The Standing Desk Revolution: What Are The Productivity Benefits?
As an entrepreneur, I know what it means to spend a lot of time at my office, and specifically, at my desk. My desk has become a home of its own, where I spend late nights, and early mornings. The world of digital marketing knows no business hours, especially when tapping into international markets. Plus, when inspiration strikes, I know I have to dive into my work, no matter the time. That being said, I spend a lot of time at my desk, and it can be tough to spend all of that time sitting in one place. In general, people spend nearly 6 hours a day at their desk. Not only that, but a survey by Staples from a few years back showed that nearly half of all people say that their chairs are causing them physical pain. With all of that being said, maybe it’s time to take a look at our desks, and how they’re impacting our work.
The standing desk revolution has started to take over offices around the country. Standing desks are regular desks, which you can convert, to be able to stand at them. Sales of standing desks have increased over the past several years, showing how offices are investing in their employees comfort and in the quality of their office life. As far as your health, standing desks may help combat a whole host of illnesses and diseases. For example, excess sitting has been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and premature death. But standing at your desk can do more than just improve your health. It even has the potential to increase your work productivity.
Here are some of the ways standing at your desk can benefit work productivity:
● A boost for your brain: When you stand, you stimulate your circulation, which sends more blood and oxygen to your brain.
● Increases focus: If you struggle with your mid-day slump, and staying laser-sharp throughout the day, standing at your desk can help increase your focus. 71% of employees who reduced their sitting time by just one hour a day reported an increase in their mental focus.
● Reduces aches and pains: Excess sitting has been called “the new smoking,” because of what it can do to the human body. On average, Americans sit for a whopping 11 hours a day. Among other things, sitting causes your hip flexors to shorten, leading to hip pain. Poor posture can lead to back pain and chronic compression in your spine. Our bodies were not meant to sit all day, and taking standing break can help combat these health issues.
● Energy boost: Standing and moving throughout the day can actually give you an energetic boost. 87% of employees who use standing desks reported feeling more energetic, thanks to standing throughout their workday.
All of these health benefits can definitely positively impact employee productivity. If employees are focused, healthy, and energetic, they’re much more likely to perform better, than if they were just sitting at their desks all day.
The key with standing desks is to make sure they’re set up properly for your body. If you do switch to a standing desk, make sure the proportions are appropriate for your body, for example, that the keyboard is at an appropriate height and angle for your wrists.
If you’re an entrepreneur who is debating getting standing desks for you employees, know that making the switch could be worth the financial trade-off in the long run, since your employees are much more likely to increase their productivity.
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