7 Benefits of Standing Desks for Offices

Sitting for most of the day can take a toll on your mental and physical health, but this is what many office employees go through every day. After a long week, most sedentary office workers won’t even have the energy to do physical activity to stay fit and healthy, let along focus on their jobs. If this sounds like something you want to avoid in your commercial office spaces, standing desks may be the answer you’re looking for. In this article, we’ll go through the top 7 benefits of standing desks in the workplace including:

• A Standing Office Desk Can Help Reduce Back Pain
• Standing Adjustable Desks Can Help Burn Calories
• Standing Can Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels
• Standing Desks Can Increase Concentration
• Standing Can Help Reduce Stress
• A Sit Stand Desk Can Help Boost Energy
• Standing Can Improve Job Performance

 

Standing desks and workstations can be electronically or manually adjustable, as well as come in a wide range of colors, shapes, sizes and combinations. They’re sometimes referred to as sit stand desks, or simply adjustable desks.

Businesses all over Australia have already fitted their commercial office spaces with standing desks. But before diving headfirst into a fit out or a renovation, let’s look at some of the benefits a standing office desk offers, and why you may want to follow this health trend in your office space.

 

Benefit 1: A Standing Office Desk Can Help Reduce Back Pain

Long-term back pain is a common complaint among most full time workers across offices of all shapes and sizes. This has been on the rise, with as many as 4 in 5 adults who will complain about back pain over the course of their lives. Working while standing more than an hour out of a full day of work has been known to reduce neck and back pain by up to 54%.

Spending the whole day standing will be uncomfortable for most, which is where ergonomic sit-to-stand desks come in. If your back is starting to feel tired or uncomfortable, you just need to adjust the standing desk back down to sitting height. Standing office desks provide flexibility so you don’t have to sit (or stand) for prolonged periods of time.

 

Benefit 2: Standing Adjustable Desks Can Help Burn Calories

People will still have the same workload, they won’t have to take extra breaks, or take the stairs instead of the lift (even though this will definitely help). The only difference is that for one afternoon, instead of sitting down, they’ll stand up. This subtle change will help burn an additional 170 calories in a single work day.

While this caloric count may not make a difference for some, a caloric deficit of 850 calories a week could mean the difference between weight loss and weight gain. Even just alternating the sit and the stand for 30-minutes can do the trick!

 

Benefit 3: Standing Can Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels usually spike after a meal. In one study, participants who’ve just finished their lunch were asked to sit or stand while working. They were also asked to take the same number of steps so the researchers were able to take any other physical activity out of the equation.

What they found was that those who were standing experienced lower spikes in their blood sugar levels, while those who worked while sitting down experienced higher spikes. The same observation also applied to people who took turns sitting down and standing up, versus people who did their work sitting the entire time.

 

 

Benefit 4: Standing Desks Can Increase Concentration

Standing may also boost productivity because it causes people to be more alert and more focused in their work, than when they’re sitting and hunched over their keyboard. Standing forces the body’s circulatory system to work harder, because it needs to maintain blood flow over a greater area.

At least 7 in 10 people feel more focused while working standing with a nice straight back using a standing desk, compared to sitting down in a slouched position.

 

Benefit 5: Standing Can Help Reduce Stress

Stress is a word that many people associate with offices, as most traditional office spaces offer very little comfort and flexibility to workers. This can contribute towards increasing their stress levels while decreasing job satisfaction. Standing up, however, has been shown to reduce stress as it allows an employee to stretch out tired muscles, and keep the blood flow circulating.

 

Benefit 6: A Sit Down Stand Up Desk Can Help Boost Energy

As an added bonus, a boost in energy levels has been reported by those who stood up for work for some part of the day. On the flip side – some sedentary non-activities like sitting for hours have been linked to anxiety and depression. This means that simple activities like standing up and moving around the office can increase energy levels and promote positive mental health.

 

Benefit 7: Standing Can Improve Job Performance

Standing while doing daily office tasks might seem a little awkward at first, but all it takes is just a little getting used to. As soon as you’re used to doing your job while standing up (or alternating between sitting and standing), it can actually help improve job performance.

A study on the effects of standing for on-the-job call center agents showed that standing can increase job performance by up to 45%, compared to those who sat in front of their phones and PCs all day.

You also tend to work harder and more efficiently while standing because you tend to want to get more things done so you can go back to sitting down and relaxing. This is actually a similar concept behind using adjustable meeting tables so teams can experience the same benefits when having “stand-up meetings”.

 

Commercial Office Furniture that Supports Ergonomic Health

Elevar is a commercial office furniture wholesaler who focuses on ergonomic health in office workspaces. The following are just some of our ergonomic office furniture you can consider for your next fit out or refurbishment so you or your clients can experience these benefits of standing desks.

• Vision Two Motor Electric Adjustable Desk: This sit-stand desk can be adjusted into 4 different height settings using Bluetooth contactless technology. The minimum frame height is at 2 feet while maximum frame height stands at 4 feet.
• Ergotron WorkFit-Corner Stand Module: The corners in offices are often wasted or underutilised. Why not fit in a standing desk and make better use of that corner? This corner stand module can fit double monitors and features a large keyboard tray for more comfortable typing.
• Marco Long Meeting Table: Our range of office furniture extends from desks to meeting tables, with this 3-leg meeting table allowing for rectangular or boat-shaped table tops. They are available in sizes up to 13 feet long, with any additional leg allowing for a table top of an additional 4.9 feet. The standard height is 2.36 feet, but is customisable up to 2.95 feet.

 

As you can see, standing desks have become popular for a range of reasons. Whilst some people think ‘comfort’ and ‘standing desks’ really don’t go well together, giving people the option to work in both positions can boost their job performance and overall well being.

If you like the sounds of the benefits of standing desks, and are interested in fitting out your office with sit-stand desks – get in touch with our experienced team at Elevar to see which combination will work best for you.