Dr. Robert H. Shmerling is the former clinical chief of the division of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and is a current member of the corresponding faculty in medicine at Harvard Medical School. … See Full Bio
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The health consequences of sedentary behaviour such as sitting for long periods of time can be devastating. Those that spend most of their days sitting are said to have a higher risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes to name a few.
The link between illnesses and sitting first emerged in the 1950’s when researchers found double decker bus drivers were twice as likely to have heart attacks as their bus conductor colleagues. With all the information out there on how sedentary lifestyles can affect your health, there is no wonder why height-adjustable desks are becoming increasingly more popular in offices.
Height adjustable desks can prevent back problems, increase performance, concentration, and motivation of employees whilst minimising downtime. In this article, we will be exploring all the benefits of height-adjustable desks and why they are essential in office layouts.
Research by British Medical Journal followed trials involving 146 NHS staff. Over half of the staff swapped their traditional office desks for more flexible standing desks. The study showed that those who normally had a sedentary work life and switched to the standing desk reported improved engagement in their work and had fewer musculoskeletal problems.
The study found that office workers are the most sedentary population of workers, spending between 70 to 85% of their time at work seated. This is not healthy for anybody, and good health is crucial in order to deliver good work performance and efficiency. It is important to note, increased efficiency through highly productive work saves time in the long run and height-adjustable desks are said to increase efficiency by at least 10%!
As mentioned, sitting for long periods affects posture and increases the risk of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. By adding height-adjustable desks to an office space, employees will be able to change their working position, increase mobility, and improve their circulation.
To maintain a healthy spine, it’s important to regularly move about and change positions during the working day. Did you know that 47% of people with height adjustable desks reported a significant reduction in upper back, shoulder, and neck discomfort. 65% of people also said height adjustable workstations positively impacted their health outside of the workplace.
In another study, those that used height-adjustable desks were said to have experienced less stress and fatigue compared to those who worked sitting all day.
This is why height-adjustable desks are a great addition as they can be moved up and down so workers can choose to sit or stand and alternate between the two.
In a working day, there are regularly situations where important decisions need to be made quickly. The mind needs to be alert and focussed in order to achieve this.
A study found that students that had used height-adjustable desks in a classroom showed improvements in focus, executive function, and memory. The study also suggested that standing desks boosted brain activity by increasing blood flow. By adding height-adjustable desks to the office will likely see similar results in workers.
Height-adjustable desks are a great advantage if staff are expected to work in a concentrated fashion for many hours where they will be needing to be focussed and maintain executive function.
If workers are not constantly distracted by fatigue, neck tension and back pain, they will be able to concentrate better and work more efficiently. Both employees and the company benefit from this too, as according to a study by Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering, German companies incurred an annual loss of 35 million euros due to absentees and reduced productivity caused by back problems.
Therefore, adding height-adjustable desks to the office can result in reduced absentees and better health leading to improved profitability for the company. It also reduces stress from trying to find cover for all the absentees with bad backs!
A study by behavioural researchers indicated that people communicate and engage significantly better when standing compared to sitting. At standing meetings, the voice is fuller, more dynamic, and more convincing, significantly increasing the meeting performance. The same goes for telephone calls which are also said to improve when standing up.
Increased standing and more movement can also lead to better interaction and engagement, creating a more dynamic and collaborative working environment. This will enhance the value proposition of getting employees back into the office as they increasingly are looking for more flexibility. Companies need to make the office more attractive so that employees will happily come in, one way to do this is through height-adjustable desks.
To summarise, here are the benefits of height adjustable workstations for employees and for the company:
Benefits for employees
Benefits for the company
Are you interested in height-adjustable desks? At Haiken, one of our bestsellers is our clever four-height Wolfe desk as it is robust and offers maximum strength for a minimum weight.
At Haiken, we know how important it is that employees remain comfortable and healthy while at work so they can deliver good performance for the company. To find out more about our height-adjustable desk, feel free to contact us today and we will be happy to help.
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