Many Causes To Pick Office Furniture

By Caroline Newmann


Prior to the invention of the printing press, literature had to be copied and written by hand. This was often carried out by Monks, seated at office furniture. It is not a far stretch for the imagination to see these as early offices and clerical staff. Back then the emphasis was on practicality, and not the comfort of the worker. Unlike the comfortable, environment that an employee would find them self in today.

For the modern work area, probably the most important innovations have come about with the development of desks and chairs. Even before the start of the 20th Century changes in furniture have proved to be popular exhibits at Expositions and trade fairs. In the Centennial Exposition of 1876, fancy roll top desks were exhibited.

Desk design drastically changed with the invention of the typewriter. Roll top desks were all well and good for hand written ledgers and dockets, but proved impractical for the placement of a typewriter. By the start of the 20th Century, over 90,000 people were working in the United States as clerical workers and typists.

The working life for the white collar worker was becoming quite arduous. They found themselves working 6 days a week, and this could include 10 hour days. More establishments sprang up, offering specialized training for those who wanted to become clerical staff.

To ease the strain on the worker, and the growing number of tasks that they were expected to perform the field of Ergonomics came into being. This basically means, the more comfortable an individual is and the more accessible items are, then the easier a task becomes. This field has had a huge impact, on furniture design in recent years.

One person who helped with the redesign of the office chair was Charles Darwin. He came up with the idea of putting wheels onto the legs of his chair, and so enabling him to travel around his study with ease. Chairs continued their evolution, but with the comfort of the individual in mind. With a swivel seat and on castors a clerical worker could gain access to all areas of their allotted work area while remaining seated. This led to an increase in productivity and efficiency.

These early chairs were similar to their modern counterparts. This office furniture was partially adjustable to enable the occupant to sit comfortable for long periods of time, thus increasing productivity. Nowadays, office chairs often have adjustable seats, backs, arm rests and seat heights. This helps to prevent repetitive strain injuries.




About the Author: