Why Are Ergonomic Chairs Good for You?

When sourcing ergonomic chairs for your office, understand what you're looking for - you need seats that can adjust precisely to each worker's individual body proportions.


Ergonomic chairs, like other products of ergonomic design, are designed to fit the individual. A chair can be considered ergonomic when it specifically suits a worker's body dimensions, the worker's station, and the worker's tasks. (Ergonomic Chairs - Features to Look For)


Because it conforms exactly to its user's proportions, the ideal ergonomic chair provides lasting comfort, maximizes productivity, and minimizes the risk of injury. With office workers spending upwards of five to eight hours at their stations, the wisdom of investing in ergonomic office chairs becomes apparent. (Improving Office Ergonomics)


That's why finding the right ergonomic chair takes more thought and effort than usual. But the effort really pays off.

Ergonomic Chairs - Designed for Productivity

The right ergonomic chair is designed specifically for the
type of work performed in it, and stays comfortable
throughout its use.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed
a checklist that evaluates the ergonomic benefits of
an office chair. (OSHA.gov) Ergonomic chairs must meet all
of the following criteria:
Backrest should support your lower back
Seat pan dimensions should fit the specific user
Seat front should not press against the back of knees and
lower legs
Seat is cushioned, and rounded at the front with a "waterfall"
edge
Armrests are optional - but if used, should support both
forearms and not interfere with movement.
In the long run, the right ergonomic chair pays for itself, by
increasing office morale and eliminating repetitive-strain
injuries that result from poor posture and inferior-quality
chairs. (Choosing the Right Ergonomic Chair)
Ergonomic Chairs from Cubicles.com
At Cubicles.com, our ergonomic chairs are built with features
that promote good posture and provide maximum
comfort. Our ergonomic chairs are meant to provide years
of comfort and service
Cubicles.com's selection of ergonomic chairs includes highend
$600 Herman Miller chairs and lower-cost seats alike in
the sub-$200 range. Think of our ergonomic chairs as an
investment that pays off in reduced strain and increased
productivity for your workforce.

Four Smashing Office Design Upgrades for your Workplace.

Office design these days tends to the staid and practical - squares of space carefully rationed out to individual employees, uniform shelving and seating, all illuminated in that ghastly greenish fluorescent glow.

Fortunately, there are ways around cookie-cutter office design. Like flowers growing from cracks in the pavement, your own design sensibility can be brought to bear onto even the most boring workplace. Just don't be afraid to project your own style onto your office, and you're good to go!

Look through these examples, and take some inspiration to work.



Image © Herman Miller, Cubicles.com

Herman Miller Celle Chair. A classic that adds both comfort and class to any office space, the Celle Chair from industry leader Herman Miller offers great value in an adjustable ergonomic mesh chair.

The Celle's Cellular Suspension mesh technology provides comfortable seating with the added bonus of looking extremely sharp. Cellular Suspension moves with you - its loops and cells flex individually to give you the best possible support, however you move.

Get your Herman Miller Celle Chair from Cubicles.com's seating page, where the Celle and many other cutting-edge seat designs are just waiting for you to take one of 'em home.



Image © Aissa Logerot

Side Bookcase. A side-standing bookshelf? Yes, says designer Aissa Logerot - having one's books on the side frees the walls for pictures, yet protects books from spills and stains.

This shelf, crafted out of plain wood planks, is an ideal addition to any modern office. You can use it as a coffee table, media center, or as a room divider; multiple functions that can only add charm to one's office design.

To see two more smashing designs, click "read more".

Three Quick (and Relatively Cheap) Ways to Reduce Office Noise.

Image © Rakesh Vaghela

Office life may thrive or die based on the ambient noise level in the workplace. And we're not talking about the occasional irritating one-way conversation from Doris in Accounting.

"The single most powerful determinant of individual performance, team performance, and job satisfaction is the ability to do, for all job types, large amounts of distraction-free work... with noise being the greatest bulk of distractions," says Michael Brill, president of Bosti Associates.

So we can't blame you if you're constantly searching for office noise reduction techniques to turn the volume down at work. Keep your office life productive with one or more of these methods guaranteed to cut down on your office noise problem, without cutting too deeply into your budget either:

Office plants. Indoor foliage does more than make your desk look pretty - office plants can reduce office noise by breaking up or diverting sound waves. A study conducted at South Bank University showed that office plants can help to reduce noise levels by as much as 5 decibels.

For the best effect, arrange the plants along walls and corners to catch the sound waves before they bounce from the walls and back into the room! Pro tip: the best plants to deploy as office noise-busters are the Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata) and the Benjamin's Fig (Ficus benjamina).

Two more noise-reducing techniques for the office, after the jump.

This Week in Innovative Office Furniture Design.

Image © SOM / Colin Gorsuch.

The office furniture manufacturer Steelcase just concluded its 10th annual Wreath and Menorah Design Competition last December 3, with architecture firm Skidmore, Owing and Merrill bagging the top prize.

More info on the contest and the winner, after the jump.

Environmentally Friendly Bike Law in New York Coming Through!

Office workers now have one more reason to lower their commute's carbon footprint: New York City has just passed a new environmentally friendly law allowing cyclists to park their bikes inside their office buildings.

The new Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law is designed to increase bicycle commuting, by giving cyclists access to protected parking while at work. The Queens Courier reports that commuter cycling in New York has doubled from 2005 to 26 percent this year, a green office habit that the government is eager to encourage.

“Biking is a great way to get to work in New York City, and this new law makes it easier for workers to commute on two wheels instead of four,” said NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Robert LiMandri. “By creating a safe, secure place for cyclists to store their bikes, it will help to promote alternative modes of transportation and a healthy, active lifestyle for millions of New Yorkers.”

Councilmember David Yassky, who sponsored the bill, thinks the new law will solve many problems at once. "Allowing bicycles in buildings is an effective way to encourage cycling," Yassky was heard to say. "This legislation is an extremely realistic effort to cut emissions, improve air quality, maximize public transportation and ease congestion, reaping tremendous environmental and quality of life benefits for New Yorkers."

A few office managers and owners have put their full support behind the new law, restructuring their offices to permit bike parking. The New York Times hears from one such supporter:

"From my vantage point, it’s a huge positive," said Larry A. Silverstein, president and chief executive of Silverstein Properties. [...] Although no bike was leaning against his desk that day, Mr. Silverstein said he supported the new law and thought most buildings with freight elevators could comply and that tenants could handle the parking once bikes rolled through their doors.

“If you really want to do this, you find the space,” he said. “There’s always space where you can put a bicycle.”

The new law goes into effect on December 11. More information at the official New York City Hall homepage.

Space Crisis for Office Cubicles.

As employers attempt to lower costs and maintain productivity with a shrinking workforce inhabiting their office cubicles, some offices are taking the game one level up by shaving the cubicle space each employee gets.

The Wall Street Journal reports that office cubicles have now become prime real estate in the recession. Companies are taking different tacks. Some are creating open floor plans and removing cubicles from their office spaces. Employees are now given rotating or random workspaces, instead of being assigned an office cubicle of their own. Other employees are given more opportunity to telecommute.

Manufacturers are following suit - new workstations designed by design group HOK now have an average area of 48 square feet, down 30% from five years back. Other companies "are reducing per-employee office space by as much as 50%, and their total footprint by as much as 25%," the article reports.

One former office cubicle rat - now a telecommuting writer working from her own home - remembers the old days with mixed feelings. Says True/Slant's Caitlin Kelly:

That’s one good thing about working alone at home. Right now, the only sound I hear — loud and clear — is my neighbor’s laughter and phone conversation. I’m not sure, short of a cabin in the woods, you can escape noise or other people and get your work done.

I can't agree with you more, Miz Kelly. Although I'd add that some of these companies are plainly misled - why cut down on cubicle space and call that savings, when they can just buy remanufactured cubicles at a much lower price and keep their office cubicle inhabitants happy with a little more real estate? Just a suggestion.

Secret Santa Gift Ideas for your Office Cubicle.

Your co-worker's office cubicle looks like it's about due for some sprucing up. Here are some gift ideas you can use to help him jazz up his space (or yours):

Cubicle life can be lonesome, so how about printing a cubicle companion? Printing? You heard me. Head on over to Cubeecraft where artist Chris Beaumont provides over two hundred free designs that can be printed and origami'd into "Cubees" depicting favorite pop culture icons, from the well-known (Superman) to the obscure (Jailbot from Superjail!). The cubical design is linear cool, with none of 'em looking out of place in a Herman Miller cubicle.

Each Cubee is ranked on a difficulty scale that gives you an idea how long it'll take you to put it together - ideally in time for the office party. Print out thirty, and craft 'em for the rest of the office; just have an excuse handy when the office manager asks about your massive printing expenses.