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Month: October 2021

The Wrong Trousers? How clothing affects ergonomics for office workers

Posted on by aleks

Our serviced offices in Manchester and London are designed to be as comfortable as possible, with ergonomic furniture, relaxation rooms and plenty of different areas for informal conversation and collaboration.

So we’re always interested to learn of possible causes of discomfort in office environments, and ways to overcome them.

One potential pitfall for office workers is the problem of wearing the wrong trousers, which was the focus of research published in the academic journal Procedia Manufacturing 3 and carried out by a team from the University of Minho in Portugal and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

What’s the problem?

The researchers posed a problem for office attire: “A growing number of jobs require workers to sit. Most clothes, except those intended for wheelchair users, were designed for walking or the standing position.

“Clothing designs should be user-oriented and meet users’ needs. Garment design should conform to body position and posture, not just shape and size.”

They proposed that because trousers are designed for standing and walking, they can cause multiple problems once the wearer sits down:

  • Overlapping fabric
  • Uncomfortable seams
  • Pressure exerted by accessories

All of these combine to create compression forces, poor circulation and may lead to thermal discomfort as well.

What’s the solution?

The team suggested trousers designed for the seated position, allowing for a rise at the back and a decrease at the front, adapting to the change in leg length and avoiding seams across the buttocks and lower back.

In the study, they tested regular jeans against FYT jeans, which have four adaptations in a seated position:

  • Less bunched-up fabric behind the knees
  • Hidden elastic in the waistband
  • No patch pockets on the back (to reduce uncomfortable seams)
  • Hidden zipper to increase inseam length in crotch area

The study found significant reductions in compression forces in each area, including over 75% on the back of the knee and 65% on the front of the knee, 55% less compression on the crotch and nearly 90% less on the waist.

What does this mean?

Whether you wear formal office attire or more casual clothes to work, it’s worth considering the seated position when trying on new clothes to see how well they fit.

There are plenty of ways to get a more comfortable fit, ranging from stretch denim jeans, to hidden elastic in the waistbands of smart trousers – there’s something for every dress code.

Even on a very basic level, this research helps to validate the decision to loosen your belt a notch after a particularly large lunch.

Ultimately it’s all about feeling comfortable at work, which in turn can naturally help you to be more productive over the course of a long day sat at your desk.

With the ergonomic furniture in our serviced offices in London and Manchester, you’re off to a good start – and if you ever need to stretch your legs, our kitchen areas, relaxation rooms and scenic surroundings all give you somewhere to go when you need to stand up for a while.

Caveman Comforts: Modern serviced offices meet ancient instincts

Posted on by aleks

When you walk into our modern serviced offices in London and Manchester, our recently opened Millharbour Court Business Centre in Canary Wharf, or our upcoming serviced offices in Telford’s Central Park, you probably won’t see much that reminds you of a Stone Age cave.

However, contemporary office spaces have more in common with cave dwellers’ first work spaces than you might imagine – and certainly much more than the cubicle offices of the late 20th century.

This is the conclusion drawn in a study published in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Environment (Volume 14, Issue 2) which looks at office buildings throughout the centuries and into the 21st century.

The earliest offices

In the article, the authors suggest that the earliest designated workplaces would have been areas of caves that were reserved for “productive action”.

They explain: “There must have been areas in the prehistoric caves and alcoves where man instinctively situated his tools and craft bench and proceeded to craft his tools and weapons, making that part of his living space a workplace.”

Once the first languages were created, they suggest that this early ‘workshop’ would have evolved to become the first ‘office’.

Evolution of open-plan

Open-plan offices might seem like a modern invention too, but they date back to the Mediaeval guildhalls, when guildsmen realised it was more efficient to share their workspaces.

Common rooms for 10-20 workers made better use of space, time and cost, as well as accommodating workbenches and tools more effectively.

Over time, this led to the creation of ‘Uffizi’, workplaces defined by linear corridors flanked by rooms, which would have been occupied by bankers and entrepreneurs.

All of this took place in the first half of the 2nd millennium, with Uffizi from the 1500s having a floor plan very similar to modern serviced offices.

Offices in the UK

It was not until the 1700s that the first custom-built offices in London opened, at the Old Admiralty (Ripley Building) constructed in 1726.

Meanwhile in the USA, the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 raised questions about fireproof construction – which paved the way for concrete and steel construction.

This enabled even more open-plan offices with glass facades, creating uninterrupted outward views from the interior, something the Renaissance Uffizi had aimed to achieve.

Despite the cubicle-based office layouts of the late 20th century, over the centuries open-plan has always been the ultimate goal, and modern serviced offices deliver on that ambition.

Back to the cave

All of this means that when you rent open-plan office space, you are giving yourself and your workforce an area that caters to some of our earliest instincts as a ‘working’ species.

Prehistoric man recognised the value of having a separate, designated workplace, sensibly arranged and organised for peak productivity and maximum efficiency.

Many centuries later, our serviced offices in Manchester and London continue that trend with contemporary interiors and intuitive layouts.

As we look to the future with our new serviced offices in Telford at St James’ House, our biggest development yet, we can only wonder what the workplace will look like in the years, decades and centuries ahead.