The Science of Ergonomics

 

Ergonomic Office Furniture at Workspace Solutions

Ergonomic office furniture Fort Wayne Warsaw Indianapolis South Bend

 

You hear the word all the time, but what does it mean? Specifically it comes from two Greek words:

• ERGO: meaning work


• NOMOS: meaning laws

Ergonomics is an applied science — designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact as efficiently and safely as possible.

Ergonomic product designers study how the human body uses or fits with a product — then they strive to decrease fatigue and discomfort through that product’s design. Ergonomics applied to office furniture design takes into consideration how the products fit the people that are using them (and vice versa). Workplace products designed with ergonomics in mind can lead to higher worker productivity and lower risk of injury and illnesses.

There are common postures found in the office environment that are considered when designing workspace products or space:

  • Standing
  • Sitting
  • Reaching
  • Moving

Workspace Solutions’ knowledgeable staff assesses how much time your employees spend at these different activities. Ultimately, the workplace should be comfortable for users and adapt to their needs as much as possible. Our office furniture experts will identify challenges your office may have in these areas and suggest the best products and design to help you and your staff work better.

Office Furniture Solutions in Fort Wayne, South Bend, Indianapolis, & Warsaw

The Workspace Solutions’ experts in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend, and Warsaw excel at solving office furniture and space challenges of businesses both large and small. We know that today’s dynamic workspaces need to do more and be more. A key factor in our space designs is awareness of ergonomics and experience with the best office furnishing products available — those that help employees work more comfortably, efficiently, and effectively.

Many of the office furnishing lines we carry, such as Allsteel, are world-renowned for their ergonomic design. Let us help you make your unique office space as comfortable, safe and efficient as possible. Work better with Workspace Solutions.

 

The Right Office Chair for Your Style and Space

Office Chair, Computer Chair, Side Chair, Stools… so many choices when it comes to office furniture!

It used to be that when you thought about seating for your office, you thought of a typical desk chair, one with arms and casters so you could scoot in and back from your desk. Today, there are a lot of different types and styles of chairs designed for the office. Allsteel, a furniture supplier for Workspace Solutions,  has designed and manufactured office chairs since 1912. They offer at several different categories of office chairs, and each of these come in several different designs providing a solution for every style, task, and person, and to compliment any space!

 

Work chairs

Conference chairs

 

Multi-Purpose office chairs

 

Side chair

 

Training & classroom chairs

 

Stools

 

Lounge chairs

 

No one is more aware of the growth in the types and styles of office chairs over the years than Workspace Solutions, your authorized Allsteel dealer for Fort Wayne, South Bend, Warsaw, and Indianapolis. We spend almost our entire day at the office in our chairs, let Workspace Solutions fit you with the perfect chair for you, your style, and your space!

Is Work a Pain in Your Back?

Don’t let work be a pain in your back!

Poor posture is one of the biggest culprits for back injuries. Check out these 7 simple ways to improve your posture at work:

http://mashable.com/2014/05/27/posture-office-tips/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link

How Well Does Your Office Chair Fit?

desk chairs fort wayne office furniture at Workspace Solutions

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

We’ll also add a #8. Make sure your desk chair is comfortable, the correct size for your frame,  and provides the correct support. There are many different types and sizes of chairs. If your chair doesn’t fit your needs, contact one of the Workspace Solutions offices today in Fort Wayne, Warsaw, Indianapolis, and South Bend to find the best office chair for you.

 

Gather Your Big Ideas with Allsteel and Workspace Solutions

Back in the idyllic 1950’s, people in the suburbs used to visit one another by meeting along the back yard hedge. What if you could put a hedge in your office, you know, a place that encourages your staff to meet regularly to discuss and exchange ideas? Collaborative work settings are a vital part of contemporary office design. Ideas grow when shared, and ideas create the next profit centers within our businesses. Without ideas, it’s hard to move ahead or even keep up with our competition. Old office walls and cubicles made for privacy, but privacy keeps ideas from sprouting and taking root. How you design your office dictates how your employees will interact with customers, and each other, so it’s important to think of your office layout the same way you think about any technology you invest in to improve productivity and growth.  Workspace Solutions has been designing collaborative offices for years. Now they have new tools from Allsteel to take your office to the next level.

Allsteel has two new lines designed to increase employee collaboration: Gather, and Involve. Learn more here, or contact Workspace Solutions for a demonstration. Gather around the Hedge in your office, and get everyone Involved in the future or your business.

Workspace Solutions is the Allsteel dealer for Northern Indiana, including South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw, and Fort Wayne. Workspace Solutions can also serve you from their office in Indianapolis.

Take a Stand at Work. You’ve Got Nothing to Lose but a few Pounds

Well, it was good enough for Ernest Hemingway, but you still need more convincing.

We’re talking about standing up while your work, at least standing up for a few hours every day.  The evidence seems to keep mounting for how bad sitting all day is for your health, but now there is a little evidence that shows the benefits as well.

According to a British exercise scientist, Dr. John Buckley, as quoted in the British newspaper, The Daily Mail, staying on your feet an extra three hours daily would burn off eight pounds of fat each year.

Standing for three hours, Dr. Buckley notes, will burn 144 calories.  It’s also good for your circulation.  Sitting for long periods slows down your metabolic rate as well.

New adjustable desks and counter tops are being designed every day that allow you or your employees to spend part of the day standing while working.  Workspace Solutions works with dozens of the best office furniture companies in the world, and can help you design a work space that can help workers gain health and productivity, while losing weight at the same time.

Is there such a thing as a “too quiet” office?

Hon Open Office furniture from Workspace Solutions

Sometimes, less is more.  It seems to be that way in today’s modern offices.  With ultra quiet heating and cooling system, no more clunking of electric typewriters, and emails replacing rining phones, the modern office is quieter than ever, and that seems to be the problem.  It is now easier than ever to be distracted by a conversation, evenone fifty or sixty feet away from your work station or desk. Being able to hear office conversations more easily has also had a chilling effect on having office conversations.  People know that everyone will hear every word.

Still, the advantages of an open office are many, with an increase in collaboration and idea sharing on the top of the list.

When Autodesk, a software company, moved into a an open-plan building in Massachusetts, three years ago, it installed what is known as a pink-noise system: a soft whooshing emitted over loudspeakers that sounds like a ventilation system but is specially formulated to match the frequencies of human voices.

Autodesk ran the system for three months without telling the employees — and then, to gauge its impact, turned it off one day.

“We were surprised at how many complaints we got,” said Charles Rechtsteiner, Autodesk’s facilities manager. “People weren’t sure what was different, but they knew something was wrong. When the system’s on, speech becomes unintelligible at a distance of about 20 feet.”

Others, like Anne-Laure Fayard  a professor of management at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University are studying the issue. According to Fayard, “Everyone is still experimenting with ways to balance the need for collaboration and the need for privacy.”

Sound proofing materials, and designing for privacy are a considerations taken into account by the office planners at Workspace Solutions.  Having a wide variety of office furniture options from the nations’ top providers, as Workspace does, helps as well.   Meantime, it’s nice to know that research continues into the creation of the perfect office.

Do You Want to Make More Money?

Remember the old TV commercial where actress Sally Struthers asked us if we wanted to make more money? And the answer was, “Sure, we all do.” Here are a few ways for you to make more money, without a whole lot of effort (Thanks to ABCO, one of our fine office furniture suppliers)
Buy Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Fluorescent bulbs use less energy, emit less heat and last longer than those incandescent bulbs.

Weather Strip Doors and Windows
You may even be eligible for a tax deduction.

Recycle Paper
There are two sides to every piece of paper. Just avoid re-using paper with confidential info on it. Shred that.

Turn Your Equipment Off
At one time, the computer people told us to leave our computers on. Now, it is perfectly OK to turn them off or put them into sleep mode when not in use.

Replace Your Inkjet with a Laser
Laser printers aren’t expensive to buy, and they cost a whole lot less to use than ink jets.

Use a Programmable Thermostat
Set it once and forget it. Why heat the office or showroom if no one’s there?

Another way to save money is with used office furniture, the good kind that we carry here at Workspace Solutions. Check out our used page here.

Goodbye Brown and Gray Desks. Hello White?!?

Voi from Hon

 Productivity is key for any piece of office furniture. White laminates provide a clean, blank work space that can spur creativity for the user.

It is refreshing and brings brightness. Previously shunned due to its strong reflective quality, white is becoming a popular option for the office. White is the sum of all colors and has no negative connotations. It can be used as both a main color and a contrast color. White creates room and size, brightens up and allows room to breath. It lends exclusivity and drama to spaces or objects. Black against a white background delineates and emphasizes form and design.

It may not be right for everyone, but more and more, white has become a color of choice in office design.  What do you think?  Are you ready for a white desk?

Technology Infused Office Furniture

(First of a four part series on Office Furniture Trends for 2012)

As the office world becomes more mobile and tech savvy, we are seeing the introduction of new and exciting office furniture designs that accommodate workers on the go.

Desks and tables that are wired and have cut outs for computer hardware are becoming popular just for this reason.  Some even have recharging stations for phones or laptops built in.

The electronic whiteboard is gaining popularity in the work area because a laptop screen can be projected onto the board for everyone to see, and an electronic “pen” can be used to move items around.

What tech features are you looking for in your next office design?

Here at Workspace Solutions we can help you modernize and choose work spaces and desks that with infuse your office with technology and laptop accessibility.