Adapting the office environment for

new technology in back care

Levent Çaglar

Ergonomist

Ergonomics Unit

Increased use of technology

• The use of technology in the

office has increased almost

exponentially in the last 40

years.

• Developments in technology

have allowed an increasingly

mobile workforce within the

office and beyond.

From calculators and main frame

computers to:

• Individual personal

computers

• Laptops with docking

stations

• Tablets with wi-fi

From telephones with switchboards

and operators to:

• Portable phones

• Mobile phones

• Smartphones

Storing and sharing information

• Mainframes

• PC hard discs

• Portable storage

• Wired networks

• Email and dial-up

• Internet

• Remote conferencing

• Wireless networks

• Cloud

Breaking away from the desk

All of these developments enable us to work

anywhere.

Time spent in the office

Depends on:

• Nature of the

organisation’s work

• Workers’ roles

• Teamwork

• Tasks

The lean approach

• Optimising office

space by finding tasks

that can use shared

space, even for

eating and working

• Taking account of

time spent away from

the office

Work styles

People move rapidly between:

• individual work

• remote communication – audio and video

• meetings in pairs or small groups (some

planned and others impromptu)

Many work in more than one location.

The right workspace and access to tools and

documents is more important than a fixed

desk and filing cabinet.

What organisations want

Creative and engaged employees who:

• are motivated by their work environment

• have choice and control over how and

where they work

• can collaborate with colleagues in person

and remotely.

Design needs for workspaces

• Spaces that encourage a variety of postures –

standing, sitting, perching, walking, relaxing

• Settings that encourage socialisation,

collaboration and learning/mentoring

• Environments that convey company ethos, that

employees are valued, and a sense of belonging

• Contrasting zones that support quiet

concentration, collaborative work and bustling

activity

Relaxed and more formal zones

Three types of workplace

for the future:

Workstations

General work areas

Informal work areas

Workstations

Fully ergonomically kitted out workstations

for tasks requiring higher concentration

• Height adjustable sit/stand desks

• Dual monitors on adjustable arms

• Adjustable and comfortable chairs

• Communication equipment

• Power access

General work areas

• Support collaboration

• Facilitate team work and meetings

• Short term computer work

• Less concentrated work such as

responding to emails, making calls

Formal and informal

Formal and informal

Formal and informal

Informal work areas

• Support creative, informal work

alone and collaboratively

• Also used for socialising, eating

or relaxing

• Quiet areas for reflection or

private conversations/calls

Radical approaches

• Ergonomics already has well tried and

proven answers for dedicated computer

workstations and general work areas.

• New work areas need to change

continuously to respond to the new

technology and to the work style of the

Millennials and Z generation.

Bringing the home to the office

• Innovative

• Attractive

• Less adjustable

• More comfortable

• More flexible

• Mobile

• Multi purpose

• Adaptable to new

technology

• Power enabled

A new ergonomics approach using furniture in

the way you do at home:

Typical Furniture

• Tables (sitting and standing height)

• Benches

• Stools (high and low)

• Perches

• Chairs

• Sofas

• Pods

Shedding light on the matter

New approach to lighting in these environments

• Locally adjustable

• Task lights at work areas

• Directional

• Soft

• Mobile

What next?

• Ergonomic guidelines on how to minimise

adopting unhealthy postures

• Strategically designing furniture and creating

environments which will automatically

encourage people to keep moving and

change postures

Any Questions?

Levent Çaglar

Ergonomist LCaglar@fira.co.uk

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Ergonomics Unit