Ergonomics is, basically, the science of comfort. It is the study of how your equipment affects you when you are at work, both in terms of maximising your efficiency and reducing any health risks that might be present.
Where youve probably heard the term, though, is used in relation to computer equipment: mice, mouse mats, keyboards, monitors, and the like. The traditional design of a lot of computer equipment is very unergonomic, meaning that if it is used for extended periods of time (as you do when you are using it at your job), you can get all sorts of injuries, the most famous being RSI (repetitive strain injury).
Whatever you might think of your employer, the chances are that they dont want you getting injured: theyd have to get along without you, or go to the trouble of replacing you, not to mention the legal liability they might have if you could prove that it was there equipment that hurt you. For this reason, ergonomic computer equipment is becoming more and more common in office environments. If your keyboard is oddly-shaped, thats because its ergonomic. If your mouse mat has a little soft spot to rest your wrist on, thats because its ergonomic. There...