There are lots of reasons why it makes sense to invest in good quality office furniture. People can spend long hours at their workstations and so it is crucial that they feel comfortable. If their chairs are poorly designed and made and their desks are too low or too high, individuals will struggle to concentrate and they may find themselves in pain after a while. It is only by promoting good posture with the aid of effective furniture at work that employers can minimize health risks to their staff members.
The fact is, without suitable seating and other items of furniture, employees’ long-term wellbeing can take a real hit. Unfortunately, some individuals have already suffered potentially long-term and painful muscle, spinal and nerve damage because of their poor working postures.
Meanwhile, there is a strong business case to be made for effective furniture at work reviews and good quality desks and seating. When personnel are uncomfortable, they are unable to work efficiently. Ultimately, this affects productivity and, in turn, it has a harmful impact on profits. In the worst cases, staff members may need long periods of absence from work in order to recover. Bearing in mind the problems that can arise when workplace furniture is not up-to-scratch, it is clear that although good quality desks and chairs may require some investment, this should be money well spent.
Musculoskeletal problems in general can be a problem for organizations. One local authority that is all too aware of this issue is Somerset County Council. Recently, it was revealed that between April 2012 and March this year, its full-time employees had an average of 9.56 days off work sick. This was up from 8.96 in 2011-12, This is The West Country reports.
The council revealed that musculoskeletal problems accounted for 7.5 per cent of the working days lost over the 12-month period.
In a report, the organization noted that it hopes to reduce the number of sick days by a fifth to an average of seven days per full-time employee.
A spokesman for the authority remarked: “Like any other responsible employer Somerset County Council takes the health, safety and welfare of its employees seriously.” He added: “The council monitors the employee sickness absence rate on a regular basis through the year and reports annually to the HR Policy Committee. The council annually benchmarks its absence rate, and the council’s absence rate is just below the 2012-13 national average for similar local authorities.”
Tackling worker absence rates is often tricky for organizations and solutions to the problem are generally multi-faceted. However, any firms that have been subject to furniture at work complaints should consider investing in new and improved desks, chairs and other items. There is a strong business case for such purchases and they can benefit the long-term financial health of organizations, not to mention the wellbeing of employees.
One of the easiest ways to source the products is by heading online. Via the web, bosses can get their hands on all the items they need quickly and easily.