A manual operating element for operating an electrically adjustable piece of furniture includes a handle body comprising a mounting body, a handle section connected to the mounting body and an elastic member operatively connected to the handle section. The mounting body is adapted to be attached to a component of the piece of furniture. The handle section is adapted for gripping by a user. A force sensor is operatively connected to the elastic member and serves to detect a directional force value corresponding to a force applied to the handle section. A touch sensor is used to detect a touch value as a function of the user touching the handle section. A communication unit is arranged to transmit the force value and the touch value or a signal derived from the force value and the touch value to a controller of the piece of furniture.