Office chairs have changed dramatically in the last 40 years. Traditionally chairs were often assigned to people according to their status or the role they were performing in the business. There was little thought for ergonomic office design and rarely any adjustment options to suit the different sizes or heights of users.
A typical manager’s chair A typical typist’s chair
In today’s workplace, providing the right comfort and support to staff no matter the task or type of work, is crucial and there are numerous options on the market. Businesses now see the value in investing in better quality chairs as they understand more about the importance of good posture, support and movement and the impact on a worker’s productivity.
Not all chairs are made the same though.
The Gesture chair is a pioneering chair, inspired by the human body, and the first of its kind designed to support our interactions with today’s technologies.
The Gesture Chair was created after a posture study analysed 2000 people across 11 countries, observing participants in a wide range of postures. US manufacturer Steelcase discovered that new technologies, combined with new behaviours, led to nine new postures that were not adequately addressed by existing seating solutions.
Here are the nine postures identified by Steelcase’s global posture study:
Today’s global workforce is incredibly diverse, with a wide range of shapes and sizes. Each individual has their own sitting preference, but some of these sitting positions can be harmful.
People spend just as much time at their desks as in collaborative spaces and it is not unusual to share desk and chair space. This presents the problem of custom-made seating based on one individual’s preferred sitting position compared to another’s. Both users may be switching chairs day-to-day.
Steelcase used the research to create The Gesture Chair – a fully adjustable chair that focuses on people first; a chair that mimics the movement of the human body and creates a seamless interface between itself and its user.
View a video of the chair in action here.
Come and see our Gesture Chair in one of our showrooms or contact us for more info on 0151 737 5000.