As much as you may love your job, you probably don’t love all the sitting it requires. In fact, employees hate sitting so much many say they are willing to give up social media at work, cable at home for one month, one vacation a year, and prized working-at-home flex time–all in exchange for the ability to stand up at will during their work day. Crazy but true!
If you find yourself taking needless bathroom breaks, talking to coworkers when you should be working or getting food and drinks when you’re not hungry or thirsty – all in a subconscious effort to relieve the discomfort, restlessness and fatigue caused by prolonged sitting – you’re not alone. In fact, our research found that a majority of employees (58 percent) admit to taking up to five breaks a day (and another brave 25 percent own up to six daily breaks).
Your need to move not only is understandable, it’s healthy! Yet the impact on workplace productivity is devastating. Research shows it can take up to 20 minutes for someone to get back on task after an interruption. Your manager probably would freak out if he or she realized how much productivity (i.e., money) is being lost simply because employees are desperate to just stand up.
But there’s a solution (bet you didn’t see that coming!).
Many organizations are waking up to the value of providing sit-stand desks, especially in office settings. In fact, offering standing desks is a strong differentiator in industries where employee recruitment and retention is highly competitive.
If you’d like your company to join this healthy, progressive movement trend, we’re here to help (you’re welcome!). Here are some deets that you might want to use when requesting an Ergotron sit-stand desk (you deserve the best). Let your boss know:
- Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality.
- Numerous studies link physical inactivity with health problems like Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
- The American Medical Association officially recommends that Americans sit less during the day and also recommends that businesses offer employees sitting alternatives.
- Sit-stand workstations allow employees to switch between sitting and standing without any loss of productivity.
- Organizations that invest in their employees’ well-being may reap significant cost reductions and value increases over time.
Check out our WorkFit Toolkit for more tools to make the case for why a sit-stand workstation is great investment at your workplace. Your body definitely will thank you and, over time, so may your boss.
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