee cup, phone charger cord looped across the walking path, and a printer that requires a full slalom course to reach. Navigating a cluttered desk all day is its own kind of barrel racing, except instead of a ribbon, the prize is a sore neck. A quick desk audit (monitor at eye level, frequently used items within easy reach, cords tucked away) turns a barrel-racing obstacle course into a straight, smooth ride.
The Takeaway Stampede season is a great excuse to celebrate western spirit and our heritage at the office, just don't let your workstation join in on the rodeo. A few small adjustments go a long way toward making sure the only thing getting "bucked" this July is your to-do list.
If your workspace is giving off more bronco energy than boardroom energy, it might be time for a proper ergonomic assessment; no eight-second time limit required.
Evolve Ergonomics helps individuals, corporations, and industrial teams across Canada build workspaces that support the body, no rodeo skills necessary. Reach out at info@evolveergonomics.com to learn more.