Things have completely changed from 10 years ago, many people are now working from home full time and part time. Many home offices are squeezed into a small bedrooms, or a corner of the living room or kitchen. The office furniture that was used then was often bony old kitchen chairs, and tables, which is simply not adequate these days to accommodate computers printers filing etc etc.
Now that more people are working from home they tend to work longer hours as they save time on the commute down the stairs. A comfortable work environment is now essential such as an ergonomic chair such as the Ergohuman Mesh Chair or the Enjoy Mesh Chair. These chairs are excellent value and very comfortable giving you a better posture. The desk is also so important and these days a Computer Workstation is useful to facilitate all of your home office essentials such as computers, printers, scanners, media storage and filing. The Computer Hideaway does all that the workstation does but closes up into a cupboard when you are done for the day.
Not sure how to pronounce it? You’re not alone. Some may argue that Feng Shui is just non sense and ancient superstition, other will have a natural respect and mild curiosity without going to the extend of putting any Feng Shui rules into practice – the common excuse being I don’t know enough about it. There seems to be a great deal of mystery surrounding Feng Shui, when many of the basic rules are only common sense. It is primarily based on being in control of the situation whether at home or at work. Position your bed or chair so that you feel secure and cannot be taken by surprise by someone bursting into the room. Avoid positioning furniture in straight lines along the walls. Be organic, nature is all curves, not angles, think ergonomic.
The same rules apply to the office environment. An office worker will not give his best performance with his back turned to the door, or a stream of collegues passing by or coming up on him from behind. He would feel hastled and nervous and would have to constantly watch his back. Any of us would naturally feel uneasy in such a position. Additionally being trapped in a cubicle with no view will not make the employees happy. Without adding chimes, mirrors and money plants everywhere, great benefits can still be added to the workplace by applying some of the main Feng Shui rules. Ideally it is best to first draw up a plan of your office, superimpose the Pa Kwa map and see where each area falls. Areas such as rest, wealth, friendship, health and pleasure need to be used wisely – the wealth area being ideal for the shop’s till while the friendship area could be used by the sales-team to enhance relationships with clients. Understandably, this may not always be possible as office space is often at a premium. However small changes will improve the workforce happiness and should have an immediate and long-term impact on sales, creativity and staff retention.
In Japan, it is not uncommon for employees to refuse working in bad Feng Shui positions; these rules are indeed taken very seriously. Pillars have to be moved and office partitioning has to be rearranged to create a positive working environment for all employees. To maximise the space in my home office I actually confess that I have my back to the door. But all is not lost, as Feng Shui offers a range of remedies. In this case I just have to hang a mirror on the wall to alert me of an intruder! I see this as a temporary solution and I am quite keen to apply most of the Feng Shui rules as soon as I buy a new office desk and matching filing cabinets.
If I’ve heard my wife say the above statement once, I’ve heard her say it a billion times. In fact, I’ve made similar statements in my “course” of the day – like in the kitchen. I love to cook and know that if you aren’t using quality pans, appliances, and utensils, your work is harder and your results aren’t as pleasing.
We both agree that the truth of the statement is even more vital to work than to play.
When it comes to Office Furniture and Home Office Furniture , equipment, accessories, and Supplies , your brain knows (and responds) when you’re serious enough about what you’re doing to demand that your furniture and tools be just as serious about what they’re doing!
In the history of our home business, I’ve worked on the living room couch, at the dining room table, on the deck, at the patio table, even in the bath tub. However, when I’m stationed at a top quality desk like the Home Office Computer Desk from Office Furniture Extra (pictured below) and sitting in a chair my body finds most agreeable , like the Ergohuman High Back Mesh Office Chairwith Headrest (pictured below), the creativity flows SO MUCH more freely. It’s as though my brain cells say, “She’s serious about this, let’s give her all we’ve got…”
Ergohuman Chair with Leg Rest Electric Height Adjustable Desks
Since I need….no, let’s make that Since I REALLY need my brain cells to make a call to action more often, I’ve started doing all of my writing and brainstorming at my workcenter.
One of my favorite parts of my workday is when I come across fresh suppliers, online stores, and manufacturers. It’s like finding a new store in the mall you’d never seen before – everythings new and promising. I especially love when my new find is relevant to one of our blogs – then I get to tell others about it. Just Office Furniture Business Solutions is one you’ll want to check out. Not only do they have beautiful office furniture and accessories, the delivery is included in the price on most products so you don’t get stung at the checkout.
Imagine you’re sitting in a perfect office: somewhere where you have to go but you’re also pleased to be. Everyone’s idea will be slightly different, though all will contain the essentials.
A perfect ergonomic office will be light and inviting. If there’s a window close to you, the natural light will make the office feel fresh and alive. If this isn’t happening for you, then you need to invite light into the room. A standard lamp may add a touch of homeliness and you can also use angle poise lamps, to direct the light to your office desk, making reading easy, particularly on those long winter days when everything seems to be overcast. Don’t forget that view from the window. Maybe it’s beautiful, maybe it’s not, so why not hang a scenic picture on the wall in front of you, or frame a smaller version for your desk: it might not be a desk toy but it will still make you feel good.
If your office is small, make it feel bigger. This can be done by using glass office furniture, as the light passing through that beautiful crystal gives an illusion of space. However, if you’re one of those people that hoards a lot of stuff under your office desk, you’re now going to have to tidy up your act. This in itself is a good thing, as we are always being told to de-clutter our lives and getting rid of unnecessary paper will again create space. It will also make work more pleasurable, as you have now become more organised.
So, the place looks bigger, brighter and inviting. The next step is to get that office chair right. Right for you, as you’re the one who is going to be sitting in it. It’s not only the seat pad that is important, although sitting on something soft is better than something that has no flexibility. You want that best office chair to be supporting you in all the right places. The lower back of the chair matches your lower back: it’s giving support and taking some of the weight of your upper body off your own frame. Its adjustable arm rests, its swivel action and its seat pad height mechanism make sitting a more natural action, rather than an expected pose. While all of this happening, your body is relaxing and encouraging your thoughts to be in the same frame of mind. So what type of office chair? Well considering all of the above it has to be an ergonomic office chair.
For many of us, even the journey to work can be stressful, so the last thing you want is to carry this edginess through the day. Getting that ergonomic office right for you will reflect itself in the quality of your work and the quantity and that can’t be a bad thing, can it?
In branding and marketing colours are carefully chosen according to the psychological effects they may have on people. There is no doubt that the colours surrounding our daily life have a direct influence on our mood and behaviour. Some years ago when I was at University I was renting a room in a superb Victorian flat along Battersea Park. The room was very spacious but the owner had painted the walls in a dark deep red, which was unusual but did not put me off from moving in. However this year I became depressed and I am ashamed to say, lethargic, I think the colour had a negative influence on me. On the contrary my flatmate who had the yellow room was always happy and energised, the girl renting the blue room was relaxed and cool headed and the guy renting the dark green room was never there!
Equally, influence by colour can be used in the workplace. Companies with old and tired furnishing tend to look quite dull, compared to some of the new modern office designs, boasting bright ergonomic chairs, modern desks and colourful office partitions. The positive use of colour is well-known in young internet companies as well as design and PR agencies – this goes beyond benefiting the company’s image, it truly promotes a creative environment. Google’s offices are well known for their coloured gym balls and funky office furniture, and even one of the first on site crèche. The psychology of colour is perhaps best measured in call centres where a buzzing/fast-paced environment is best stimulated with energizing colours rather than calming ones – expert advice from an experienced office fit-out consultant will do the trick to revamp a site. As for me, as soon as I have finished the plastering, I am off to the paint shop to buy some bright yellow paint for my home office! Watch this space! Get your Ergonomic Chair
Choosing an ergonomic office chair can be difficult due to the complexities associated with the functions and features available. Sitting in the correct posture while you are working is paramount and will help in the short-term and more importantly in the long-term. Once you have accepted that posture is important for a healthy back, the right chair should go further than simple ergonomic by training your body to sit correctly. Some ergonomic chairs provide ergonomic features but if you keep sitting with the wrong posture you will have the same problems prior to using an ergonomic chair.
There are 2 examples of bad practices that instantly come to mind: having a pad between you and your keyboard will force you to lean forward and you will lose the back support of the chair. Some people will even sit with one leg folded on the seat pan. Nowadays ergonomic engineering and technology is pushing new boundaries and some of the most recommended ergonomic chairs will promote a good posture simply by not letting you sit incorrectly. How do they do that? Basically, you will feel very comfortable and supported if you are sitting correctly. However if you are sitting in the position which gives you no back support, for instance on the edge of the seat, within seconds you will feel like correcting your posture because of the lack of comfort.
Once you get used to the chair, you will soon feel the benefits. After a few weeks you may also feel that the chair helps to strengthen your body. This would come from the back-rest of the chair pushing gently against your back giving you support. As a natural response your body will push back against the back-rest of the chair using your back muscles – in essence working out the muscles in your back and strengthening them.
If you suffer from back pain a good ergonomic chair combined with regular gentle/slow stretching exercises to loosen your back will go a long way. If you had back pain treatment from a physiotherapist you would have been given treatment for the problem and probably a sheet of recommended exercises to strengthen your back. For some people, when the weather gets cold and damp, aches and pains start to appear like clockwork – as if they were by direct debit. If such is the case, you should make sure you do the stretching exercises especially during that time of the year.
Then it’s back to being conscious of your posture again, key to this is the ergonomic chair. So which is the best chair for you? What else do you need to complete you ergonomic office configuration to create the perfect ergonomic working environment whether at work or at home?
Once you have the right ergonomic office chair, and the right ergonomic desk, the items you use on your desk need to come to you rather than you reaching out repeatedly all day long. Try and pause for a moment and plan how to rearrange your desk so that what you use the most is easily reachable. Do you have to reach out in an odd position to grab a pen? Do you have to twist yourself downwards to target the bin? Is your phone close enough and on the right side of the desk? Is your monitor at the right height or do you find yourself looking down and tensing your neck muscles over time? All these are considerations that will need to be addressed to create the perfect ergonomic set-up. There are also a range of ergonomic accessories which will perform these necessary adjustments to get everything just right!
