Feeling at Home in the Office
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I AM part of a group that designs office furniture for Anthro in Tualatin, Ore. We often visit companies to observe how people work. We want to know whether they're experiencing any difficulty with their work flow, what helps them work more efficiently, how their bodies move in their space and how they adapt in their work setting. We design solutions intended to alleviate any problems.
It's important to have a space of one's own, even in an open environment. Bringing in items from home and adding color and textures helps the office aesthetic.
There is more to employee comfort, however. Thanks to laptops and cellphones, workers have become more mobile. Many are no longer tethered to their desks the way they were when PCs and phones had to be plugged into the wall. They don't have to meet at long tables in conference rooms anymore, either. A lot of newer offices have less structured areas designed for collaboration.
Ergonomic tools help employees collaborate. Traditionally, if two people were trying to view a Web site or a computer program on a PC, one person sat while the second stood and bent down to see the screen. Or the second person might pull up a chair and lean over. Today, there are articulating arms for monitors, jointed extensions that allow thin monitors to be raised or lowered by about a foot. They're helpful if two or more employees want to view a computer screen simultaneously or if people don't want to work in one position all the time. If they have height-adjustable desks, they can push their chairs back and stand, raise the desks and monitors, and view the screen at a comfortable height.
Standing while working has received attention lately. Many people feel sluggish after lunch, and standing can get the blood flowing again. Some people say that standing helps them be more productive. Your whole body is active. It's like an afternoon pick-me-up.
First Published August 8, 2010 2:00 am
