Dr. James Levine’s work on Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT for short, sheds light on how modern offices are taking our bodies to their limits. Sitting for over 13 hours a day, sleeping for 8 more, and moving for just 3 isn’t exactly healthy or in your best interest as an individual. All the sitting we do is the cause of severe health conditions like obesity and increased blood pressure. Not to mention the fact that in the long-term these ailments and the time needed to treat them will adversely affect your productivity. So, employers need to be very concerned about this loss of productivity and perhaps swap out those comfy chairs and make room for a healthier and more productive alternative, standing desks.
Why Employers Should Stand-up and Take Notice?
A small group of employees working at the Draugiem Group decided to test the productivity theory for themselves. They invested in standing desks and measured how their performance improved by tracking time and productivity. The group tested both sitting vs. standing. The results were astounding. According to the figures, their productivity increased by 10% when standing.
How is a 10% increase in productivity even possible by just switching sitting for standing?
Well for starters when employees feel as though their employer cares about them, there is an estimated 38% engagement with working and producing results. Though there are other factors that also need to be considered, three of the most prominent are:
Higher Energy levels: Those who worked while standing at a standing desk reported that their energy levels stabilized. What that did was allow for them to work for longer without experiencing afternoon sluggishness.
Improvement in morale: Companies that provided standing work desks like Twitter, Facebook and Google reported having improved employee health and much better workplace productivity. Obviously healthy employees are more energetic and have high morale.
Laser focus: When people stand they tend to avoid trying to multi-task. That, in turn, improves their concentration and there is an underlying sense of urgency to get things done. When employees sit, they are often and easily distracted by social media websites, checking their text messages or sending emails.
American Society of Interior Designers Foundation’s Study
Another study conducted by the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation, or ASIDF, with the objective of finding the impacts of using adjustable workstations on employee wellness, health and productivity, found a direct correlation between standing desks and higher productivity after a year.
After just 12 months of implementing standing desks in an office, 88% of the participants reported that these were convenient. 65% said that it led to higher productivity and 65% indicated that it had a positive effect on their health. Participants also reported having better concentration when using standing or adjustable desks.
Conclusion
Productivity depends a great deal on an employee’s health and morale. So, any business that’s able to raise both moral and health standards will obviously benefit from higher productivity across the board making standing desk converters or electric standing desks a must have for any business.
