An active office is an attractive office
What is an active office? It is an office that is designed with the staff's best interests in mind: a working environment where the furniture itself makes it easy to vary the way you work and encourages exercise. By keeping you moving, the active office improves the wellbeing of everyone who works there throughout the workday and after it. It’s that simple.
Work out in the office
Your body is designed to keep moving. Contrary to popular belief, this is entirely possible even if your job keeps you in an office all day. There is a growing range of office furniture designed to encourage activity in various ways. This includes sit-stand desks and meeting tables, balance stools, saddle chairs, and anti-fatigue mats. In short, furniture that helps you stay active while you work.
Switch between sitting and standing
With a height-adjustable desk, you can alternate between sitting and standing as often as you like. For the time you spend sitting down, you need a good office chair that can be adjusted according to your height and weight and which will support your arms, lower back and legs. It is also good to have an active chair that you can use at regular intervals. Sitting on a balance stool, balance ball or saddle chair will activate your back and core muscles and improve your posture, without you even noticing the effort. Perfect!
Standing up at your desk will increase calorie consumption and strengthen your muscles to reduce aches and pains. The best way to stand is on an anti-fatigue mat that takes the pressure off your legs, knees and back. Standing up for just a few hours a day makes all the difference. If you want to challenge yourself, you could also stand on a balance board sometimes to improve your balance and further strengthen your hip and leg muscles.
Alternating your position between standing, sitting and active sitting will give the best results.
Hold active meetings
A height-adjustable conference table provides benefits in the meeting room as well. Research shows that we are both more creative and better at collaborating when we stand up compared to when we sit. Plus, concentration levels increase, so standing meetings tend to be shorter and more effective. Should the meeting last longer, it is easy to lower the table and let the participants sit down for a while.
Make yourself an attractive employer
In an active office, it is easy to vary your working position. Movement strengthens the muscles, increases blood circulation and prevents strain injuries. This means that an active office promotes employee health and wellbeing, which will have short-term and long-term benefits for employer and staff alike. After all, everything is connected. Good interior design makes it more fun to go to work. A good working environment mirrors what you and your colleagues stand for, what you have achieved and where you are going.
All in all, an active office that puts employees first strengthens the image of your company as an attractive employer, which will make it easier to retain talented staff and attract the best new recruits in the future.
