Kinnarps brings holistic ergonomics to the workplace

After our involuntary stretch out-of-office, we have a new understanding of what the workplace offers in terms of social engagement and shared purpose. For all our new familiarity with video conferencing, true collaboration, creativity and innovation happen when we are in the same place at the same time. In professional terms, the office is still where the magic happens. And after months of struggling to work on sofas, at kitchen tables or cramped home offices, long hours bent and twisted out of shape, we also understand the importance of the physical working environment.

As we return to the workplace and new routines are established, it is with a heightened sense of the value of those spaces, new insight into what they offer in terms of physical, organisational and social support. But we also return to the office with new expectations. We expect more.

Founded in the Swedish town of Kinnarp in 1942, Kinnarps designs furniture and interior design solutions for the office, education and care sectors and is one of Europe's major players, selling to over 40 countries. It has spent eight decades thinking about and redefining the ergonomics of the workplace. And it understands that there is now a real opportunity to re-imagine and re-engineer the office as a healthier and more supportive place to be. It is calling this new 360 degree-take on the working environment ‘holistic ergonomics’, built on an understanding that our experience of the workplace is multi-sensory, emotional and psychological as well as physical.

Kinnarps argues that we should think not just of fixtures and fittings but the complete experience of the modern office, not of isolated elements but of a larger system. It thinks of them as instruments in an orchestra, tuneful enough played solo but capable of a symphonic embrace when carefully orchestrated.

Kinnarps suggests that furniture and technology (and that will play an even more central role in our working lives), layout, air, temperature, light, colour, materials, sound and movement should all be considered as interconnected – a fluid eco-system engineered to work and grow in sympathy and towards a common goal. Our work environments, Kinnarps says, have a duty of care. They should shape themselves around the human body, learn from physiology, anthropometrics and biomechanics. They should have a kind of collective consciousness, aware of their impact on muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves.

But, as Kinnarps points out, being issued the most comfortable office chair yet devised doesn't count for much if the organisational and social aspects of working life are not taken into consideration. Holistic ergonomics then includes creating a culture that values inclusivity and sustainability, that makes you feel safe and valued, that offers leadership and engages, energises and inspires with a sense of mission and accomplishment. Holistic ergonomics considers the organisational and social mechanics of a healthy workplace too, providing the space for you to reach your fullest potential. And as with any orchestra or rock band, holistic ergonomics only works if you commit to playing the same tune.

Kinnarps insists that holistic ergonomics is the ultimate win-win, increasing wellbeing which, in turn, leads to higher efficiency, creativity and productivity. Put simply, discomfort is distracting and leads to mistakes and inefficiency. A happy, harmonious, flexible and well-functioning workplace decreases stress and anxiety and ultimately reduces sick leave. Holistic ergonomics boosts morale and increases ambition, output, and a sense of common purpose, especially if you involve your team in workplace design.

Only by empowering teams to help create their workplaces can companies fully understand how people, product and purpose align, how creativity and collaboration happen – and how the best music gets made.

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