Local Business Owner Encourages Employees to Focus on Work-Life Balance
A booming economy means potential employees can be more selective in choosing their workplaces. Studies indicate recent college graduates look as closely at their work environments these days as their salaries and benefits. Businesses that take a fresh approach to the physical office atmosphere will continue to attract the strongest candidates. Recent studies also tout the importance of work-life balance, a combination that leads equally to employee satisfaction and more creative and productive work outcomes. This balance carries into the office, where new furniture designs can lead directly to a healthier work environment. In short, healthy employees are happy employees, leading to fewer office-related injuries and less time off.
From ergonomic chairs to height-adjustable desks, Tri-State Office Furniture remains at the forefront of the reimagined office. Tri-State designers will co-create an environment with tools that illuminate, organize, and facilitate the exact needs of an office environment. The critical office aesthetic travels well beyond the furniture to include floorplans, power sources, even the artwork that adorns the walls. Tri-State buyers are always looking for the most innovative products, many of which are now customized to accommodate the different shapes and heights of employees.
One recent revelation in workplace health is the benefits of using a standing or sit-to-stand desk. A recent “Healthline” newsletter states that “although research is still in early stages, it does appear that using a standing desk can have impressive benefits for health. It may also increase productivity.”
From benefits such as weight loss to lowering blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of heart disease, it appears using a standing desk promotes much better health. Research also indicates that participants “reported up to a 32% improvement in lower back pain after several weeks of using standing desks.” Office managers are taking notice. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, standing desks are the fastest-growing employee benefit in U.S. workplaces.
This report is especially significant given that back pain remains the predominant complaint of most office workers. Not surprisingly, use of the standing desk appears also to improve mood and reduce stress and fatigue. The article concludes, “Reducing sedentary time can improve physical, metabolic and even mental health. This is why sitting less and standing more is such an important lifestyle change.”
The standing desk is just one example of the new paradigm of work-life balance, that our work environment should be an extension of our lifestyle. It’s no surprise that the parallels between reduced stress and greater focus and production are reinforced throughout the healthier office environment. According to a recent Mental Health America (MHA) newsletter, “Over time, stress also weakens our immune systems, and makes us susceptible to a variety of ailments from colds to backaches to heart disease. The newest research shows that chronic stress can actually double our risk of having a heart attack.”
Known stress-reducing accents such as artwork and lighting lead to improved health inside and outside the office. The MHA also encourages us to work efficiently, ask for flexibility, take more frequent, if shorter, breaks, listen to music, and communicate more often and more effectively with co-workers. Office ambience, be it an open floorplan, comfortable meeting areas, or desk arrangements, can all assist in reducing workplace stress.Work-life balance remains an ongoing challenge for many of us, especially in the digital era when access to the office is always one click away. Ed Meyer, owner of Tri-State Office Furniture, believes in the separation of work and home. He encourages his employees to divide their days between 8 hours of work, 8 hours of “play,” and 8 hours of rest. He also insists his employees replace the notion of overtime with family time, a philosophy that has long stood as a core value of the company.
“I’ve worked with Ed for twenty years, and he has always asked about our families and our plans,” says one employee. “As the mother of four biological kids and fostering several other kids over the years, Ed’s commitment to the importance of family has been a comfort to me. I have never been concerned about taking time off from work to deal with family issues, sick children, or their events for that matter.”
Ed remains committed to bringing the latest product offerings that promote work-life balance to clients and to the Tri-State Office Furniture stores themselves. The design department has introduced standing desks in their newly renovated workspace. All of our stores have options of sit-to-stand desks, ergonomic chairs, keyboard trays, and monitor arms, among others, at consistently lower prices than competitors. The sales staff continues to explore the latest studies in open floorplans such as benching to promote “free-flowing interaction and creativity between employees.”
The workplace is finally being treated for what it is, home to a significant portion of our lives and a critical facet of our general lifestyle. While we often focus on the life portion of the work-life balance, Ed Meyer and his colleagues at Tri-State Office Furniture believe equal emphasis should be placed on our workspace. To do so, we must create an environment that is pleasing, reduces stress, and encourages healthy practices like less sitting, more movement, and laughter. Clearly, our lives outside and inside our workplaces will reap the benefits.
As the mother of four biological kids and fostering several other kids over the years, Ed’s commitment to the importance of family has been a comfort to me. I have never been concerned about taking time off from work to deal with family issues, sick children, or their events for that matter
Now Tri-State Office Furniture offers Tri-State Express locations with new grab-and-go furniture options in stock to spruce up your office right away—in all price ranges. “You order, and we’ll deliver your new furniture the next day. It’s one-stop shopping and delivery to make your life easy.”
Coming soon: Tri-State Express locations in Sharon and Waynesburg, PA; Wheeling and Morgantown, WV; Columbus, OH, and Lexington, KY.