It is easy to think of an office chair as an ordinary piece of furniture that complements the office space. However, very few people pay attention to the critical role that an office chair plays. About 80% of the time an employee is at work, he or she is sited on an office chair, trying to execute a specific task under their jurisdiction. It is not enough to have a four-legged surface with a backrest as an office chair. You need to provide more support and comfort, which is something that most business owners are oblivious of. Did you know that a simple office chair can significantly affect the productivity of your employees in the workplace? Well, here are several ways how this happens:
Comfort deprivation
Too much comfort may not be good for business, but so is too much discomfort. The lack of it can reduce the concentration span of an individual, diving their attention between getting a job done and finding the right posture actually to be in a position to deliver the task.
A typical simple office chair is too firm on the body, which means that the pressure bounces back to the joints of the employee. Technically, you expect an employee sitting on a simple office chair to be fidgeting and moving up and about, as a way for the body to seek comfort in a different position. If your employees are bold enough, they will invest in an office chair cushion to help pad their chair for a better experience.
Eye-level computing
Employees get to use screens in the workplace all the time, whether a desktop or a laptop. Spending a lot of hours on a screen can get one to become complacent and a slowdown in the delivery of tasks, especially if the eye-level computing is compromised.
A great office chair is adjustable for height in such a way to allow an employee to heighten their seat to a level that will enable them to access the screen with ease. This means that their neck will not have to bend the wrong way, and their spine does not have to align in peculiar postures just to get the job done. If you are not intentional in providing seating that promotes eye-level computing, then you might as well be prepared for a sluggish business.
Slouching in the office
After lunch breaks, managers are vigilant to micro-manage because the most significant part of the employees is slouching and dozing off. With a simple office chair, it does not take a heavy meal at lunch break to get your employee slouching. Slouching is not only strenuous to the employees but also inhibits high productivity and lowers morale. Even the most committed and hardworking employee will begin slouching after a couple of hours of sitting on a simple office chair.
Too many sick leaves
It may not seem like too much of a burden to you that an employee is slouching while working, or has to type at too high or too low a position from the desk, or even be sited uncomfortably on a chair. The problem begins to manifest when this employee continues with the trend for 6-8 hours every day, each week of the month, throughout the year.
In time, complains of back pains, wrist problems, joint aches, and neck pains cannot be ignored. In between one fiscal year, you may have to let several employees go on sick leave or access some medical care because of such issues. This only works to your disadvantage because you have to deal with a shortage of human resources and low productivity. It gets worse when the sick leaves are compounded with completely unmotivated workers who only show up to work because of the check they anticipate at the end of the month.
