CategoriesInterior Working from home

Financing the home office

Graph from Statistics Denmark, which shown the development in working from home (among employed people in Denmark)

There is no doubt that during the Covid-19 pandemic, many people had to swap the big office landscape for the home office. 

In fact, more people are sticking to the home office after the pandemic compared to the period before. Research from Statistics Denmark shows that 10.9% of all employed people in Denmark worked from home more than half of the time in the second quarter of 2022, compared to an average of 7.8% in the year before the outbreak of the coronavirus (see illustration).

The good working environment – at home

As home offices are still widely used, there should be a focus on creating a good working environment when working from home. In fact, in Denmark the workplace is responsible for ensuring that the home office complies with the Working Environment Act if the employee works from home at least one day a week. 

A good home workplace must include elements such as an ergonomic work chair and a height-adjustable desk. Ret&Råd writes that there are three options when it comes to financing;

  1. Company purchase – The employee is provided with office furniture by the company. The employee is not taxed.
  2. Private employee purchase – If the employee wants specific furniture, a financial contribution from the company will be taxable for the employee.
  3. Gross salary scheme – The company purchases furniture at the employee’s request and the purchase is financed by the employee taking a small reduction in salary for a period of time. The monthly cost is deducted from the employee’s salary before tax.

Which considerations have you made regarding the setup of your home office?

The BeneSit chair can be a way to bring more movement into everyday life in the home office. Find out more here.

CategoriesBack pain Design Working from home

A holistic approach and the revolutionary table

A BeneSit chair in size L used at a high kitchen table

Many people might think that a good sitting position requires a good chair. And we don’t disagree with that. But it definitely also requires a good table!

In BeneSit, we are often in dialogue with customers who want to use the BeneSit chair in a work situation. Then we ask about their work setup, as it is important for us to get a holistic picture of what it looks like when they are working. 

Through our collaboration with an occupational therapist, statements from experts and from our own experience, we have found that sitting tall with your knees below hip height and having an open hip is essential for a good posture.

To achieve this good sitting position, many people will find that the usual fixed office desks and dining tables are too low. The height-adjustable desk has made it possible to do personal adjustments and actually made it possible for office workers to choose the right chair for themselves, rather than choosing the right chair for the table.

We therefore always recommend using a height-adjustable desk, but also know that many people don’t have access to it in a home working situation. In this context, we want to inspire you to think a little “out of the box” and raise the computer to the ideal height (for example, by using a thick book or similar) in order to still be able to choose the chair that fits you.

Read more about the BeneSit chair and back pain here.

CategoriesInterior Working from home

A look inside a home office

We have been so lucky to get a look into a customer’s home and home office. She uses the BeneSit chair both in her home office and as a freestanding piece of furniture. The pictures above show how well the chair fits into her beautiful home. 

She says the following about the chair:

“For many years I have had pain in my back. In particular, I tend to ‘slump’ in my upper back when I sit and work. It has become a focal point for me! And I have FINALLY found a chair that can help me.

It is produced in Denmark and assembled by hand by the family owned company BeneSit.

The core of the chair is made of 100% recyclable material and the fabric is Oeko tex certified. It is easy to move as it has a practical leather handle.

But the best thing is that it’s good for my back. I can feel that I straighten my back when I sit on the chair. And it doesn’t matter that it also acts as a sculpture in the room when not in use.”

We love getting these small glimpses into our customers’ lives and homes and hope you do too!
See more of the customer’s beautiful home here and shop your own BeneSit chair here.

CategoriesTips & Tricks Working from home

How to improve your home office experience

BeneSit chair in home office

Some people love having a day at the home office, but not everyone. Are you one of those who find it hard to enjoy a working day from home, or perhaps you’re self-employed and find it hard to create structure in your everyday life?

We’ve been inspired by this article and want to share our variation of some of these tips with you below.

REMEMBER YOUR BODY

In the office, we often have access to a variety of ergonomic furniture – most likely a height-adjustable desk and perhaps an ergonomic computer mouse. Not everyone has this luxury at home, so it may require a little creativity to incorporate good seating positions.

But it’s not necessarily about finding one perfect sitting position – perhaps more about finding many different positions to switch between. Stand at the kitchen table, sit on a balancing chair (such as the BeneSit chair), sit on the floor and lean back on the sofa. After all, the best position is the next position!

UTILIZE THE COMMUTE

One advantage of working from home is that you save time on commuting. Instead, spend it on something that will set the scene for a good day’s work.

Examples include going for a walk, preparing a nice lunch, getting some housework done so you can relax after work or reading a good book.

CREATE A SENSORY ENVIRONMENT

Explore which sensory elements make you feel energised, efficient and in a good mood.

Maybe sitting in front of a window so you can look at the sky, the trees and the people on the street will inspire you? Maybe you work best when you hear music or have “white noise” in the background? Maybe you keep your brain active if you move your body at the same time (e.g. by using the BeneSit chair) or maybe you associate a nice and efficient working day with a good freshly brewed cup of coffee?

Would you try some of these tips to create a better day at the home office?

CategoriesWorking from home

Visiting a BeneSit customer

The customer’s BeneSit chair in his kitchen

Today we will share a little story from a visit to a BeneSit customer. We find it very inspiring to learn how our customers use the BeneSit chair and how they create an active everyday life despite having a sedentary job.

This customer has a strong focus on staying active during the day. In general, his sedentary work contradicts his desire for a playful and active everyday life, but he has developed four different working positions or “strategies” to maintain a healthy and strong body. The customer works as a teacher and the choice of “strategy” depends on the type of work he has to do.

The client uses his spinning bike when his work primarily consists of listening. The bike is stored under the height-adjustable table in the home office for easy access. 

The regular office chair is used when he has student exams. This helps to create a calm and professional atmosphere.

The BeneSit chair is used when the customer works on the computer and during meetings with his colleagues. In these situations, he also switches it up by standing up once in a while.

The customer explains that he is happy to have the BeneSit chair in his everyday home office and even uses it in the kitchen when the working day is over (as shown in the picture).

We hope you found it interesting to hear about this customer’s everyday life and perhaps even got inspired to create a more active everyday life yourself. 
You can read more about the BeneSit chairs here.

CategoriesBack pain Working from home

Ideal table height adjustment

Illustration of correct table height adjustment

We’ve been getting questions lately about how to find the ideal table height. One of the questions came from a customer who had just purchased a BeneSit chair and therefore wanted to adjust the table correctly when using the BeneSit chair.

The Danish Working Environment Authority advises that the table should be adjusted so that the hands are at about elbow height. We can also refer to this video, where physiotherapist Pernille Andersen shares her recommendations for finding the correct table height. She explains that the table should be adjusted so that there is no space under the forearms when using the keyboard or mouse. The arms should be supported by the table and the shoulders should feel relaxed.

The way you set up your desk can vary from person to person, so we can’t provide specific measurements. Please follow the points below and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. You can read more about the BeneSit chair and back pain here.

Summary:

  • Hands should be around elbow height
  • There must be no space under the forearms
  • The arms must be supported by the table
  • The shoulders should feel relaxed

Were you aware of how to adjust up your table in an ideal way?