1. Sitting — or Standing — at a Height-Adjustable Desk
Once upon a time, it was one person, one desk. Now several people might use the same workstation throughout the workday.
Given that not everyone’s the same size, not everyone is going to have a comfortable experience — unless you think ergonomically.
An adjustable-height desk does exactly what it says it does — adjust to make people of different heights comfortable. And, even if one person uses the desk all the time, he can alter the height throughout the day to relieve back and neck pressure. Paired with a height-adjustable office chair, and the workstation is optimized for almost all users.
2. Open Plans & Communal Spaces
Innovative ergonomic solutions often play a role in new office construction and remodeling. Many companies are looking for a more communal space that gives employees flexibility.
Some offices don’t even have assigned seating. Instead, you see little pods workers can slide into, USB ports everywhere, and other user-friendly perks.
These open spaces not only allow individuals to find their own comfort level, they also allow teammates to bounce ideas off each other more quickly. A team that feels more creative and energized is more likely to produce good work.
3. Taking Your Work to the Lounge (or Outside!)
In other places, employers are not tied to a desk at all. Instead, they can move from space to space without getting in a rut or straining their back from failure to change their posture all day.
Traditional setups are being replaced by lounges and central cafés. Wellness rooms are also growing in popularity: from one room per 251 U.S. workers in 2016 to one room per 198 in 2017. When the weather allows it, taking the laptop to a bench outdoors is another great option for quiet time.
The ability to decompress away from a more stressful, louder room may be all an employee needs to regain focus.
While these might seem like goof-off opportunities, remember that everyone works differently. Many workers actually benefit from this flexibility, and accountability from management and peers should keep those spaces from becoming distracting.
How to Get the Most out of an Office Space
Young employees value mobility, and there are many ways to give them what they want. You don’t have to be a tech giant like Google or Apple to have a fun, comfortable office. Just start with the small stuff.
Ergonomic office furniture & products are a great start:
- Sit-stand desk mechanisms
- Adjustable monitor arms
- Ergonomic keyboard trays
- Ergonomic mouse trays
- Ergonomic chairs
An investment of a few thousand can mean an ROI of longer employee tenures and many, many hours of increased productivity.
Interested in learning more about ergonomic equipment? You might want to check out the guide below:
hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(5515947, ‘f25ebf3f-5fc8-4c78-8c8d-83ee3238f80c’, {“useNewLoader”:”true”,”region”:”na1″});
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on 12/11/2019, and was recently updated to reflect industry trends
Topics:
Ergonomics,
Design