Ergonomics entrepreneur earns accolades

According to Alumni Honour Award recipient Linda Miller, ergonomics is the key to a happy, healthy and productive workforce.

Most working adults spend a significant amount of time every day at work — and Linda Miller wants to ensure that people spend those hours as comfortably and productively as possible. 

“Most of us get a lot of value out of what we do and it’s part of our identity,” Miller says. “If we get injured on the job, are uncomfortable or working in pain, suddenly it’s not that enjoyable anymore.”

After graduating from the University of Alberta with her bachelor of science in occupational therapy, Miller had a brief stint with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, serving as a work evaluator. However, she quickly realized she wanted to take a more entrepreneurial path. “I grew up with entrepreneurs, so I was never really scared of it,” she explains. 

In 1991, just two years after graduating, she started her business EWI Works Inc. The company specializes in workplace ergonomics. 

“I’ve always loved to create things,” Miller says. “I think that’s what attracted me to occupational therapy, because a lot of times you may have to create a new device or reconfigure a home or workplace after somebody’s had an injury or developed an illness.” 

EWI Works began as a service-based business doing ergonomics consulting as well as on-site training and assessment. It thrived in that sector for nearly 20 years before Miller began expanding the company to include various digital offerings, which she was already getting inquiries about. 

“I’ve always been excited about new technologies,” Miller says. “I’m an early adopter in many cases.”

She spearheaded the creation of an ergonomics app in 2017 that was promoted by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. “We saw it as a way to support our clients in a mobile way,” Miller says. Other software offerings from EWI Works include PoseChecker, a motion capture software that uses AI-based algorithms to track body movements that are then analyzed within the platform to determine the ergonomic risk level. The company also has several online training courses designed to help employees and organizations improve their ergonomics practices. EWI Works also offers virtual consulting, allowing it to serve clients in remote locations.

In addition to leading her ever-evolving company, Miller mentors the next generation of occupational therapists by taking on practicum students at EWI Works and teaching a course in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine on work and productivity. 

“Work brings so much independence for people. It’s a huge piece of our self-identity,” Miller says. “But if someone has a chronic illness or has been injured, how do we help them maintain their ability to work? That’s what the course focuses on.” 

In an effort to support future occupational therapists, Miller established the Harvey and Dorothy Miller Graduate Scholarship in Innovative Occupational Therapy in 2015, which she named after her parents. They were entrepreneurs in the construction industry, and their perspective fostered her appreciation for how the design of spaces can best serve their inhabitants. That perspective has influenced her throughout her career as an occupational therapist and led her to pursue a master’s in environmental design and eventually become involved as an adviser for the International WELL Building Institute. “It’s all about providing spaces that are really going to help promote the health of the people in the building.” 

When she returned to school in 2012 to obtain a doctorate in occupational therapy, her focus was on improving green building design in commercial spaces.

“I thought understanding another level of how to think and set up projects would help me continue to grow my business and also become a better teacher and support the students in a master’s program,” says Miller, who has served as the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s representative on the U of A Alumni Council. 

Miller’s experiences mentoring and instructing students fuelled her love of teaching, and her lifelong belief in the importance of public education drew her to the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, where she’s currently the board chair. 

“When we allow for good quality public education and post-secondary education, that’s a really important thing for people to get ahead.”

Ultimately, whether it’s by changing the layout of where we work or the movements of how we work, Miller wants everyone to have the tools and knowledge they need to be their healthiest selves.

“I see occupational therapy as a way to help people achieve their goals throughout their lives.”