How Furniture can affect productivity and Wellness in Workers - Dispatch Weekly

‘Time is money’ is a universally known and respected expression. Furniture manufacturers have adopted this concept as they continue to develop new designs that increase workplace productivity. By focusing on designs that increase the wellness of workers, furniture is impacting employees in a substantial way. These designs facilitate interaction amongst employees and workers, who take less sick days, and work more effectively and efficiently. More and more smart furniture is being produced in line with this trend.

New Types of Desks

This year, we have seen offices and individuals leaning towards more unique options when it comes to desks. Innovative desks are becoming increasingly popular as we continue to see co-worker interaction become an increasingly important factor in offices.

Being able to quickly and easily interact with co-workers is vital in an office setting, and being able to move your desk around allows one to do so without disruption. Increased flexibility ultimately allows the employees to accomplish more throughout the day and be more productive in the long run.

Treadmill desks have begun to rise in popularity as employers realize the benefit of investing in the health of their employees. Healthy employees take less sick days and thus are able to work and accomplish more. Sit-stand desks also help increase health among workers by allowing people to experience the benefits of both sitting and standing with desktops that can adjust. These desks have led to reduced discomfort in the back, shoulders and neck, and an increase in energy.

On the subject of energy, Dr. Josephine Chau described the study of the impact of sit-stand desks by My Virtual Medical Center stating “Our study found that workers who increased their standing by up to 60-90 minutes a day were more active and felt more energised than workers who used traditional desks, while not compromising their work output.”

Office adorned with Charging Stations

With portability of devices becoming a key feature in offices, the ability to move around seamlessly from desk to conference room, from hot desking space to remote meetings, is becoming increasingly important. To accommodate this, offices incorporate furniture with built in plugs or charging stations.

Charging stations allow for movement around the office to continue to be done easily, as people can touch down and plug in whenever they need to do so, with no interference to their work. Moreover, charging stations eliminate the need for long chords to be stretched across the floor, preventing workplace injury.

More Separation in Open Spaces

The last few years, many offices adopted an open space concept. The idea was that with the ability to speak easily with co-workers, you would be able to get information quickly without disrupting their work. Overall, the idea of eliminating interruptions was a promising one, influencing the increasing demand for portability and online communication. However, open space layouts weren’t the most efficient option, and so companies have now turned towards separation within open spaces.

This new trend in office layout aims to reduce noise and improve focus. Increasing wellness among workers by relieving some of the mental stress that came from workers trying to block outside noise in open spaces. Separation has risen with an influx of more secluded seating options, separate working areas, and flexible wall units.