Oh so many years ago I worked at what was then the brand new headquarters for Haworth. Pretty sweet. The building was actually a living, breathing showcase for the product they manufactured – office interior systems. So naturally everyone had pretty nice offices.
That was when ergonomics was becoming a buzzword in the industry. So there was a lot of focus on the person’s physical relationships within their office space. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I do now.
At the entrance to the facility was a large atrium filled with plants and trees. The atrium reached up the entire three floors, and there was a glass-surround elevator to ride through the space.
I wrote an article about the new facility that appeared in a glossy trade magazine with a number of pictures. It really was a pretty awesome place to work.
A few years ago, Haworth did a major renovation and expansion on the place and it looks like the new, environmentally sustainable facility is awesome. Its award-winning architectural design leaves it awash with natural light and covered by an epic green roof. And it really was already way cool when I worked there way back when.
Anyway, it’s the ergonomics thing I woke up thinking about. That’s because night after night I deal with soreness in my arm and shoulder, and I know why. Because if there was ever a situation that constituted an ergonomics fail, it’s in my office. My old Haworth engineers would be utterly shocked.
I don’t notice it so much while I’m actually working because I’m so used to it. But the pain and soreness remind me later. I need to check out some kind of physical therapy to counter it.
A lot has happened since my old Haworth days. I remember late one night, alone in the Haworth parking lot after working long, being stuck going around in circles in my old Toyota after the clutch went out. I cried.
Or how about the time, also late at night, sitting in my office wondering if I would have to sleep there because I didn’t have enough money for gas. It’s not that they didn’t pay me well enough, I was just getting on my feet as an adult, oh, and I was going to college for my next degree at night. If you have to sleep in your office, I think a Haworth office is a good place for that.
My office was so nice, in fact, that it, or parts of it, appeared in several ads at the time. And really, it was just a regular office in the headquarters.
That was then. I wouldn’t dream of sleeping in my office now. I don’t think it’s actually even possible, not to mention it’s just sort of a disturbing concept.
Anyway, I’ve got to go google physical therapy exercises for my ergonomics problem.
Oh, forgot to mention. The night I didn’t have money for gas, I dejectedly called a friend of mine. And that wonderful person told me to look in my wallet. Again. Turns out said friend at some point unbeknownst to me had stuck a $10 bill in the hidden part of the wallet, and I never knew it was there until then. “Mad money,” he said. “In case you ever get mad, and you want to leave.”
Christmas Eve. For many years now, the tradition in my family has been to spend it together at the home of my parents. We make the trek from our respective locations to share that day together – the kids, grandkids. It’s a beautiful thing. 
