Collaborative workering, standing round a Lavoro Trigon table.
We need to talk about where the priorities should be when creating an office space. Whether you are simply upgrading some old stock of chairs and desks, or you’re looking to create a ‘wow’ space for the next phase of your business’ journey.
We are seeing a lot of interesting and welcome features in office spaces but sadly, all too often the pieces of equipment where we want people to spend more of their time and to be productive are selected for their colour and look, with little or no consideration given to human factors.
But unless every individual is offered a height adjustable workstation and a chair that can be adjusted to support and fit them all day, you’re not going to be providing a productive office. Quite the opposite. Back pain remains one of the biggest causes of workplace absence and while there are many causes for this, poor quality seating and desking is a major driver.
Many businesses also want to tempt people back into the office. We are now seeing some fantastic places to work, with comfortable rest areas, expensive coffee machines, bowls of fruit and healthy snacks. Even toilets that wouldn’t look out of place in a nice domestic environment. The move away from 750g tins of cheap instant coffee, twin packs of Bourbons and a nasty old bog that presents the signature of every colleague that’s been before you is great.
This is all genuinely wonderful But – WHERE ARE YOUR HUMANS GOING TO SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME?
Over and over and over again, I walk through wonderful looking brand new spaces, full of work stations that have been provided with little or no consideration to human factors.
Clearly people are enjoying working from home. They have access to all the comforts one could need, can take a 5 minute break without stressing about how that looks, and they’re in an environment that they have created because it pleases them.
Your people have been working at home for a long time. A lot of them have invested in a workstation that fits them and is comfortable for 8 hours work. It’s going to be hard to interest 8 stone Helen to commute to a place and expect her to work at a desk and a chair that’s fit for a 6’2” tall 15 stone man.
Once you’ve decided on the budget for your refurb/improvements can I suggest that first you choose suitable chairs and desks, then move onto the accessories. Having a comfy sofa in reception to impress a visitor that is going to be on it for three minutes may be important, but having a comfy chair that your humans are going to spend 8 hours a day on is going to reap greater benefits to the business.
Collaborative workspaces should include high desks for people to pour over work, workstations must be height adjustable so everyone can work comfortably, and the chairs need to be adjustable for each individual and support them for the whole day.
Then we can make it look incredible.
If you don’t do this, you can be sure that your competitors will.
Employer attitudes to workstation ergonomics varies enormously across the workplace. But those who take a proactive approach have a fitter, happier, more productive workforce and lose fewer days to sickness absence than those who are reactive.
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