Majority of Office Workers Say Furniture Affects How They Do Their Jobs

Nov. 24, 2003
A survey of 1,200 office workers in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., found that the majority of respondents believe their work is hard, and 70 percent say their office furniture affects how easy or hard it is to do their jobs.

More than half (64 percent) have their own office or cube and 92 percent prefer practical over trendy office furniture. In fact, 55 percent would sacrifice a day off if they could have practical office furniture all year long. Twenty-five percent of office workers in the three cities describe their office furniture as new and 40 percent sit and work in older office furniture.

Four in 10 say their desk influences their productivity and more than a third say their chair affects their stress level every day. Nearly 70 percent have received a new office chair in the past five years.

"We've always known that practical and professional office furniture makes a big difference in the day-to-day lives of workers," said Jeff Jollay, vice president of Marketing for The HON Co., which sponsored the study. "This proves that selecting the right chair with the proper back height, adjustability and support features, is of the utmost importance to help lessen workday stress."

The survey found that:

  • 32 percent of office workers say they are truly productive 4 - 5 hours a day; 49 percent say they're productive 6 - 7 hours a day.
  • 38 percent say their desk most influences their productivity every day, and 28 percent say it's their chair
  • 26 percent would upgrade their furniture by having it more ergonomically designed; 19 percent would replace their chairs.
About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

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