Social representations of ergonomics in sales agents of a furniture design company

Abstract

Background: Ergonomics is a strategic element in the design, marketing, and use of office furniture.

Objective: To analyze the social representations of ergonomics held by sales agents at a furniture design company.

Methods: A qualitative study using a social representations approach was conducted. Participants included 24 sales agents from an office furniture manufacturing company in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Data were collected using the free-listing technique. Responses were standardized, semantically categorized, and subjected to prototypical analysis —to identify the central core and peripheral system of the social representation— and process-oriented analysis —to understand how these representations are constructed and utilized.

Results: Five categories were identified: health, well-being, and prevention; workstation adaptation and environmental conditions; human and biomechanical factors; performance, functionality, and capabilities; and ergonomics as a scientific and regulatory discipline. The central core consisted of the terms well-being, health, comfort, dimensions, and posture, while the peripheral system included words such as chair, accessories, organization, anthropometry, and capacity, relating to individual experiences and the work context.

Conclusions: The social representation of ergonomics is multidimensional, integrating preventive, biomechanical, functional, and scientific dimensions. These findings demonstrate that sales agents combine technical knowledge with the promotion of well-being and customer satisfaction; however, a gap remains between conceptual knowledge and practical application within organizational settings, highlighting the need to strengthen ergonomic training within commercial and business processes.