Tag Archives: best ergonomic chair

Anatomy Of A Perfect Ergonomic Office Chair

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As an office-going employee, you will find yourself spending most of your day sitting in your office chair. Hence, it makes full sense that you sit on a comfortable one. In fact, an office chair can be likened to a personal assistant - you would rather have one who provides the required support and not one who adds to your workload!

A 2018 report by workplace solutions provider ‘Steelcase’ titled 'Inside Innovation’ notes that 47% of employees want better work ergonomics. Some time back, Expedia - a global travel agency, conducted a worldwide survey where they found India to be having the highest number of overworked employees, right after Hong Kong. Indian employees worked an average of 42 hours in a week, while Hong Kong worked for 46 hours.

While cutting out on the time employees spend at work may not be an immediate possibility, we can at least make their stay at work less stressful and more fruitful which is where an ergonomic chair matters. An ergonomic office chair makes it easier for sedentary employees to do their job, it reduces their stress and removes unnecessary health hurdles that may arise from prolonged sitting. So what constitutes the anatomy of the best ergonomic chair anyway? Let’s find out.

best ergonomic chair

1. Seat height

An optimal seat height is one where you can place your feet flat on the floor. Hence, choosing a chair with an adjustable seat height is a good idea considering every person is built differently. A seat height that ranges from about 16 to 21 inches off the floor is an ideal height range for most Indian people to be seated comfortably.

2. Seat width and depth

The seat should have enough width and depth to support any user comfortably. Proper seat depth should leave 2 to 4 inches between the edge of the seat and the back of your knees. If the seat is too far ahead, it can put undue pressure on the back of the knees. Usually, 17-20 inches wide is the standard.

3. Seat tilt

Seat tilt is a feature present in all good ergonomic chairs, which allows for the correct positioning of the pelvis. Incorrect positioning of the pelvis leads to an Anterior pelvic tilt, a posture problem affecting almost everyone who sits a lot. Hence, it is recommended to keep the pelvis in a neutral position when sitting, preferably with an 80-degree angle at the hips, knees, and ankles.

4. Backrest Lumbar support

Backrest lumbar support refers to your lower back and is an important feature of an ergonomic chair. Chairs with backrest lumbar adjustment support the natural shape of the spine by aligning the shape of the chair with the curve of the spine, thereby reducing the stress.

5. Backrest recline

An adjustable backrest allows freedom to adjust and position the back in a natural position. This helps distribute weight evenly from your upper body and reduces the pressure on your spinal disk and muscles.

6. Swivel

Swivels allow lateral sideways movement negating the need to twist your body awkwardly when seated. This makes it more convenient for those suffering from lower back pain. The swivel assists with maneuverability, making it easier to reach different points of desks without excessive strain on your lower back.

7. Armrests

Armrests are meant to keep the shoulders relaxed and reduce upper body tension while seated against the desk. However, armrests should not be used when typing as this reduces overall arm movement, which in turn increases wrist movement leading to strain on the forearm muscles.

8. Headrest

An office chair with a headrest prevents you from hunching forward, scrunching your shoulders, and putting pressure on your back. They are meant to provide maximum comfort to your head, upper neck, shoulders, and upper torso while also protecting your back from injury.

9. Fabric

A chair made from comfortable fabric ensures the user’s back remains dry and avoids the accumulation of sweat on the back even with materials such as leather or velvet. Not just that, good fabric options are also capable of adding a distinct charm and cheer to the workstation in particular and the workplace in general.

10. Wheels

The main benefit of chairs with wheels is that you can move them around without the need to lift them up. This is especially helpful if your job frequently requires you to reach out for stuff that is not exactly within your arms' reach.

So is having ergonomic furniture worth the investment? Yes, absolutely!

Not only is ergonomics good for your business, but it’s also great for your employees too. As a global office furniture brand advocating health & safety, we need to be able to demonstrate the value of ergonomics through our range of office furniture. As a leading office chair manufacturer, HNI India designs and develops highly research-based ergonomic office chairs that are built to provide comfort, reduce stress & strain, and significantly boost productivity. You can even check and buy office chairs online through our HNI e-store website.

Is Hybrid Working here to stay?

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As the after effects of pandemic begin to fade and humans start buzzing around offices again, several organizations around the world are considering a hybrid work model as the optimal solution for their businesses. Work-from-home (WFH) culture undeniably served as the contingency plan for companies to counter the pandemic blow. Emerged as a temporary arrangement during the outbreak, today it’s shaping the future of corporate working style. All major companies are considering a hybrid work model to reap the benefits of both worlds — working from office and work-from-home. Although the new approach seems promising it’s still in the nascent stage and needs proper evaluations and preparedness to transform into the mainstream working model. To understand the core value of the hybrid work principle, let’s dive a little deeper!

Understanding hybrid working model

Hybrid working is a location-flexible working model that provides employees with the opportunity to enjoy a mix of remote & office working style. It facilitates working across different workspaces including corporate offices, co-working areas and homes.

Different organizations may adopt unique hybrid models that best suit their businesses. A typical hybrid model may include the onsite presence of a core group where others are free to come and go, depending upon their specific project demands.

While arrangements may vary (same employees may be deputed onsite, or it could be different people on different days/times), the central idea remains the same – facilitating flexibility and convenience at work. This may go as far as including suitable working hours, ergonomic modular office furniture set up, effective communication channels and more.

The hybrid approach gives the employees a chance to strike a perfect work-life balance, paving the way for maximum job satisfaction and greater efficiency.

However, the success of a hybrid system lies in how well you reframe employee touchpoints and redefine the role of the physical workspace. When executed judiciously, this new framework can bear fruits in future in terms of improved productivity, lower costs and stronger work culture, transcending physical boundaries.

Factors that make up for an efficient hybrid work model

People, process and technology are the key drivers that define the success or failure of a business. Tailoring these essential elements is imperative to attaining optimized outcomes from a hybrid working model.

Enlisted below are some of the ways that ensure your hybrid work model doesn’t fail:

1. Make employees a part of the process:

One of the simplest ways to ensure your hybrid initiative yields results is by including employees in the Make them a part of the journey by garnering their cooperation and support. Conduct employee surveys and polls and get their views on what they feel about the hybrid system of working. This will help you take the right decisions and set concrete policies. When employees feel involved and their opinions matter, they work happy.

2. Develop your tech support:

Adequate and efficient tech support is an absolute must for a seamless workflow. A company that plans to go for a hybrid work model must zero in on building friction-free and agile technical support procedures. For instance, selecting a suitable remote monitoring management tool that facilitates platform onboarding, simplifies mobile device management, etc. can make a lot of difference.

3. Remove communication barriers:

Overhauling of communication system becomes important to promote coherence in disperse and diverse teaming work culture. A paradigm shift in management style here is unavoidable. Leaders will need to adapt to newer and more effective ways of communication so that employees stay connected, motivated and productive. Be it instant messaging, video conferencing or simply transferring of files, a streamlined communication system will be the pre-requisite for a thriving hybrid work system.

4. Prioritize safety & comfort in workspace:

Create a work ambience that meets the security and comfort requirements of the employees coming back to the physical workplace. For instance, allowing only those people to offices who are fully vaccinated can be the right initiative. Also, as they will be joining the formal workflow after a long hiatus make sure to offer them the convenience of work from home. Go for top quality office furniture like the best ergonomic chair, height adjustable table and more that makes working less stressful.

5. Be upfront:

Irrespective of where your employees are working from, maintaining transparency is critical to sustained success. All working professionals, be it senior executives or new hires must have a clear idea of the specific work policies. Keep them informed of and in agreement with your hybrid work policies so that no is no room for any misunderstanding or friction.

6. Maintain right balance of work culture:

As you need to manage two distinct teams- at home employees and in-office employees, the biggest challenge in Hybrid work system is accomplishing a unified workplace culture. Meaningful collaborations from time to time can play a pivotal role in aligning employees with the company’s shared values and goals. Events such as social hours and virtual town hall meetings serve the purpose right. It allows employees and management to engage in open yet inclusive and focused interaction.

Make hybrid model work for your business

Hybrid work culture stresses on building a work environment that helps employees grow professionally as well as personally. Undoubtedly it has emerged as a practical solution to the current situation for a host of companies but the efficacy will depend on how well you plan and execute the hybrid work model.  If you’re an organization mulling over a hybrid work model, embrace innovative thinking and consider identifying solutions to potential issues before they become a reality. Being proactive and flexible is the route to attaining your goals easily!

Cut Your Anxiety and Be at Your Productive Best Using These Workplace Tips

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It’s normal for any person to experience work stress at some point in time. Whether it’s about meeting deadlines or resolving project issues at critical stage, work related stress can leave you unnerved. Studies show that excess stress can have significant impact on your physical health. Headaches, high blood pressure, trouble sleeping and mood disorders leading to anxiety and depression are just to name some. In such a scenario even the most personalized work-from-home set up including your comfy home office furniture can fail to offer the desired solace.

Ongoing-stress can also take a toll on your professional as well as personal life. Reduced work quality, deteriorating relations at personal and professional level, lack of motivation and concentration, all can throw you off balance. If you are experiencing stress or anxiety at work, do not overlook it. Instead, try to figure out the root cause and adopt effective strategies to weight it down. Easier said than done, right?

Well, here are some tried and true methods that will guide you to relieve stress at work – so you can bounce back.

• De-clutter Your Workspace

Do you have mounds of files and papers strewn around your desk or walls that are too heavily hung with picture and artwork? Well, you really need to rethink about your work space. Clutter has way of diverting attention and causing confusion. The more things you see, the more distracted you can get from work. Going minimal is the key. Take time to de-clutter your office workstation. Identify the items you use routinely and place them within your reach. Rest you can put in a drawer or some other space on your desk. Also, check if your modular office furniture arrangement supports ingress of natural light. With a cleaner and well-organized workspace, you will feel more put together and motivated.

• Create a comfortable workspace

Being locked to the screen for long periods of time, especially when you’re not positioned properly, can be detrimental to your body muscles and joints. Create a healthy work space with right furniture that supports you. Invest in best ergonomic chair to avoid working at uncomfortable position. HNI India offers a wide range of ergonomic chairs that are primed to help you maintain right posture and feel relaxed. You must give it a try! Remember, ergonomic seating is not a luxury but a necessity. Also, staying active is important. Stretch a little before sitting down, go for a mid-task walk, stand every thirty minutes/hour and even consider investing in a movable desk where you can arrange the height to stand or sit.

• Adopt practical approach to fulfill your commitments

It’s good to be career-driven and goal oriented but don’t buckle under the strain of long term commitments. If you are too stressed about future to-do list instead of focusing on present task, you might find yourself stuck. Try to shift your focus to short term task list. If you have a major project to handle, break it into smaller tasks and tackle each, one at a time. Learn to prioritize and delegate responsibility. This will help you stay de-stressed and attain your objectives positively.

• Comparison can hold you back:

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others, but doing it in a way that makes you feel insecure and stressed out can get you into a vicious trap. There will always be people around you performing better or appear to be more together. Don’t strain yourself trying to keep up with them. You can’t be that person and it’s just fine. Avoid negative comparison to others in the workplace. Instead focus on your strengths, development and performance to secure personal success.

• Add a little privacy to your workday:

Working remotely poses challenge in establishing a personal workspace that fosters productivity, creativity and connection. If you are sharing your office space with your roommate/partner or your children are cause of distraction, then getting that professional feel of office workstation is difficult to achieve. However, you should not let these factors hinder your work. All you need to do is systematize things a bit- align space and time that suits you best. For instance, you can choose to work early morning when there is least distraction or place a sign of I’m busy on the door when attending an important meeting. You may even re-arrange your furniture or order an item that can help create the illusion of separation. Drawing balance is essential; just strive to set those healthy boundaries and reap long term benefits.

In the current times when it’s easy to lose motivation, connection and certainty, discover ways to bring joy and positivity into the working space. The above pointers will help you stay more aware of your requirements, maintain healthy work style and reach your optimum potential.