The preeminent mandate for COVID-19 safety is social distancing. Even when wearing masks, employees situated near others run a higher risk of contracting the virus than those who maintain at least 6 feet of distance. While offices are doing everything possible to keep employees seated at a safe distance from one another, there is little they can do to control distances between employees who leave their stations and walk around the office. While some interaction is necessary for task completion, aimless wandering and idle chat puts everyone in the office at higher risk. Encouraging employees to stay seated at their workstations has become more than simply a matter of productivity. With the pandemic still in full force, a disciplined, comfortable workplace plays a key role in human health and safety.
To be fair, people do not just wander from their desks because they dislike their jobs. Most employees are too focused to simply abandon their responsibilities. Many leave their workstations to relieve physical stress. Often, the primary source of this stress is a poorly designed office chair. After sitting in such a chair for as little as an hour, even the most focused individual is going to fidget. Without proper support for the back, neck, and arms, an employee experiences the buildup of muscle tension and needs to get up and walk around to gain some relief. This is where ergonomic office chairs can make a big difference in workplace safety. Providing employees with chairs they to sit in goes a long way toward keeping them focused, at their workstations and f focused on task completion.
Cubiture specializes in making ergonomic office chairs affordable. Ever since big box stores started offering ergonomic chairs in their showrooms, we aggressively educated our customer base in the scientific benefits of ergonomic seating. There are many misperceptions of what an ergonomic chair really is. Some believe that an ergonomic chair simply feels more comfortable than a typical office chair. This is not entirely true. Comfort in the colloquial sense implies a softness that creates a sense of total relaxation. This is not something needed in an office environment. Productivity requires alertness and focus, so the feeling we have all had of just sinking into a chair is not conducive to productivity. A well-designed ergonomic chair supports the body but does not cushion. It keeps the entire body in an upright, forward-facing position that focuses the employee for an entire 8-hour workday.
The most important aspect of ergonomic design is support for the lower back. Any backrest will provide support at the shoulder level. However, if the backrest is too straight, it will not contact the lower back due to the natural curvature of the spine. Individuals must consciously sit perfectly straight and push their lower backs against the chair. This is awkward to most and is almost impossible to maintain without conscious effort.
Cubiture offers affordable ergonomic office chairs with adjustable tile backrests that follow the curvature of the back, with the spine is supported at all points, and the doesn’t have to push their back into the chair.
Because everyone’s back is different, the best ergonomic office chairs feature controls that allow the user to adjust the tilt of the backrest as well as its height. Some chairs even recline slightly when pushed back gently, and then recoil with the body when one leans forward. This flexion helps the individual relax just enough to avoid muscle tension but not enough to lose focus on work.
Cubiture makes a point to provide customers with ergonomic chairs that feature adjustable height, tilt, and armrests so that each employee may select a setting to fits his or her body. Our chairs are rated at 8 hours—which simply means a person can comfortably sit for 8 hours in the chair without the need to stand up and walk around the office for relief.
With social distancing very much a necessity for any company that has employees returning to the office, the 8-hour rating is very important. Safety is easier to practice when we are all alert. Accidents happen when an individual’s attention wanders, and muscle stress is a huge distraction that triggers employees to wander about and inadvertently forget the basic practices of COVID safety. Keeping employees alert, focused, and stress free can greatly reduce the risk of an idle moment leading to a breach of safety protocols.
Call Cubiture now for an analysis of your existing office chairs. If they are not 8-hour rated, and if they do not offer users fully adjustable control, we can supply you with affordable replacements along with complimentary office space planning for a better, more productive, and safer environment.