is your workstation, office or desk at the right height?

We all like to feel comfortable at work, and know intuitively that we can get more done when we are comfortable.  This forms a big part of our philosophy here at relaxedworkplace.com.  We are also aware that everyone is different, but despite that so many offices and desks all look the same.  We asked, how we can make that a bit more personal.  Health and Well-being consultant for relaxedworkplace.com, Samuel Furse looked into it for us and gives us his five things you can do to make your workstation, office or desk fit like a glove:

Step One – the right height.  Most desks are of a roughly-standard height.  While this might be fine for a lot of people, it can actually be dangerous for those of us who find it hard to reach things or for those of us who are taller than average.  Most companies are required by law to have a Health and Safety officer and therefore a Health and Safety policy.  If you are finding your desk or work surface is at an uncomfortable height, or you have had medical problems that restrict your movement, consult your H&S officer and see if this comes under the company’s duty of care to employees.  In a poll conducted in the summer of 2009 over 90% office workers over six feet tall and under 5’2” said they felt they would benefit from a height –adjusted desk.

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[ Tagged In ] good sitting posture, health and safety, medical problems, office workers, personal health, posture, safety policy, workstation

Comfortable work clothes

“Dress sharply and they notice the dress.  Dress impeccably and they notice the woman – Coco Chanel”

This was quoted by Sigourney Weaver in the 80s classic film Working Girl, to Melanie Griffith.  Although we all love to look just right of not really good, this can be a burden in the current financial climate and is only compounded if we ever need to don personal protective equipment (PPE) for any of our work tasks, writes relaxedworkplace.com’s health and well-being consultant Samuel Furse.

Other clothing worries our clients have told us about are in looking right for the role and feeling good at the same time.  In the third quarter of 2009, 59.6% of female respondents approved of the attire worn on casual days in the professional environment. This is a 10.9% increase on three years ago, indicating a growing acceptance of relaxed wardrobes in the work place.

“I absolutely think that there’s a firm middle ground in office dressing today,” offers Jeannine McShane, a performance specialist with Employee Performance Strategies, a training consulting company based in Washington, USA. “It’s not like it used to be, where women wore suits and dresses five days a week to make a statement about their professional commitment. Of course, office attire is not about ignoring what you’re wearing, but dressing appropriately and keeping the emphasis on what truly counts; job performance,” she told us.

We know that our clients place productivity, client focus and project deliverables at the top of the list at work, but if you feel your clothes let you down, you’ll want an answer.  How do we solve this?  Well, here is relaxedworkplace.com’s simple 5 step-guide to getting kitted out for work functions, safety tasks, away days, training and anything else your boss can throw at you

Step 1 – Be comfortable.  If you look at a suit, dress, or combo and think you’ll never be comfortable in it, it’ll never be worth buying it.  People can see if you are not comfortable and this will only make things harder for you in the long run.  The worst-case scenario is that it lowers your productivity and damages your client focus – it’s just the sort of thing that can take your eye off the ball, and no one wants that.

Step 2 – Be practical. If you find an outfit that looks great, do a quick mental check that it will help you out at work.  After all, if it lets you down, it’ll never put you in a good light.  Also, take confidence in yourself to be clever – hidden pockets, adjustable sizing and removable layers are all great if you find yourself moving from one room to another, one situation to another or for making an outfit multi-seasonal.

Step 3 – Plan ahead. An excellent opportunity for clothes shopping if nothing else, but planning what you’ll wear is as important as planning the deadlines and those deliverables.  So, take the time to pick up an outfit or two on your day off, you never know when they might be useful.  Planning also means that you don’t have to splash out every time you buy new clothes.  It’s amazing how cheaper clothing from on-line retailers and auction sites can be just as good or better than High Street retailers with a bit of planning

Step 4 – Choice. Give yourself a choice!  No one wants to wear the same thing over and again, and clients, colleagues and senior staff you want to make a good impression on for that promotion will only be impressed if you show freshness and variation in what you wear.  Also, it means that when you get up in the morning you can put on what feels just right – whether it’s for a project meeting, interview, board meeting, field trip or business lunch, you’ll be right in there.

Step 5 — Be true to yourself.  Trust your own instincts – that’s good advice for real women and cinematic sirens alike.  Coco Channel would surely approve!

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[ Tagged In ] coco chanel, office attire, professional commitment, professional environment, work functions, work tasks, working girl

Feng Shui on your very desk

When Feng Shui came out in the 90s it was a big thing.  Since then it has become a by-word for paying a lot for getting very little.  At relaxedworkplace.com, we asked if there was anything in Feng Shui that could help us out at work and might just give us the edge we need on the phone, in the client project meeting or just getting home on time for once.  We asked health and well-being consultant Samuel Furse to give us his top four tips for Japanese harmony at work.

Tip One – Easy reach. Just like us, the Feng Shui gurus don’t believe in bending over backwards to accomplish simple tasks.  Everyone wants to have enough energy to enjoy life and deliver at work.  So, take a look at your desk.  Is your mouse in a useable place or is it next to a pile of stuff that needs doing but you haven’t got there yet?  If you use the phone a lot, have that in easy reach too.  Phone cables are a fuss, so see if you can get a cordless one.  Check you monitor is at the right height for good posture.  This can only help stop aches and pains creeping in through the day, and let you go home as fresh as when you arrived.

Tip Two – Enough space. Sadly most of us are not blessed with large offices that we can set out just right, but you might be surprised about how your working environment can be altered so that you can have a comfortable space.  Take time to look into space-saving ideas.  These could come under the heading of Health and Safety at work initiatives, so won’t be hard to fund.

Tip three – Air. Getting the air environment just right is difficult in many climates, but we need to battle the elements to keep things consistent and thus maintain client focus, daily output, and project productivity.  Throughout the year the temperature in Britain can change by up to 45-50 °C – and with global warming who knows what’s around the corner for us.  Whatever it is, having systems in place that give you breathable air can only be a plus for managing your objectives.

Tip four – See it coming. If you have a varied work pattern that can change at a moment’s notice, or work for you feels like doing the same thing over and again, remember that you can be ahead of the game too.  Equipment and working practices can fail and change, and if you see this coming, plan and adapt to it.  No one wants a shock to the system, and so if your work station, office, desk or area is as flexible as possible you have a valuable weapon in keeping both yourself happy, as well as your clients, boss and colleagues happy – and you’ll be much more likely to deliver on time.

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[ Tagged In ] air environment, enough space, feng shui, good posture, health and safety, health and safety at work, home on time, posture, project productivity, safety at work, space saving ideas, work initiatives, working environment