Study proves: Working in the Aeris Active Office makes you healthier, more productive and more satisfied
In 2018, the Aeris Active Office was officially launched and received a lot of positive feedback right from the start. As much as we are pleased with the positive feedback on the Aeris Active Office concept and it confirms us in what we are doing, scientific verification is essential. The Aeris Active Office concept is based on a scientific approach and was co-developed, among others, by Dr. Dieter Breithecker, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Working Group for Posture and Movement. However, additional confirmation about the effectiveness of the concept should come from a study. For this reason, Dr. Diana Henz at the Institute for Sports Science of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schöllhorn at the Johannes-Guttenberg University Mainz studied the work in the Aeris Active Office. The study was published in the scientific journal "Frontiers in Human Neuroscience", the world's most cited journal in the field of neuroscience and psychology.
What is the Aeris Active Office concept?
The Aeris Active Office was developed for the ever-changing office and working world. Until now, the office has been dominated by workplaces with rigid office chairs and little movement. Height-adjustable desks are slowly finding their way into everyday office life - but are hardly ever used for a dynamic standing-sitting change. Yet people need movement to stay healthy and not just two different positions for working, sitting or standing. This is a real problem, because studies show that excessive sitting can make you ill and considerably reduce your performance. Aeris Active Office declares war on sitting as a cause of illness and provides the right concept and products to bring more movement into the workplace.
Aeris Active Office envisages a consistent redesign of conventional office spaces. Every desire to achieve a goal, meet a need or fulfil a task must trigger movement. The central element is the electric height-adjustable double desk Aeris Active Office Desk , consisting of two work surfaces. One work surface for sitting, the other at the ideal standing height. This enables a spontaneous and intuitive change of position. The new moving workstation is rounded off with Aeris Muvmat, an active floor mat with 2-zone technology that simulates the structure of a forest floor. The "living inner life" of the Aeris Muvmat causes a randomly controlled activation of the reflex zones and sensors. The result: no "thick" legs from standing on hard floors and a fatigue-free extension of the time that healthy work can be done while standing.
The results of the study
The results of the study confirmed that the Aeris Active Office concept devised by Josef Glöckl has positive physical and psychological effects on users. In all comparative studies, the Aeris Active Office performed significantly better than the conventional office setup consisting of a desk and a conventional office chair (no active seat). The following areas were examined:
- Short-term ability to concentrate
- Long-term ability to concentrate
- Focus on the work
- Attention even during monotonous tasks
- Concentration test
- Stress
- Physical posture
- Alertness level
The result: short-term ability to concentrate
Under time and precision pressure, significantly better performance was observed in the Aeris Active Office than in the conventional office. This means that the test persons were able to show a greater performance volume and made fewer careless mistakes due to the increased concentration. An exciting factor for companies! Fewer mistakes by employees who are quicker to act mean a smoother and thus more efficient working day.
The result: long-term ability to concentrate
Also the long-term Ability to concentrate was greatly improved in the Aeris Active Office. Transferred to the office workday, this means that employees can maintain their sustained attention better than in the conventional office and are thus permanently better focused on their work.
The result: degree of tension when working
During the two-week study, it was found that the subjects showed a higher degree of relaxation. However, this so-called alpha activity not only indicates relaxation, but is also an indicator of creative processes that are more likely to occur in a relaxed state. The increase in alpha activity could be detected over the entire study period during the work processes. Another positive effect from relaxation is the ability to maintain sustained attention. In the conventional office, there were no training effects throughout the study period.
The result: Attention even during monotonous work
In all companies, there are always monotonous tasks that can have a negative impact on the employees' ability to concentrate. In the Aeris Active Office, however, it was observed that the so-called beta activity, a measure of alertness and readiness to concentrate, was increased during the two-week study period, but not in the conventional office. Transferred to working in the office, employees remain alert and ready to react thanks to the movement-promoting Aeris Active Office concept.
The result: concentration test
One of the most remarkable results came from the concentration test. Gamma activity measures the concentration processes taking place in the brain. After the two-week study, a clear training effect was observed when working in the Aeris Active Office. The impressive thing: After just two weeks, both hemispheres of the brain were active as a result of working in the Aeris Active Office. This means that in the Aeris Active Office, the test persons were able to show a better ability to concentrate under great time pressure and high demands, as the brain was in an optimal performance state thanks to the activation of both brain hemispheres. By activating both hemispheres of the brain, creative problem solving becomes possible, which is much less likely to occur in a conventional office. There, only one brain hemisphere is usually active.
The result: stress
The study found that working in the Aeris Active Office, which promotes movement, significantly relieves the cardiovascular system. In the conventional office, on the other hand, the stress level of the test persons was significantly increased. The negative consequences: A high stress level can lead to serious health problems, and stress also has a negative impact on the ability to concentrate and leads to poorer work performance.
The result: muscle tension
Working in the Aeris Active Office proves that movement is the key to good health. Positive effects have been measured in both the shoulder and neck muscles. Stretching the neck muscles not only improves the posture of the head, but also relieves the shoulder muscles, which have to compensate less. In concrete terms, this means less tension in the neck area.
The result: level of alertness
In addition to the measurable positive influences on the brain and body, the level of alertness also improves in the Aeris Active Office. The test persons were 5 times more alert at the end of the study than the test persons in the conventional office. Thanks to the increased level of alertness, people automatically become more satisfied and productive.
Our conclusion
The results show impressively that the Aeris Active Office is the workplace revolution it has wanted to be since its inception. Working in the Aeris Active Office has been proven to have significant positive effects on people's cognitive performance; in particular, activating both sides of the brain is a game changer in ergonomic office design. This is because not only does it increase employee satisfaction, but this additional performance and calling on the full potential of users contributes directly to the success of the company, as employees become more creative and effective in completing tasks. You can read the entire study in the renowned journal "Frontiers in Human Neuroscience".
