The words “beanbag chair” and “office” seem to be an odd pair. Offices are places of work and bean bags are places of relaxation, they couldn’t be more different. So it may come as a surprise to some that adding a bean bag chair to their office can boost employee productivity and creativity.
It is a well-known fact that employee mindset is influenced by their working conditions. A tight cramped furniture situation can leave employees feeling stuck and cramped, mentally and physically. Introducing a bean bag chair is a good way to buck the trend of a stuffy office and increase employee morale. This is evidenced by a growing trend of more informal office designs that trade the rectangular motif of a traditional office for a more fluid, interpersonal, and collaborative space.
For jobs that require creativity and problem-solving, a traditional office environment can mute the senses. Replacing the straight-laced office environment with a more open design and engaging furniture relaxes employees and opens up the mind to get creative juices flowing.
1.Employee comfort
Traditional office chairs are rigid and can cause pain in the legs back and hips after prolonged periods of sitting. Beca bag chairs remove the stiffness from the equation and give workers a comfy throne to sit upon.
Comfy employees are happy employees and happy employees are more productive and report greater personal satisfaction in their work. Productivity can happen spontaneously when employees are given a choice of where to sit. In many ways, the kind of seating reflects the mentality; a hard and rigid surface leads to hard, rigid, and inflexible ideas. A soft supportive surface leads to flexible and fluid ideas.
Ergonomic bean bag chairs can also prevent long term chronic issues that frequently arise in office settings like sciatica and muscle pains. Bean bag chairs can, among other things, correct your sitting posture, take pressure off the spine and hips, and reduce headaches from improper sitting conditions.
2. Saves Money
A big problem small businesses have is managing their budget. Rental space, desks, computer equipment, employee salaries and break room supplies can all be tough to balance on a tight budget. One of the big yet unexpected costs is furniture. Furniture gets the most use out of things in the office and so broken furniture is a common occurrence.
Compared to traditional office furniture, bean bag chairs are much less expensive and are much more durable. Bean bag chairs don’t have any small moving parts and latches so there is less place for them to break. A single bean bag purchase can last you over a year and they do not require any constant maintenance to use, just a periodic washing every week or so. Bean bag chairs are also cheaper when you compare to a Lovesac.
Not to mention, bean bag chairs are generally more eco-friendly than traditional office chairs. The manufacture and sale of office chairs involve a lot of wood and deforestation is a huge ecological issue facing humanity. Bean bag chairs, in contrast, are made out of shredded foams and recycled materials. The production of bean bag chairs does not require any trees.
3. Save Space
Smaller business may frequently find themselves tight on space as well. Fitting all the necessary equipment and employees in the space can be tough, especially if you do not have space-conscious furniture.
A bean bag chair is a great way to minimize clutter and maximize the amount of sitting space you can have. Bean bag chairs do not have to be attached to a desk and can be moved around much more easily than a desk/chair ensemble. Say you need to clear out some space for an event. Chairs are annoying to stack sort and move. Bean bag chairs, in contrast, can just be piled in the corners or stacked on top of each other in a closet. A bean bag focused space can be easily rearranged into an informal circle or small groups for team work.
You don’t really have to worry about damaging bean bag chairs while moving them around either.
4. Multipurpose use
Bean bag chairs are more than just chairs, they can also serve for lounging, lying down, and s a footrest. Bean bag chairs are multipurpose which gives them a leg up over traditional office chairs. The perk of a bean bag chair is that it adds a fun a stylish flair to whatever use you put it towards.
The multiple color options of bean bags also give a nice change in pace from the greys blacks and browns found in traditional office settings. Vibrant colors can stimulate the mind and inspire creative thought so there is a good reason to put some color in your workplace.
5. Gives freedom to employees
Nobody likes being stuck at a desk all day. Sometimes, a thing as simple as moving to a different physical location can help break yourself out of a mental fog and stimulate some productivity. Bean bag chairs let them work at their own pace and quickly get up and change locale if they need some new inspiration. If they are tired of sitting at a chair at their desk, they could instead plop down a bean bag chair and sit away.
One positive effect this has is it lets employees have more of a say in how they conduct affairs in the workplace. They could, for example, have a circle meeting on bean bag chairs instead of meeting in the normal meeting room. Giving employees this freedom increases the dynamism of the workplace and make everything flow more naturally and organically. Humans work more productively when they get some freedom in determining their working conditions and they feel more respected and valued by their employers, which increases employee loyalty.
This fact is especially poignant in our tech inundated world where the pressures of “always-on” work culture can cause employees to feel as if their voice and contributions do not matter. Even something as simple as nonconventional seating arrangements can give a sense of freedom and belonging.
6. Makes Employees More Relaxed
Part of the stress of working in an office is the rigid formality of it all. While formality certainly has its place in the workspace, too much formality can be stifling. Too much formality can adversely affect employees and make them feel on edge and anxious at work. Given the association of an office with “professionalism” it is easy to see why formality is valued so much in traditional office spaces. However, we’d like to point out that there is no law of the universe that says you cannot both be professional and sit in a bean bag chair at the same time.
In this vein, a bean bag focused seating arrangement takes a bit of the edge off overblown expectations of formality and decorum. Ultimately, it gives employees a more comfortable space to be who they are instead of putting on some fake mask for the sake of appearances. It is without a doubt true that feeling more relaxed and natural at work increases productivity and make workers happier in general.
7. Give Your Office a Unique Aesthetic
Part of running a successful business is cultivating a culture and image that captures attention and retains loyalty. In that sense, an office designed around a bean bag seating motif is a great way to distinguish your company culture from others and let everyone know what you are about. The fact of the matter is people feel more comfortable and at ease in informal settings. Bean bag chairs promote this idea of freedom and style that is a nice change of pace from a traditional office design. The unique colors and visual appearance of bean bag chairs will let employees know the exact culture of the workplace and how it perceives itself. Ideally, this is a kind of work culture that will be reflected in the actions and habits of your employees.
8. They Are Super Fun
Come on, have you ever actually sat in a bean bag chair? They are soft, flexible, comfy, and turn any room into a cool lounge space. Big plush bean bag chairs offer a lot of comfort and versatility and are just fun to have. Especially in a place like an office, bean bag chairs provide a nice daily dosage of fun. Employees will appreciate being able to have some fun at work and bean bag chairs are a cheap and easy way to make daily meetings much more entertaining and stimulating.
Conclusions
So, should you get a bean bag chair for the office? Odds are your employees will love it and appreciate the change in pace. Bean bag chairs can help break down walls that are in the way of employee productivity and give them the freedom to work as they see fit. This extra freedom and autonomy in the workplace translate into better productivity and higher reports of employee