Stand Up Office Desking For A Healthier Workplace

Studies have shown that regularly being sat at a desk for long periods of time is bad for you in many ways. From back problems caused by poor seating, to the lack of exercise from a sustained sedentary posture, there is no denying that there are must be a more balanced approach to office design and the modern workforce.

Technology & Design

Advances in design and materials over the past decade have provided comfier, ergonomically focused office seating, along with a range of products that are designed to make the office space a more ‘healthy’ environment for people.

But, having an ergonomically designed office chair doesn’t rule out all of the health risks associated with working in a modern office. For example, just because a chair is specially designed to reduce strain on the back, it doesn’t mean that being sat down for long periods of time is any ‘healthier’ for the body.

And, when it comes to the office environment, reducing the time sat at a workstation isn’t easy. For most office-based employees, much of their workload requires being sat at a computer, whilst only leaving to collect paperwork from the printer, or to go and top up on coffee.

Space Vs. Productivity

As many companies look to minimise their physical footprint, there has been an increase in generic workstation design, with companies placing as many desks as possible together to maximise space. Although this may seem to be an answer to space planning, research has shown that these conditions are less productive for the business and certainly not conducive to a healthy work environment for employees.

So, what does the future of workstation design look like?

A lot of research points to a mixture of seated and stand-up workstations, which can not only benefit levels of health, but boost employee productivity and offer increased levels of staff wellbeing.

With many organisations around the world taking this research seriously, slowly but surely, more and more offices are taking a new approach to workstation design and space planning, with many companies waiting to see if the businesses making these changes see the tangible positive effects for their employees and productivity.

Investment in People

Arguably, implementing a single rule for all is impractical. But by offering a choice – and with technology making “hot-desking” a much more practical solution – areas of stand-up workstations can be implemented to suit people with varying physical needs.

Are stand up offices really the future?

Technology and design are having a huge impact in office design with more and more companies opting for varied workspaces. These include breakout areas and more relaxed communal work areas as well as mixed design solutions.

Couple this with the growing concerns of overall health levels in society and organisations are taking their corporate responsibility obligations seriously, implementing solutions that balance efficiency and offer staff real choice in the way they work.

Stand up workstations not only offer a more varied work environment for employees, but the reduction of sustained impact on specifics parts of the body are an obvious ongoing health benefit for workers, as well as employers.