Active Office Design Ideas

Have you been hearing a lot of buzz about active office design? Maybe you’re wondering what it is exactly, or if it’s something you should invest in as a business owner. Do you need to have a more active office? The short answer is: YES!

What Is Active Office Design?

Active office design is a fairly simple concept. Give employees the opportunity to move throughout the day, both at their workstation and in the office as a whole. At the very core, it starts with providing quality ergonomic seating. Businesses of all sizes should consider ergonomic chairs a necessary investment in not only the health and well-being of their employees but an investment in the business itself.

An ergonomic chair is a good place to start, but unfortunately, it’s not enough. Based on research that sitting is the new smoking, the goal now becomes to get people up out of their chairs periodically throughout the day. There are plenty of ways to accomplish this. Office furniture manufacturers started making products for just this very purpose!

Height adjustable desks allow users to go from sitting to standing at work easily. If you have people that prefer sitting, but still want to be more active, consider something like the Ballo, a stool/yoga ball hybrid. Other types of “seating” include treadmill desks, lounge-style collaboration spaces, and exercise balls. The key is providing a variety! 

Flexible, ergonomic workstations are a huge step towards incorporating active office design, but the office layout as a whole must also be considered. Think about placing work areas closer to stairs than elevators in a multi-story building. Break rooms, cafeterias, and lounges should be strategically placed to encourage walking throughout the day. Centralize printers, copiers, etc instead of offering them at each workstation.

What Are The Benefits?

There’s no question that the workplace has historically been a place to be sedentary for 8+ hours a day. The trend is changing though and for good reason. Keeping employees active is better for their short and long term health. In fact, studies show that standing part of the time at work decreased stress and fatigue while increasing energy. Plus, actually improves their work! Active employees are more productive and creative. Simply standing can improve cognitive function. Active office design sounds like a win-win.

Who Needs It?

The truth is, companies of all sizes benefit from incorporating active office design into their workplace. Whether you have 20 or 300 employees, the positive effects of encouraging more activity during the workday are large and measurable. Smaller companies may be able to tackle some of these additions with a few purchases and a weekend of rearranging the furniture. If you have over 175 employees, the process will be more involved. Either way, ROSI can help – we work with both small and large companies. For larger jobs, we recommend utilizing our workplace strategist to maximize the effect active office design can have on your company. Together, we can generate a plan while walking you through the whole process. Contact us today for a free consultation!