Sit-stand work. Trend or real benefit?
For a few years now, we have been hearing about the benefits of sit-stand work. Is that a trend that’s going to run out of steam, or is it in the interest of business to move to that type of office?
In fact, the combination of standing and sitting would have real benefits for both our health and our productivity at work. On the other hand, the use of a stand-up workstation is far from as exhausting as one might think. There are also several ergonomic office models on the market, from the simple platform to the complete workstation. See here the detailed explanations of the EMBLM experts.
Many positive health effects
It has been proven that sitting for long periods of time can have serious consequences for our health: increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even depression. Even a very active person outside of work could experience these negative effects..
When we go to work standing up, our body has a natural tendency to stretch, which lowers the pressure on the spine and automatically increases blood circulation. In addition, on the plus side, our body will burn a lot more calories if we work in a standing position rather than sitting. But beware, we must not believe that we must put aside the ergonomic work chair.
Is it effective at work?
There are real benefits from working in a standing position. In addition to differentiating yourself from your colleagues (very subjective, but still!), simple and repetitive tasks can be performed more quickly, such as returning calls or cleaning up emails and answering some of them.
Also, vigilance and productivity will be automatically increased. We all have a certain period of falling asleep when we come back from our lunch break and working at our sitting workstation does nothing to help that. When we get up, knowing that our blood circulation will increase, our productivity will also increase. In addition, by taking advantage of an adjustable standing desk, adjusting your standing work table has never been easier.
You will also notice in trying this posture that meetings and team meetings will be shorter and more effective and that brainstorms will become more dynamic!
In this regard, it is good to vary our work positions throughout our time in the office. This gives you plenty of time to start your day in a standing position and, before feeling fatigue in your legs and feet, return to the sitting position for a period of time. Some studies actually recommend working standing about fifteen minutes an hour.
What does a sit-stand desk look like?
Adapting your workstation does not mean that you will have to throw away your current office furniture; there are several options.
There is a platform that is installed directly on the work desk and that will be clamped to ensure stability. Ergonomic desktop accessories such as the keyboard, mouse and screen are placed on this tray. Finally, with a simple mechanism the platform can be raised to allow the user to work standing up.
It is also possible to purchase a height-adjustable work table, which allows you to keep at hand all the equipment you need to perform your usual tasks: phone, keyboard and mouse, screen, pencils and notebook, etc. These work tables can have an electrical system for adjusting the height and it is also possible to add the option that memorizes the heights according to the user. The table will therefore always be adjusted to your height, whether you work standing or sitting. For the less techno, an adjustable table can also be worked with a crank or with a counterweight system.
The verdict ?
The improvement of posture at work does not only concern standing or sitting, there are several other criteria to take into account: ergonomic chair that adapts to your physiognomy, Keyboard and mouse positioning or workstation lighting are just examples. Any company should pay particular attention to the comfort of its employees and the ergonomics of their workstations, as this will have a direct impact on their productivity.
It must be remembered that the primary objective of standing is to vary the positions and move our body. These movements will benefit our system and our healthy life expectancy will only be longer. Don’t hesitate to contact the EMBLM team to find out which solution best suits your needs.
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