Whether it’s chairs, desks, office pods or meeting furniture, investing in good quality office furniture can have a highly positive influence on the wellbeing and output of your employees. Indeed, research has shown how great quality office furniture can boost employee productivity by up to 32%.
Providing comfortable, fit-for-purpose office seating is incredibly important; after all, desk-based full-time employees can spend up to a quarter of their lives in the office. At best, feeling uncomfortable in an ill-suited chair creates an unwelcome distraction and feeling of dissatisfaction. At worst, it can result in issues for your employees such as back, neck and shoulder problems. Indeed, employers have a legal obligation to provide DSE workstation assessments to ensure the comfort and safety of their staff.
Lismark supply a great range of ergonomic office chairs designed to be adjusted to actively support different body types. As well as offering seven adjustment options for the perfect fit for the body and positioning at the desk, the Solo Ergonomic Task Chair features five degrees of movement on the seat angle, inflatable lumbar support and a flexible section at the front of the seat to protect the back of the thighs.
While high end office furniture designed with ergonomics in mind may not always be the cheapest office furniture option, investing in it will always result in increased employee satisfaction – and, as a result, increased motivation. Not only that, it guards against the expensive productivity issue of long-term employee absence due to the work-related health problems that can arise from using inadequate office furniture.
In the modern office, which may be designed for hybrid working and hot-desking, nurturing employee satisfaction and productivity with high quality office furniture goes far beyond the desk and chair.
At Lismark, we provide a wide range of great quality office pods. Our solo office pods are perfect for uninterrupted work and private phone calls. Ideal for the flexible modern office, our acoustic Milli Work Pod features air ventilation, automatic lighting and power sockets as standard, as well as built-in castors, so it can easily be moved around as requirements change.
We all know the importance of taking regular screen breaks during the working day. However, research by Loughborough University and The University of Leicester found that standing while working actually increased productivity. Lismark supply a great range of sit-stand desks, designed to give employees the choice of sitting or standing while they get on with the working day. Paired with the Solo Ergonomic Task Chair, the easy-to-adjust Solo Sit-Stand Desk is the perfect ergonomic solution for the modern office. We also supply high meeting tables such as the Advance Sit-Stand Meeting Table, which is designed to transform sluggish sit-down meetings into energetic exchanges.
The ability to take a break or move around is key to productivity, which is why it’s so important to provide alternative spaces for staff to regroup or get a fresh perspective. Soft furnishings provide a welcome alternative to official workspaces and office seating such as our Libby Sofa Range offer a comfortable and chic space for colleagues to catch up or provide an on-brand welcome for clients and guests.
Meeting pods are the chic and contemporary space-saving alternative to the traditional office meeting room and do a great job of empowering employees to focus on the collaborative task in hand. Lismark supply a great selection of meeting pods including the Bea Meeting Pod, which is available in hundreds of colourways and is able to accommodate between 2 and 6 people.
No one wants to work in a drab, dimly-lit environment, which is why making the most of your workspace with colour, light and modern and attractive office furniture has such an important role in motivating employees and increasing productivity. High quality furniture should always be prioritised over good looks in the office, but the two can happily coexist together. The sleek lines and curves of the Neon Mesh Back Task Chair are designed with users’ posture in mind, as well as contemporary good looks. Available in a wide range of seating fabrics, you can add a splash of colour to fit in with your brand décor theme too.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can increase happiness and productivity with office furniture, please get in touch with our experts. Our service begins with a visit to your premises to understand and advise on your exact requirements. Call us on 0116 251 7741 or fill in our contact form to find out more.
Ergonomic office furniture is designed to provide comfort and support to the user. By reducing strain on the body, ergonomic furniture can help to improve productivity, alleviate pain and prevent the health problems that can be caused by inferior quality office furniture. When you are considering investing in ergonomic furniture for your employees, it is important to understand what options are available and how they can benefit you and your staff.
Whether they hot desk, work from home or work from an allocated desk in an office, employees spend a significant proportion of each day sitting at their desk. For this reason, when investing in ergonomic furniture, chairs are the first place to start.
Easy adjustability is vital so that employees can share chairs in communal working spaces and chairs can be allocated to different staff members as employees come and go.
The most important function of an ergonomic chair is to ensure the occupant’s body can sit in a safe, upright position that alleviates stress on the neck, spine and hips. Usually, this is facilitated by a supportive headrest for the neck and shoulders, and a backrest that supports the spine’s natural curve. Choosing a chair like this can prevent minor aches and pains and more serious long-term conditions such as neck arthritis.
Our high quality range of ergonomic office chairs includes the Solo Ergonomic Task Chair, which comes with everything you need to tailor the chair to your precise needs, including advanced adjustment features, plus an inflatable lumbar support and a flexible section at the front of the seat, so that the chair doesn’t push against the back of your thighs. Not only that, it’s available in a wide range of fabric choices, meaning that safety, comfort and good quality doesn’t come at the expense of style.
Nearly all of us are aware that sitting at the same desk all day long is bad for our health, however, breaking that habit is easier said than done when no other options are available and there’s a deadline to meet.
One way employers can solve this problem is by installing sit-stand desks in the workplace. Already compulsory in Danish offices, these desks offer employees a much-needed alternative to the traditional desk and chair arrangement that we have accepted as the norm for so long.
Research by Loughborough University and The University of Leicester found that standing while working increased productivity. Not only that, muscle activity is nearly 2.5 times higher when standing. This means that spending some time standing while doing tasks also has great benefits for physical health by reducing the risk of injuries, pain and cardiovascular disease by up to 40%.
Here at Lismark, our range of easily adjustable sit-stand desks cater for a wide range of tastes and budgets and even includes a two-person version for the ultimate in space-saving and dynamic working.
As every business owner knows, a healthy working environment is a happier and more productive one. In the wake of the pandemic, many professionals are reassessing their work life balance, so the provision of a modern working environment equipped with high quality ergonomic office furniture is now more important than ever.
Ergonomic furniture is the key to the modern, health-conscious office but it’s also important to remember this foundation can be enhanced with keyboards and accessories designed to prevent repetitive strain injury and pivotal monitors made to increase productivity by lessening the risk of eye strain and headaches caused by staring at a screen for too long.
Finally, fostering a culture where regular breaks are encouraged is fundamental, as is ensuring that any employees who work from home are also supplied with the appropriate ergonomic furniture they need to do their job in comfort and safety.
Here at Lismark, we don’t just sell ergonomic office furniture; we work with you every step of the way to understand your exact requirements. As part of this process, our experts will visit you to ensure your new furniture fits and enhances your working space perfectly. To find out more, please email us at sales@lismark.co.uk or call 0116 251 7741.
Choosing good quality office furniture is fundamental in creating a comfortable and productive workplace. However, knowing how to place office furniture is also important to showcase the furniture and give your employees an office interior layout that works well for them.
A well-organised office makes it easier to move around, to store and retrieve important documents and to work without feeling uncomfortable or developing repetitive strain injuries.
Here are five top tips for how to place office furniture in a way that’s pleasant to look at, comfortable to work within, and maximises productivity and output throughout the working day.
Where not to place office furniture is just as important as where to place it. Open space is crucial to allow employees to move around, for safety in an emergency, and to give everyone a sense of comfort and spaciousness.
Keep entrances clear and avoid clustering large, heavy furniture such as floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets, in one part of the office. By dotting them around, you prevent any one area from feeling overly cluttered, and give everyone easier access to storage nearby.
Natural light can help offices to feel more spacious. In areas well away from windows, give employees a choice of bright overhead lighting and controllable task lighting, so they can give their eyes a rest over the course of the day.
You want your office layout to feel balanced, so extend the tip above to include the visual impact of different items of office furniture. Try to have roughly equal numbers of cabinets, cupboards, desks and shelves in different areas.
If you can’t balance items exactly, it’s not the end of the world. However, you may still be able to achieve a more balanced aesthetic, for example by placing a clock, notice board or wall art flat against one wall, to match the visual of a deeper piece of furniture placed elsewhere.
High-quality office furniture is designed to look great, as well as to be ergonomic during use, so choose some statement pieces and make them focal anchor points for your overall office interior design.
Office environments are rarely static for long, so be ready to reconfigure your office furniture layout to accommodate changes in team size, management hierarchy, or anything else that affects where your employees and line managers need to sit and work.
Modular office furniture is a fantastic way to achieve this. Just add more segments to modular seating to extend it, or to add a different configuration of arm rests and side tables. Modular office sofas can have optional back rests, or can be bench-style to allow seating access from both sides.
By using modular office furniture, you can create comfortable breakout areas, divide larger spaces into smaller ‘virtual’ rooms, and make the best use of open-plan office floors without having to put up any stud walls or temporary partitions.
Although open space can make offices feel comfortable and healthy, sometimes employees need privacy, whether that’s to discuss confidential business, or just a personal desire to work away from the noise and hubbub of the rest of the office.
If your office layout is dominated by open-plan or you’re still deciding how to arrange office furniture in a new workplace or refurbishment, consider whether private work booths could be the key to your office productivity.
Private work booths and individual office pods create cubicle-style spaces for employees to work in privacy and confidentiality and can be conducive to productivity when individuals need to focus on demanding or time-consuming tasks.
Not all of your workstations need to be assigned to a designated individual. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more offices are allowing employees to work flexibly, and even when the pandemic is no longer a health concern, remote working can save on overheads and keep employees happy by reducing the daily commute.
Modular office furniture is again a great way to make sure you still give everyone the workspace they need, with comfortable hotdesking areas that can adapt to the changing nature of your flexible workforce in the years ahead.
Give your employees good quality office furniture and they will feel valued, even when they do not have an assigned workstation of their own. When you factor in the added bonus of reducing your office operating costs and capitalising on the positive lessons learned over the past few years, it’s a no-brainer.
These days, business owners are increasingly coming to the conclusion that the traditional boardroom table no longer reflects their ethos and way of working. One easy way to update the look and dynamic of your office is with a high meeting table.
Here are five benefits of having a high meeting table in your workspace:
Increased productivity
When you’re sitting at a high meeting table on a high chair or stool, you’re automatically placed in an elevated position, which prolongs energy levels and aids productivity. This is particularly beneficial in longer meetings, where the traditional table and chair set up makes it all too easy to physically disengage by leaning back in the chair, leading to a feeling of tiredness and a lack of concentration. The sense of focus a high meeting table brings also means meetings and brainstorming sessions tend to be shorter and less likely to go off on a tangent.
A flexible option
Many professionals appreciate the health benefits of being able to work from a standing position. With a high meeting table, you can accommodate the needs of both those who wish to stand and those who would prefer to sit. This is the perfect solution for long meetings where participants can switch to standing halfway through without disturbing others or moving away from the table.
Alternatively, a high meeting table can be used as an additional area for your team to hot desk from, giving them the option to move from their desk to continue their work from a standing position. And of course, a high meeting table is the perfect place for impromptu get-togethers or coffee breaks.
A healthy workplace
You may not be ready to invest in sit s
tand desks for everyone, but a high meeting table is a great way to introduce this modern way of working. High meeting tables are considered a healthy choice because it’s easier for your blood to circulate when standing. Standing also requires more muscles than sitting and helps to improve posture and reduce back pain. These factors all help to reduce common repetitive strain injuries reported by office workers, improve morale and reduce sick days.
Creating a style statement
As well as improving workplace wellbeing, our high meeting tables are built to the highest standards of quality and design. They are available in a large variety of heights, shapes and colours and a range of seating options, meaning there is sure to be the perfect option for you.
The inclusion of high meeting tables also improves the look of your interior by creating a feeling of separation to different areas in an open-plan office. Not only does this provide aesthetic benefits, it works on a practical level for employees who need a break from the confines of their desks.
The modern way of working
Most of us have been in stuffy board rooms with long conference tables and leather chairs which make meetings feel very formal, no matter the situation. However, the contemporary feel of a high conference table changes the energy in the room and makes people feel more relaxed, imaginative and open to discussion.
If you’re looking for a high meeting table, we have a great selection here at Lismark Office Products. View our full range, request a quote or get in touch today to learn more.
Office breakout areas are all the rage at the moment, driven by the more relaxed approach to office interior design taken by big web businesses such as Google.
But what does the term mean, and is it defined by physical features like your choice of office breakout area furniture or less tangible aspects like how the space is used?
In this article we’ll look at the defining characteristics of an office breakout area and the kinds of office furniture you’ll usually find in one.
The general definition of a breakout area, breakout room or breakout space is a versatile zone that is available for employees to use as and when they want to step away from their own desk.
There is usually not a specific designated use for breakout areas. They may be used to relax, for informal meetings, or to work away from the desk for a while.
The area may be clearly defined by walls, temporary partitions or high-backed breakout area furniture. Alternatively, it may be more open plan and loosely defined.
Breakout areas done right can bring plenty of benefits to a business. Not only do they create extra workspace, relaxation areas and somewhere to casually collaborate, they also provide an interesting setting to meet with visiting clients, stakeholders and other guests.
You can read more about the positive impact of breakout spaces in our article 7 Benefits of Office Breakout Areas.
However, not all office breakout area furniture is the same, so it’s useful to know what’s available and give some thought to what you want from your breakout room, booths or pods.
The modular nature of modern breakout area office furniture means that when you want a change of scenery in your office, you can reconfigure the space to suit your evolving needs.
Stools, tub chairs and two-person meeting pods are at the more compact end of the scale and can be fitted into tighter spaces – with the help of a pull-up laptop table where required.
Larger zones can be furnished using modular seating systems which incorporate elements like corner units, end units, middle seats with no arms, and curved 30/60 degree linking seats.
Modular office furniture is ideal when you want to change the layout of your seating, and this is especially true in breakout zones, where it can help to keep things feeling fresh when it comes to giving your employees somewhere to escape from their desk.
While breakout zones are usually very versatile, some furniture is designed with a specific task in mind.
For example, a freestanding laptop table can be pulled up to almost any seat to provide a temporary desk, or even a side table for snacks and drinks.
Alternatively, an office phone booth provides a comfortable but confidential space to have a phone call, as well as block out unwanted noise and visual distractions from the rest of the office.
Self-contained acoustic breakout pods can also reduce distracting noise from elsewhere in the workplace, while keeping conversations private for participants.
Acoustic pods come in a range of styles, including high-backed bench seating which can feature an open top or be fully enclosed with a roof for even greater privacy. These are ideal for relaxing, holding informal meetings, or even as a more casual working space when paired with a table.
Lismark offer a wide range of breakout area furniture, available in a choice of styles and upholstery to match your branding, company livery or interior design colour scheme.
Get in touch today to request a brochure or speak to our experts about creating your own breakout area.