The effects of remaining seated for hours on end have been studied many times over the years. More recently, certain scientists have gone so far as to suggest that offering ways for individuals to exercise whilst in the workplace would boost health levels and even significantly increase the life expectancy of office workers.
Many individuals look to reverse the effects of lengthy sitting sessions by heading to the gym, but some experts have gone so far as to say that this won’t cut it. So, with this is mind, is it likely that offices will one day be standing room only?
The Standing Workplace
There are going to be certain benefits to requiring workers to stand for proportions of the day, not merely to health, but also to energy levels. Being seated, especially after lunch, can leave individuals lethargic and far from their most productive. It is also worth noting that standing will obviously take up less room than sitting, so certain offices may be able to make more of their space as a result.
However, it is important to ascertain whether the benefits of such a change will equal the cost and upheaval caused by completely altering workplaces. Furthermore, workers will need to be given a choice and individual health and physiological conditions will need to be taken into account. As such, a partially standing workplace could actually leave people on very different levels and cause some to feel cut off, whilst the cost of redesigning entire workspaces to cater for standing will undoubtedly be high.
Standing all day can also cause problems and those not used to it will experience many more aches and pains at the end of the day and see their morale affected as a result. As such, any business considering making such a change will want to ensure they have chairs on hand too so that people can take a well-deserved rest when they need to.
Alternative Solutions
The cost of buying thousands of desks will put larger companies off the venture, whilst the lack of infrastructure to support such a move is likely to leave smaller businesses shying away too. Whilst in the future such workplaces may become common, such a time is not likely to come around soon, especially since businesses are so used to the current standard approach to working.
That being said, the benefits of standing at work should not be overlooked. As such, it may be worth having certain higher workstations that individuals can use as and when they want to stretch their legs or insist that company meetings take place with all attendees standing. It may also make sense to allow individuals regular breaks to exercise or simply move around. Most experts agree that taking breaks to move about will be enough to solve many problems associated with protracted periods spent at a desk. Furthermore, such a move is also likely to aid concentration and energy levels too.
When looking at vertical working, it will not be a case of one or the other. Furthermore, the more focussed your furniture choices, the healthier your workforce will be without the need to stand. At Calibre, we have a whole range of ergonomic type of office furniture to help your workforce remain healthy, comfortable and productive without the need for you to alter your processes completely or redesign your entire space.