Don’t Ignore the Benefits of a Height Adjustable Desk

The physical environment in which employees spend their time working is a vital factor that contributes to their sense of job satisfaction as well as their productivity. Just last year, Public Health England published a report on the correlation between employee wellbeing and physical work environments. The report talks about how office design, furnishings, lighting, temperature and employee freedom all need to be considered and addressed by employers. This would go a long way towards increasing employee engagement and productivity, and is also good for their personal and professional wellbeing: all factors that directly or indirectly affect the company’s bottom line (Public Health England, 2015 ¹).

With various national and private bodies suggesting the importance of the physical work environment, there are many ways in which employers can create workspaces that match up to all such criteria. For example, a simple thought to health and comfort could motivate companies to invest in height adjustable tables and ergonomic chairs. Given below are some such furnishings with which companies could set up offices.

Functional Storage

Furnishings for storage options should not be seen as furniture items that exist merely to get clutter out of sight. There is a different functional use to cabinets, filing drawers, bookshelves, lockers, etc. Having the appropriate kind of furnishings for different storage purposes can help make the workplace an organised and well-managed space that promotes collaboration and ideas. This is a good example of how aspects of the physical environment directly affect employee productivity at work.

Art and Nature

Having furniture made just for sitting or working purposes does not make for a very inspiring office environment. Companies could consider furnishing offices and workspaces with framed artwork, decorative vases, indoor plants, etc. The impact of art in the workplace is usually underestimated; in fact, art contributes greatly to the physical environment and to employee morale (Higginbottom, 2016 ²). Nature elements such as plants that can thrive indoors also add to employee happiness and productivity (Malik, 2014 ³).

Workstations

A common gripe that employees share where physical office design and furniture is concerned is uncomfortable and unhealthy furniture. For workstations, in particular, having ergonomic furniture such as a chair with an adjustable seat position and armrests or a height adjustable desk can help employees be more comfortable, more satisfied with their workspace, and more productive (Casti, 2013 ⁴).

Organisations can contact furniture retailers for help selecting ergonomic chairs and tables that match in terms of design and aesthetics.One retailer selling these items as well as furniture such as an electric height adjustable desk in the UK is AJ Products. More information regarding office supplies can be found on their website.