Workplace ergonomics aims to decrease what?

Workplace ergonomics focuses on designing work environments, systems, and tasks to fit the employees who work in them, with the primary goal of enhancing their comfort, safety, and efficiency. By addressing factors such as posture, repetitive motions, workstation setup, and tool design, ergonomics aims to reduce discomfort associated with physically demanding work.

This reduction in discomfort directly impacts efficiency as well; when employees are comfortable, they are more capable of performing their tasks effectively and without interruption. Thus, the primary focus of workplace ergonomics is indeed to decrease discomfort and inefficiency, making the chosen answer the most appropriate in this context.

In the context of the other options, increasing employee engagement is not a direct aim of ergonomics, although improving ergonomics may lead to higher engagement as a secondary benefit. Task efficiency is influenced by ergonomics but is not the primary target of ergonomic practices. Company policies may be shaped by ergonomic considerations, but they are not what ergonomics itself seeks to decrease. Therefore, the focus on discomfort and inefficiency aligns directly with the objectives of workplace ergonomics.