Meet the office of the future. It's the kind of place where you want to hang out. It has the space to enable you to think.
In the new digital era where everything moves at twice the speed of light being able to relax your mind and body in a comfortable and satisfying environment is critical for productivity.
The modern ergonomic office is designed to do just that. Through the use of colour, space, and comfortable furniture the office of the future it's a kind of office where your employees enjoy working.
The concept of ergonomic design was initially repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal problems faced by workers who are doing the same job day in day out.
With the rise of workplace injuries and compensation, businesses are paying more and more attention to the impact that the office environment has on its workers.
True ergonomics goes beyond the shape of your chair.
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The greater goal ergonomics is to find the harmony between form and function and between human interaction and the technology we have created to make our lives more efficient without making our bodies self-destruct.
Ergonomics aims to provide a natural, fluid and comfortable environment that’s commensurate with our frame, our lifestyle and our energy.
Experts tell us that an ergonomic environment improves productivity and increases the overall wellbeing of staff and work teams. Whether you are talking about a traditional office environment, factory or farm shed, your workers will benefit from a design that is organic and as intergrated in to nature as is practical.
Office National, a leader in office furniture in Australia tell us,
“Ergonomics is about making the workplace fit the worker rather than forcing the worker to fit the workplace. It takes into consideration your body’s natural design and function.”
If you want to reduce sick leave, increase output and improve the mood of your workforce, here are three futuristic ergonomic office designs to get your creative juices flowing.
The rules in ergonomic office environments revolve around:
- Comfort: Is it good for the body (Physiology)
- Simplicity: Is it good for business (Productivity)
- Colour: Is it easy on the eye (Psychology)
Office Comfort
It's self-evident to anyone who works in an office that you can't do your best work when you're not comfortable. This is doubly true for those who work in an office all day long.
Today's furniture is designed to maximise good body posture and good blood flow which are two very important factors in making the body relaxed and comfortable.
Furniture that requires the body to remain in any fixed position can restrict blood flow and therefore affects mental acuity and consequently productivity.
More and more business today recognise the importance of employee comfort. The idea behind comfort is not to make your staff idle or lazy but quite the opposite. It's to energise their minds and create postures and position conducive to creativity and hard work.
A farmer with the wrong tools gets very little done in a day. But I, with the right tools, can get a great deal done. So too with your office employees.
Beyond having a comfortable chair and desk at the right height, which are the most obvious factors, your office should aim to have a variety of alternatives for sitting and standing while you work.
While it's good to be comfortable at your desk, your body benefits from moving into different positions. Having a couch or a variety of seating and standing options is ideal.
Office Simplicity
Crowded work environment reduces productivity.It is hard to think clearly when you are surrounded by a mess.
In addition to fresh air and natural lighting, you want to keep the furniture in your office as simple as possible.
Too much of anything is never a good thing.
If your office requires plenty of shelving for storage then perhaps it's a good idea to move that shelving into a different space rather than having to stare at it all day.
Create Distance
Distance is also an important factor. Creativity requires vision and vision requires distance.
Those who spend all day in front of a monitor or Playstation tend to have difficulty deciding what to do tomorrow and even what to eat for lunch today.
The shorter your field of vision, the shorter your mental vision and aptitude for creativity.
So, keep your office simple. Try and create as much distance between objects as you possibly can.
Office Colour
There has been plenty of research over the years on the effect that colour has on our perceptions and our ability to think clearly. Colour is effectively used in marketing where we strive to have the consumer make a particular purchasing decision.
It's also used in psychology and a range of mental health therapies in order to create an atmosphere for almost every kind of emotion.
Colour is becoming increasingly important in the future workplace as well. It can have a marked effect on reducing an employee's stress and anxiety and in reducing workplace fatigue.
Green and blue are perennial favourites because they induce focus and calm. In an office requiring creative energy orange and yellow are also highly effective.
Softer tones are also excellent for writing and reading in the workplace. You don’t want to over-stimulate. Overstimulation causes fatigue and again, reduces productivity.
It’s worth doing a little research into the effect of colour on mental processes and then matching your vision and office environment with the colours that are likely to produce the results you want.
This is the ergonomic office of the future. It's an office that creates an atmosphere of calm and mental focus as well as creativity and passion for the work you are doing.
It's an office that is enjoyable to sit in all day long. It's an office that's comfortable on the body and easy on the mind freeing the mind and allowing it to focus on the work in front of you.
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sam vin
commentGood One