Agile working - Seize the benefits, avoid the side effects
Agile working, hot-desking, activity-based working… It’s no longer the future of workstations. For more and more people it’s today’s workplace reality. But besides the much-discussed company culture and management style benefits and demands, this new work environment also brings challenges and even dangers in terms of ergonomics, efficiency and productivity.
New ways without the old malaise
Creating the right physical environment for a whole new way of working requires more than just reconfiguring the desks and chairs and telling people to sit where they can work most efficiently. Because as most of us know, when working at those desks and chairs you must ensure your posture is good if you wish to avoid aches, pains and more serious problems with your back, neck or shoulders.
That good posture is achieved through what we at Dataflex call the ergonomic ‘golden triangle’. The triangle’s three pillars are your chair, desk and monitor arm, with each pillar helping determine your posture in relation to the other two. Learn more about the golden triangle.
The bigger picture
At Dataflex we regularly advise clients on setting up workstations or offices ergonomically, and there are some excellent general guidelines available, like these on posture. But how can you ensure your workstation is set up right if you’re constantly switching desks, taking your laptop with you?
Because our design philosophy at Dataflex has always been to look at the bigger picture, we’ve been developing products with flexible workstations in mind for many years now. It’s brought us some prestigious design awards. But more importantly, it means we can offer you products that help ensure your flexible workspace doesn’t come with unwanted negative effects on people’s health or efficiency.
Good posture, even with a laptop
When hot-desking, most people quickly set their chair to the right height, but then spend the day crouched over their laptop, which is obviously very bad news ergonomically. The Viewlite Plus monitor arm overcomes this issue because it can be continually adjusted and repositioned to suit users of any shape or size, and even has an additional optional mount for your laptop or tablet.
Plug and go-go-go
Another downside to hot-desking is the time-consuming hassle of getting all your devices plugged in, working compatibly and charging. The Link desktop docking station is a brilliantly simple solution to this. A plug-&-play USB-C docking station that connects any brand of USB-C laptop to both external displays and your office data network. Just grab a desk, plug in and you’re fully connected.
Every workplace is your desk
Agile working is great in principle, but not if you can no longer make a space fit the way you like to work. The Bento set of office accessories deal with that. The Bento toolbox is a notebook and tablet stand, in-line document holder and personal storage box in one — and very clean desk and BYOD-friendly! While the Bento monitor riser keeps your monitor stable and provides the perfect storage space for your Bento toolbox.
“We have been selling products to improve workplace ergonomics for over 25 years and the need for individual adaptability has never been more significant. These products, and others from the Dataflex portfolio, address the requirements of agile workers and help us keep them comfortable, healthy and productive”
Guy Osmond — Managing Director, Osmond Ergonomics