What if there was a simple way to significantly increase your office productivity by just changing one work tool and habit? Well, the great news is that you can easily achieve that through the use of standing desks for office!
We all know that a sedentary lifestyle, which includes sitting for a long time at work, is accompanied by various health risks and physical pain. This is why more and more well-known companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google are now transforming their work areas by adding standing desks to their advantage.
For the last five years, there has been an increase of 30% with employers who are offering standing desks for their employees. If you want to know why and what you’re missing out on, we’ve rounded up the top benefits of standing desks for productivity!
Table of Contents
What Is A Standing Desk?
A standing desk, or also known as a stand-up desk, is a desk which provides you ease and comfort through standing up while working. There are a lot of advanced variations available for a standing desk.
One of the most common options is a sit-stand desk or height-adjustable desk. These types can be adjusted according to its height so you can alternate between standing and sitting.
These options make standing desks more popular, given its array of benefits for office environments. Not only that, researches about standing desks show that it has significant benefits for one’s mental and physical health. Let’s further discuss its perks!
How Standing Desks at Office Increase Productivity
The rise of standing desks has been backed up by the recent study of the University of Leicester in BMJ, which states that employees have higher productivity when utilizing standing desks for office. It supports positive effects on different physical and psychological advantages for employees to get boosted productivity with their daily workload.
Another study from the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health supports this with their results. The study claims that call center employees were 46% more productive with the use of standing desks when used in the office.
Productivity is mainly based on psychological indicators. It’s common for employees to feel sluggish after sitting for a long time since humans are naturally set to work better in an upright position. So why should you opt for them to sit all day when they can function with better with alternatives?
The studies mentioned earlier also show that increased productivity results in improved memory for work and cognitive skills. When employees are functioning with boosted productivity, they are more inclined to create the right decisions and solutions for work-related tasks and issues.
The relation of standing desks with productivity can also be observed with the daily hustle of employees in terms of comprehension, presenteeism, and executive function. Dynamic work stations truly improve productivity, given the increased brain activeness and responses.
Workplace Safety and Health Benefits for Employees
Given the right work tool, such as a standing desk and essential work habits, you will be guaranteed to have a more energetic and productive company. Check out these other benefits of having standing desks for office:
Boosted Energy
Standing desks promote activeness and bursts of energy like no other. Throughout the whole day, employees are encouraged to move around and result in heightened energy levels.
In fact, 87% of employees who use standing desks claim that they tend to feel more energetic, given the constant standing while they are working. Standing is especially helpful after every lunchtime given the inevitable sleepiness that employees feel during this time.
When you stand while working, your energy levels become more balanced and eventually lead you to become more alert throughout the day. High energy can also contribute to good work results since employees are functioning on their 100 percent.
If you’re worried about the extra costs of transitioning to standing desks for your company, leave your worries! Learn from companies who did this and earned another $3-7 revenue with every $1 that they spent on these standing desks.
Besides, there are a lot of affordable standing desks available which you can choose from depending on your budget. Standing desks for office are excellent and worth-it investments, given the boosted energy of your employees to deliver outstanding work results.
Better Health = Better Work Performance
Did you know that sitting for long hours up to 8 to 11 hours a day can lead you to a higher risk of premature death by 15%? No one wants that! Standing desks are ideal for offices since sitting for too long can cause employees to risk their health. They also have higher chances to get unwanted diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and more.
Sedentary working habits are harmful to your health and working performance. It doesn’t only lower your brain activities but also lead you to more alerting health problems. It’s time to consider getting standing desks since people who sit all day also increase their chances of getting diabetes by 25%.
A study from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand also states that employees who rarely stand and move are more prone to developing deep vein thrombosis or deadly blood clots. Movements keep our body healthy and that’s why it’s essential to promote it to your workforce.
More importantly, standing desks help your employees in avoiding mental health problems by lessening stress and anxiety with their work. As a result, employees can provide their maximum capacity as healthy individuals functioning with their work.
Avoids Pain and Discomfort
Standing desks are well-acclaimed in promoting better posture for employees. Sitting all day can lead to chronic physical pain. Some of the most common effects of it to employees are back pain, headaches, nerve problems, and joint pains.
Any kind of discomfort brought by sitting all day can significantly affect their work performance. Therefore, it’s essential to avoid these distractions to achieve more productivity.
Standing desks are also ideal for promoting constant movement during office hours. Our bodies tend to become stuck with regular hours of sitting. Standing reduces body pains since there’s a good blood flow to keep you being productive.
Encourages Morale and Good Office Relationships
Another one of the most positive effects of having standing desks for office is increasing office morale. Employees are more inclined to communicate with each other when they’re all on standing and ready to be on the move.
It’s very relevant that their office morale is boosted given their brighter moods and positive effects of their standing desks. Your employees are also more inclined to go around and interact with their coworkers to discuss and share ideas.
Through it, camaraderie and teamwork can be further observed with the open atmosphere within the workplace. In retrospect, their healthy relationships will influence their work performance, attitude, and productivity.
Standard desks are also not ideal since it doesn’t really fit all body types of heights. Standing desks provide freedom to your employees, whether they want to sit or stand depending on their preference. With this, they get a higher sense of responsibility and fulfillment since they can personalize their tasks in their own ways.
Improves Focus and Dedication
Are you are that 71% of employees who tried lessening the hours they spend in sitting claimed they noticed an improved mental focus while working? With greater focus, employees are encouraged to create more effective outputs and results.
Standing desks for office are beneficial for ten minutes of standing already boosts your capacity to focus. Getting active throughout the day will surely increase your productivity and help you cross off your work quickly.
Our bodies function better when we are upright. It also helps when we regularly move to keep our blood pumping in the different parts of our body. Sitting tends to slow down the process and keep your energy at bay.
Things To Avoid When Using Standing Desks
Standing are undoubtedly the key to your productivity, good health, and focus, but it’s essential to use them properly to maximize its benefits. You must be aware of the dos and don’ts of using standing desks to avoid posture problems. Here are some tips you should take note of:
- Don’t stand throughout your whole workday. Make alternate sitting time to relax your legs and back.
- Don’t just stand still while using the standing desk. You can always try to move around by alternating your support and even walk around to promote more movement. Being too stiff can give you body pains.
- Use it accordingly and learn to listen to your body when it needs time to rest by sitting down.
Standing desks should be used according to the ideal job task and need. This type of furniture will further benefit you once you get the hang of its function and usage to achieve its best perks at work.
ADA Considerations
If you are wondering about the considerations when it comes to Americans with Disabilities Act or other related laws, you can settle your employees’ requests on a case to case basis for approval.
For instance, if one of your employees is requesting for a standing desk wherein the purpose is to lose weight at work, you should still consider their background. If they are not physically impaired or they don’t have a disability, you have no responsibility to commit to their request.
However, it really depends on their reasons. For example, if the same employee adds that they are doing it because of their heart disease, you should start to consider and communicate with the employee. Ask them regarding their request to aid them with their health condition.
Then, if an employee requests for standing desks with their physician’s diagnosis for back issues, it’s also important to listen to their recommendations. If a healthcare provider suggests these workplace changes, such as adding a standing desk for them, you must be obliged to follow through.
Providing people with sickness or disabilities with these helpful tools is a must. Given that their request is reasonable and won’t negatively affect your company, you should adhere to their application to avoid being under an ADA liability. It’s also best to consult with a lawyer or a health provider for more concise decisions.
Final Thoughts
Standing desks are truly a great armor to keep your employees inspired and motivated in being productive with their work. It doesn’t only improve their productivity but also benefits them in health, focus, morale, and a whole lot more.
Keep in mind that the success of companies truly depends on their employees’ dedication and passion with their work. Therefore, it’s essential to keep finding ways to boost their work habits. We hope that we helped you in learning more about standing desks for office and why it’s ideal for productivity.
What do you think about this workplace innovation? Comment down below!
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- Everything you need to know to start standing!
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- Modern receptionist desk for the office
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Desk Advisor
Our team covers many categories to help you hustle better, from ergonomics to productivity, and technology. We are willing to ask questions (lots of them), seek experts, and dig deep into conventional wisdom to see if maybe there might be a better path towards the healthy workspace. We apply what we learn not only to our company culture but also how we deliver information to our readers. Ergonomic and productivity research is changing all the time, and we are 100% dedicated to keeping up with breakthroughs and innovations. You live better if you work better. Whatever has brought you here, we wish you luck on your journey towards better hustle.