free-2-move   Opportunities for new e ­ rgonomics in digitalised ­office

Fresh approaches to new office environments In view of the competition for skilled and talented people, longer working lives and increasing problems with health, virtually all industries and organisations are facing new challenges and issues when designing workspaces. How can design boost a company’s appeal and increase employee loyalty and motivation? How can it encourage communication, collaboration and learning? And how does it keep the workforce as healthy and productive as possible until people retire? The answers lie in a complete rethink of virtually all office processes customary to date....

Digitalisation as an innovation driver Change Multi Space Globalisation Smart Factory Touchdown Community Culture of mistakes Hot desking Open Space Knowledge workers Stimulation Activity-based working Universal Design Smart Office Innovation Co-working Scram Design Thinking Work-Life-Balance Change in values Digitalisation Algorithms Competition for talent Lack of skilled workers Mobile Working Networking Immersive Technologies Variety Hotelling Connectivity Cloud Desk sharing SocialMedia Collaboration Self-organisation Non‑territorial working Home Zone Neighbourhood Focused working styles Multi-gerneration...

The background: body and mind caught b ­ etween the Stone Age and high-tech era Because technological progress occurs while we’re sitting... Although crouching, standing, running or lying down is part of our DNA, sitting has become second nature to us. We think it’s natural to sit down in private or public anytime and anywhere – whether at home or at work. Even travelling about by bus, train, plane or car involves taking a seat. It’s clear that comfort and convenience are key drivers of technological growth. Because the history of mankind’s struggle to survive has anchored the principle of saving...

...our muscles, our body’s metabolic powerhouse, are struggling and our ability to cope with stress dropping. Musculoskeletal complaints are the number one cause of days lost to sickness. According to the German healthcare insurer DAK’s 2018 health report, 75% of all employees have backache at least once a year and one in seven has already been suffering from it for three months or more. It’s quite obvious that our bodies aren’t adequately stimulated at work or during our spare time to keep them healthy. Renowned health and sports scientists like Professor Ingo Froböse from the German Sport University...

Whether people are young or old, tall or short, weigh a little more or less, everyone wants to relax by sitting down – whenever, wherever and however possible.

New ergonomics: sitting as we want to and can From posture-based to movement-based approaches What does all this mean for sitting? Just under 40 years ago, we cultivated dynamic sitting with the legendary FS-Line office chair range that’s still popular today. For many years now, ergonomists have agreed that the best posture to adopt while sitting is always the next one. At the same time, the idea of the “correct” sitting posture is still being propagated and encountered in office chair classifications. The more the better seems to be the motto with numerous adjustment options available and marketing...

free-2-move: freedom to move in digital office workspaces The brief: to teach seating to walk There’s one thing that physiotherapists, ergonomists and orthopaedists agree on: our bodies are primarily designed for walking. Which is why our joints, muscles and metabolism need as frequent and varied a range of motion as possible. These movements start in our hips, the body’s powerhouse. The previous concepts for dynamic sitting reflected these aspects unsatisfactorily. Bending and stretching our torso is much better than no movement at all, but it still means we don’t make any vital movements such...

The solution: the free-2-move concept of sitting kinematics powered by Trimension® In conjunction with researchers at the German Sport University Cologne, we developed our patented Trimension®, which has now had an excellent track record and been in use over 500,000 times for almost ten years. Due to the pivotal points for the hip joints and the sliding joints near the knees, it mobilises the natural flexibility of the hips, stimulates muscles deep in the back and activates large muscle loops from the joints in the feet to the shoulders. This perfectly coordinated movement concept ensures fluid...

free-2-move powered by Trimension®: a healthier, more effective solution Borne out by three scientific studies The renowned Centre for Health at the German Sport University Cologne didn’t just monitor and verify the concept surrounding Trimension®, but also its impact on the body. The researchers presented the latest of three studies at the 21st Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference 2018 in Atlanta, which is organised by GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics. All studies prove that free-2-move, powered by Trimension®, is a concept that’s healthy, mirrors our bodies’ movements, encourages...

A New Approach to Ergonomics in the Office lab study It looked at how the concept correlated with our bodies, the biomechanical impact and the subjective feeling of comfort that Trimension® provides in the ON® office chair. Results: • Pressure is distributed evenly while people are sitting and is perceived to be very comfortable. • By flexing, extending, flexing sideways and rotating the pelvis, Trimension® stimulates the body to engage in a range of natural movements where the head, shoulder and pelvis form a functioning unit when moving with the chair. • In addition to the large muscle loops,...

Comparative field study: Three-dimensional Dynamic Seating for More Efficient Office Work The researchers then investigated whether, alongside well-being, this sitting concept while using ON® also boosted people’s performance. The study was carried out with 80 test persons in an insurance company’s office complex over a period of 12 weeks. Recognised, standard tests and questionnaires were used to identify powers of concentration. Results: • Compared with the control group, the powers of concentration among the free-2-move group had improved significantly where all metrics are concerned after...