A new stance on office ergonomics standards

The 2023 version takes into account the profound changes that the service sector has undergone in recent years. It is a reference text that is designed to be easy to apply for all companies concerned.

The widespread adoption of open-plan offices, the digitization of practices, the rise of remote working... In twenty-five years, the traditional office has undergone a profound transformation. This has shaken up organizations that have been in place for decades... Twenty-five years is precisely the age of NF X35-102, the first voluntary standard to define best practices in office ergonomics. The first version was released in 1998, and a 2023 version is now available in the AFNOR collection.

"This text, which was highly innovative at the time, focused primarily on floor space, specifying, for example, the minimum dimensions for a closed office," recalls Jean-François Cholat, head of this standardization committee n – hosted by AFNOR – from 2000 to 2016. But computers were stationary at the time, each employee had their own printer, cell phones did not exist, and the Internet was just beginning to spread its web... And individual offices still reigned supreme, so everything was relatively simple. Since then, the proliferation of open-plan offices has changed the game and forced us to think more deeply about the issue. Another factor in this evolution has been lockdown, which has made teleworking commonplace and removed its exceptional status. In short, the recommendations set out in the 1998 standard were obsolete.

A guide to best practices in layout

The AFNOR commission did not wait for a pandemic to begin reviewing the text. Ergonomists from large corporations, independent consultants, health authorities... For six years, more than 25 participants worked on the new version of the guide. "This delay was not without reason: the members quickly noticed the changes taking place in the early 2000s. But rather than rushing into it, we thought it wise to observe, study, and analyze feedback before embarking on a new version. This was done in order to ensure that it was in line with reality," emphasizes Jean-François Cholat.

This is the guiding principle behind this text: to be sustainable by emphasizing office design. The central point of the standard is to propose a design approach based on the analysis of uses and activities, without providing ready-made technical solutions. It is also based on anthropometry, i.e., the dimensions of the human body, to develop suitable workspaces. Desk and seat height, minimum width and depth of the work surface... The standard describes best practices to be followed, workstation by workstation.

Teleworking objective

Similarly, the characteristics of the physical environment of a model office are carefully described, based on recent international references on the subject: lighting, acoustics, and thermal conditions. "These are also very pragmatic elements, such as calculating clearance areas to ensure that employees are not in the way and are not constantly disturbed by movement behind them," explains Pierre Ottaviani, chair of the standardization committee. Another crucial point is meeting rooms. The standard describes how they should be arranged to offer the best comfort to occupants attending a videoconference: ensuring that each participant is comfortably seated, can see the screen in a suitable position, has their computer within easy reach, etc.

"This voluntary standard is aimed at architects and office designers, as well as health and safety professionals and employee representatives," says Pierre Ottaviani. "It is very accessible, without jargon or overly technical terms, so that people in all types of companies, including SMEs, can use it if they want to redesign or rearrange a space. The aim of the standard is to design and create a comfortable working environment that is suited to the activities and users, and which helps to prevent physical and psychosocial risks. This is essential in terms of productivity, performance, and combating absenteeism! What now? Make way for teleworking! The people behind the new version of NF X35-102 are now working on the rules of the art of remote working ergonomics. You can participate in the work