Join the Brave New Office Trend with Standing Desks
It’s no longer an anomaly to see people standing at their desks. The statistics are solid: Sitting too long is bad for your health.
More and more large companies are making the standing desk popular, including Google, Twitter, AOL, and Facebook.
Large tech companies and are offering standing desks as part of its employee-wellness program. Any employee looking out for his or her health can choose to work at a standing desk.
In fact, Facebook has more than 250 standing desks with more employees asking for them every day. Facebook has said that standing tables keep the energy level high in the office. Facebook recruiter, Greg Hoy, said in a Wall Street Journal article, “I don’t get the 3 o’clock slump anymore, I feel active all day long.”
The Data is In: Standing Desks Boost Productivity
Standing desks are not a new phenomena. In fact, Thomas Jefferson and Winston Churchill worked at standing desks. It was more comfortable back then than the design of chairs.
Today, even with our ergonomic chairs, we still sit too much. There are endless reports pointing out the dangers of sitting too long, even that sitting is killing us. Some studies say that those who sit for the majority of the workday are 54% more likely to die of a heart attack.
Other health risks are, obesity, diabetes, back pain, heart disease, and more.
More Than One Style of Standing Desk
Standing desks are available in multiple designs. Some will move up and down at pre-programmed intervals. There is the electrically adjustable desk from Salons, a Latvian company, which designs a motorized desk with hydraulics. You can adjust it to be at the right height for the you. It’s recommended that it is set so your arms are bent at a 90-degree angle when standing. What is also nice is that if you get tired, you can lower your desk for a rest.
What is it Like to Stand While Working
A casual research found that employees felt a stronger sense of focus while standing. Focus helped people get the task done more quickly and the result was a bigger sense of satisfaction, therefore more productivity.
What if There Were no Chairs
A company in Amsterdam is taking the chairless office a step further. Designer Barbara Visser was commissioned by the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands to design desks in an office without chairs.
The office is a design where a chair no longer exists. The company researched natural body postures in order to create a flexible scenarios for the non-sitter. It almost resembles an office whose space has been converted into some kind of multi-surface macro furniture unit.
For more information about your work-place design, contact us.
