Why Collaborative Ergonomics Will Work for Your Office

Collaborative Ergonomics may sound like a complicated design process for your office, but it doesn’t need to be. Collaboration needs to be at the core of every company; a healthy company breathes it because they know it’s critical for growth.

Ergonomics is both a science and an art. It’s easy to build a desk that’s ergonomically sound, but building an ergonomic desk that supports teamwork and fits your office’s aesthetic is a challenge.

At Omnirax, we’ve found that intersection of science and art. We believe that you can build an office that positively benefits you, your team, and visitors. We can blend your office’s aesthetics with the ergonomic design that maximized healthy productivity in your team, which translates into more sales and more tasks completed.

Collaborative Ergonomics Benefits Both Your Team and Your Space

Collaborative Ergonomics is a way to work that is functional, practical, and health-conscious. Your office can either help bring your company together and boost productivity, or it can inhibit it. We believe that Collaborative Ergonomics can help companies of all sizes build a team that’s healthy and productive.

Your company’s office furniture can be both ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing.

“We believe in blending science and art to create an entirely new concept for office furniture,” explains Philip Zittell, President of Omnirax.

Listening to companies and their needs has helped us improve many offices over the years.

Adaptation is key. Our design isn’t successful unless it adapts to the user. This means office desks need to be ergonomically efficient. The desk is the centerpiece, and cabinets are built around it to add storage without ruining the ergonomic function. Sit in the cockpit of efficiency where everything you need is within arms reach and just a chair swivel away.

Every company needs a space that promotes collaboration, regardless of the product or service you sell. When collaboration is at your core, you will be able to grow as a company and better serve your customers.

Ergonomic Workstations Reduce Physical Strain

Ergonomic workstations are critical to reducing strain on employees, and encompasses the following factors:

• Everything within easy reach
• Height adjustability
• Desktops organized into work zones

When everything the user needs is within reach, they will not need to strain and risk repetitive use injuries. Height adjustability means the same desk design can be used for different people, regardless of height differences. Rethinking the typical rectangular desk design means you can better utilize the space.

Desktop organization is where we really excel: all equipment and materials should be organized into zones. These zones are: repetitive/primary, occasional/secondary, and seldom/tertiary. When the desk and the work is broken into these zones, you’re supporting improved focus for enhanced productivity.

The shape of our WeDesk workstations allow users to organize their desktops for maximum productivity and comfort. These workstations are more than a desk. It’s a blend of science and art that creates a human-centered workplace.

Practical Applications of Collaborative Ergonomics in Your Company

There are four ways that Collaborative Ergonomics can help your company:

• Expanding
• Densifying
• Contracting
• Beautifying 

Expanding Your Office with Collaborative Ergonomics

If you’re moving into a larger office, it can be easy to think about all the new space you’ll have to work with. While this is true, it’s important to plan how you’ll expand within the space from the start. How will your desk clusters evolve as your company grows?

One of the benefits of expanding your office is space for larger workstations for certain teams. For those who need additional monitors or flat space, you can design an ergonomic desk that fits both their needs and yours. This includes engineers, designers, and anyone with more than one computer monitor.

There are more than just desk needs in a new office. Designing conference rooms, breakrooms, and reception areas are just as important. Conference rooms often need a plethora of outlets, USB ports, and TV connectivity, making it a critical part of the design process. We can build this into conference tables to increase access and reduce the headache of presenting during meetings.

Densifying Your Office with Collaborative Ergonomics

Another ideal time for Collaborative Ergonomics is during times of densifying. This often happens during periods of growth within a company, when more people need to fit in the same space. If it’s not feasible to expand your office, then it’s time to get creative with your office configuration.

You want every employee to still have the space and tools they need to do their job, but you also don’t want wasted space. This is where Collaborative Ergonomics shines.

Our WeDesk line is built to fit together, for both open and private offices. An open office doesn’t need to be rows of cubicles taking up too much space. Instead, the WeDesk line allows enhanced collaboration and premier ergonomics.

Each cluster consists of organic shapes that create a natural flow which situates users and guests in positions that enhance social and technological interactions. This is ideal for both quick meetings and when they need to collaborate on a project. Each is comfortable in their space, without physical strain.

Contracting Your Space with Collaborative Ergonomics

Contracting your space could mean you’re downsizing to a different office. Similar to densifying, you’re trying to fit more people in a confined space. This can cause flow problems, especially if walkways are made smaller to accommodate more desks.

In these situations, it’s important to think outside the traditional realm of office furniture. When there are defined limits, like square footage, you can use the concepts of Collaborative Ergonomics to achieve a contracted space without making your employees suffer.

In many floorplans the unique flow of the WeDesk workstations allows a greater number of desks to fit in the same size space.

As you can see in the above illustrations, the unique design of the WeDesk (right) allows for greater functional workspace while also increasing the number of desks and collaborative space. The traditional cubicle layout fits 15 desks, but with the Omnirax WeDesk you can fit 19.

We believe in working within your defined limits so you can achieve a collaborative and productive environment, even if your office is contracted.

Beautifying Your Space with Collaborative Ergonomics

When looking to redesign your office, there are the usual suspects: wall color, design, and décor. But what if you could use your office furniture to further the beautification of the space? Our products are more than furniture; it’s a way to bring your design aesthetic and company brand fully into your space.

Our custom designed and semi-custom designed workstations can be modified to fit your design aesthetic. This creates a cohesive space that your employees will enjoy working in and that guests will remark on.

Another time when we beautify a space is when a company is moving into a new office. We worked with a law firm to create an aesthetically cohesive office in Berkeley, using the existing building’s industrial aesthetic as the foundation.

A Collaborative Ergonomics Case Study: RSHS LLP Public Law Group of San Francisco

When Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP Public Law Group of San Francisco came to us looking for office furniture that would fit their needs, we knew we could showcase their space while also keeping it conducive to work.

They needed aesthetically pleasing and functional furniture for their new satellite office in Berkeley, CA. We worked with them to create a space that works for them while also emphasizing Collaborative Ergonomics for a healthy and productive environment.

“We wanted the furniture to match the building aesthetic (modern, industrial) and we wanted the desks to be height-adjustable,” said Administrative Manager Ernestine Tayabas-Kim.

We visited the space so we could see their needs in person, giving us better insight before designing.

We produced the following products for their office:

• Desks and credenzas for 14 offices and two work stations
• Dual Reception desk with two height adjustable work stations
• Conference tables for two conference rooms and open space area
• Bookcase/storage unit

Working with Erni and Public Law Group gave us the opportunity to enhance the industrial aesthetic of the space while ensuring their team had the tools they needed.

You want your office to look cohesive. We can help you achieve that goal with production line and/or custom-designed office furniture built for your needs.

Collaborative Ergonomics in Private Offices

While many of the benefits of Collaborative Ergonomics can be seen in an open office setting, there are also benefits for private offices. The organic shapes found in the WeDesk line create a natural flow for both users and guests. Their spacing around the desk enhances social and technological interactions, all while sitting comfortably.

Centered on a computer screen or presentation area, there can be up to four or five desk chairs situated around the WeDesk, giving it conference table capabilities. This is ideal for team meetings, where multiple people need to gather around a central area.

These private office desks also feature height-adjustability, return storage, and accessories like monitor arms, additional lighting, and more.

Our goal with Collaborative Crgonomics in private offices is to create a productive, healthy space for your team to work while maintaining the beauty and ease of the open office model.

Collaboration at its finest, for whatever the day brings you.

A Collaborative Ergonomics Case Study: Golden Gate Meat Company

While we got our start building ergonomic Technical and Broadcast studio furniture, we’ve since taken what we’ve learned and transformed the typical office furniture style into one that truly benefits your team and your office.

While weighing their options, Golden Gate Meat Company knew that their new office furniture needed to benefit their employees, because it would directly impact their work.

We worked with them to create a personalized office environment that included electronically height-adjustable desks. This offered each employee an ergonomic workstation regardless of height and preference for standing or sitting.

Their finished office included:

• A reception desk custom-designed with a rounded counter.
• A conference room with back cabinets and a custom table featuring electrical outlets and USB ports built into the desktop.
• A private office with two interlocking height adjustable desks featuring Corian solid-surface tops flanked by matching storage cabinetry with filing and drawer spaces.
• Four separate accounting desks designed to fit into two spaces.
• A complete office for the sales staff.

We realize that our approach to ergonomic office furniture is unique, so we invited the executive team in to see a few options in person.

This allowed the team to interact with the desks and see how they impact an employee’s productivity. This solidified their choice to embrace Collaborative Ergonomics, and they are thrilled with the result.

“We looked at other furniture companies, however after visiting the Omnirax facility and viewing a law firm in Berkeley that Omnirax had designed and constructed, I was very impressed and loved the design,” explained Patti Offenbach, Vice President of Golden Gate Meat Company.

Is Your Company Right for Collaborative Ergonomics?

While we believe Collaborative Ergonomics can (and does) help a variety of companies, it’s not for everyone. Companies of all sizes can benefit, but it takes a leadership team ready to try something different for it to truly succeed.

We created the category of Collaborative Ergonomics in order to bring something different to companies looking to expand, densify, contract, or beautify. The right-brained mavericks, as we like to call them, helped refine our process so we could continue to grow and evolve to help companies like yours.

Whether you’re looking for a reception desk, clusters for your customer experience team, workstations for your engineers and designers, or private office furniture, our line of ergonomic office furniture can help you achieve a happy, healthy, productive office.

Collaborative Ergonomics is founded in science and art. Regardless of industry, your company needs collaboration to grow. Standard rectilinear desks inhibit collaboration, and they often lack ergonomic design. To maximize productivity and improve your employees’ health, consider bringing Collaborative Ergonomics into your office.

We’ll work with your space, budget, and individual needs to build out a floor plan for your situation. Whether expanding, densifying, contracting, or beautifying (or a combination thereof), we have the products to help you achieve your goals.

Our knowledgeable and friendly Omnirax staff will collaborate with you to bring ergonomics, functionality, and space-saving into a single design. For a personal consultation, call us at (800) 332-3393. We would be thrilled to help you redesign your office into a collaborative and ergonomic space your entire company will enjoy.