Benefits of Standing Up and Working on Electronic Desks

Who says you have to sit all day?

Kalexiko have invested in new electronic  stand-up desks for the team. A positive change in our studio we never envisaged and now it’s a topic we keep running into, we’re coming face to face with ‘stand-up working’ everywhere in newspapers and even by snapchat users; we’re sure you’ll start to hear about it too.

It’s certainly going to turn viral over 2017 and beyond- inevitably a trending ‘health topic’ of the year. Soon office workers will be able to have a new say on how they perform at their best – sitting or standing? For this change, key corporate decision makers and risk assessment managers and influencers will be working long hours to redesign their health and safety strategies to implement these changes and change employees’ mindsets.

Office workers have been brought up in an era where sitting at a desk is acceptably correct. Symbolising the act of being at work, sitting is the perk of being employed by an organisation. Standing at the desk on the other hand, is interpreted as getting ready to go, leaving for a meeting or ravished for your lunch break.

New Research Is Changing Everything

Workplace risk assessments ensure staff have a comfortable seat, ergonomically suitable with an available foot rest. The chair height should be reasonably adjusted for an eye level optimum to the top of the visual screen. Workstation risk assessments promoting stand up working are rare. Instead, we passively accept the sitting mode of 7.5 hours a day before disembarking on a 45 minute return train commute, followed by copious catch ups of Netflix before midnight.

New research is changing everything. Studies are proving that long periods of sitting is bad for your health and that office workers need to change their way of working to improve their long term health.

health and that office workers need to change their way of working to improve their long term health.

Sitting. Sitting. More sitting.

Have we tested productivity for sitting versus standing? Studies have shown, in the long run, productivity can only be boosted because it defeats the sluggish mode we fall into when we sit. By the way, typing whilst standing has no impact on your wpm score (words per minute) or accuracy; see for yourself.

Our brains are so engaged in perceiving the sitting mode as normal, we ignore any detrimental effect it has on the body. The term ‘standing up’ will certainly become increasingly common; news articles are already surging on this topic and people are talking about their experiences on snapchat and social media. As awareness continues around this topic, perhaps schools will start introducing more stand up lessons for students. A controversial idea, which may undermine the discipline of some children who are better behaved whilst seated!

Smarter working has taken our offices to new heights; employees don’t own a specific desk (the idea of hot desking) and now they have the option to stand and complete their workload too. Some offices come equipped with tall desks designed for mobile workers who want a quick catch-up of emails before venturing out again.

Are you sitting for 60% of your waking hours? Then you could be at risk of forming heart disease, weight gain and Type 2 diabetes. If you’re an owner of an apple watch or fitbit gadget then you’ll already be receiving constant reminders to stand up and move around. These smart gadgets monitor lengthy sitting periods. Sitting opposes all forms of exercise because your muscles are in a state of inactivity, whereas standing prompts you to change position, to turn around and walk a few steps.

Welcome To The Standing Desk

The standing desk is not for everyone. It requires a change in mindset and some individuals will adapt to it instantly. Others will feel like they have to be somewhere, as the position of standing often implies. Studies have shown this type of working could help you live longer, by reducing all the health issues mentioned above.

You don’t need to dive completely into the standing mode, make it a slow transition to allow your body to cope with the gradual change in work mode.

Simple steps to wean your way into the standing mode, and notice an increase in energy levels, include:

• Walk to talk to colleagues as an alternative to making phone calls.
• Use stairs not lifts
• Stand up to make a phone call
• Stand for 15 minutes before sitting again and slowly increase the time each day

Once your mindset slowly accepts stand up working, sitting will no longer be the default option.

Reducing your sitting time by 3 hours could increase your life expectancy by 2 years. If you suffer from back pain, then standing will definitely benefit your health and posture. Take a sitting break if your legs get tired, but then get back up again.

The desk is commonly seen in computer laboratories, where technicians will briefly monitor servers and can be easily adjustable to benefit your sitting modes too. Alternatively, tall chairs, similar to the type seen at a breakfast bar, can accommodate sitting times.

Treadmill workstations are the modern roll out of working while you work out. Yes, a workstation desk at standing level whilst you walk on a treadmill. Burning off even more calories than standing.