How can you use ergonomic furniture to improve your workplace productivity?

Leveraging ergonomic furniture in the workplace can significantly enhance productivity. Ergonomic chairs, desks, and accessories contribute to employee well-being, reducing discomfort and preventing musculoskeletal issues. Adjustable furniture accommodates diverse body types, promoting comfort and focus. Properly aligned workstations enhance posture, minimizing fatigue and increasing alertness. By prioritizing employee health and comfort, ergonomic furniture fosters a positive work environment, ultimately improving concentration and task efficiency. This investment in well-designed, comfortable furnishings reflects a commitment to employee welfare, leading to heightened job satisfaction and sustained productivity gains.

Fewer Injuries: Standard office furniture often leads to injuries like muscle strain, neck tightness, and back stiffness. These discomforts can result in decreased productivity and increased absenteeism. Less Fatigue: Ergonomic furniture supports the body and improves posture, helping employees stay more alert and energized. Greater Morale: Investing in ergonomic furniture demonstrates management’s concern for employee health, fostering a sense of commitment among the workforce. Comfort for Everyone: Unlike standard office furniture, ergonomic desks and chairs are adjustable to accommodate individual needs. Personalizing furniture for specific employees allows for additional features, such as lower back pain relief in ergonomic chairs.

Collaboration between Benefits and Ops is key to establishing key data that demonstrates where an organisation needs to prioritise expenditure in ergonomic furniture. There is a increasing global trend in muscular skeletal claims, this can be seen by Benefits teams in aggregated medical claims. Reviewing such data and putting in programs such as ergonomic furniture or MSK support apps is key to increasing employee experience and engagement whilst driving down costs in medical plan premiums for a business.

Ergonomic furniture is key to improve performance. I witnessed this first hand in a project in the banking industry. We had to work with at least 3 different programs at the same type. The company only offered a laptop and a screen. With the help of the team, we measured performance with a period of time by borrowing a second screen from IT. We were able to measure times to complete tasks with a more ergonomic set up compared with the standard set up and concluded the team was 35% more effective. We build a business case and were able to get funding from the stakeholders to change our set up. And it worked wonders. And the project was fun, the team was excited to participate. It got us all closer and more effective in our jobs.

There are many good providers for all budget for ergonomic furniture the key is always once acquired to take the time to adjust it! The second and in my opinion the most tricky element is to find the right chair. Does it give me the right support, is it at the correct height, can I adjust the back, could I sit in this chair for hours at the time. It is well worth to visit a provider and sit on the chairs to test the fit to ones needs and understand how best to adjust it. It is time well invested that will profit you and your employees in the long run.

What is missing here, is that the world has changed from being in office, to hybrid: in the office, and work from home. Or even 100% remote. This topic is beyond an office location: ensuring an ergonomic workplace is location independent. Make sure EVERYONE receives the funds and tools to create a great place to work. Especially remote workers have a tendency to sit more - put focus on tools that promote moving, and switch between sitting and standing (in terms of a desk).

Ergonomic assessment is key for teams. It has a long term impact on happiness and well-being. I had the opportunity to do a workshop while in a different company and it’s something we try to bring to the office space ensuring the team is taken care of.