Should I Buy a Standing Desk?

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Table of Contents

• Standing Desk v Traditional Sitting Desk
• Benefits of Standing Desks
• Key Takeaways

The standing desk has been known to boost employee wellbeing and happiness, and happy employees mean a happy (and successful) workplace right? This article explores the benefits of buying a standing desk for your office.

Standing Desk v Traditional Sitting Desk

There’s no hiding from the reams of studies and evidence which show the huge detrimental effects that sitting down for 40+ hours a week does to your body. Many people are in denial about this. It’s a common misconception that by setting your workstation (chair, desk, keyboard, mouse and computer screens) in an optimum, ergonomically sound way we can escape the harrowing effects on our spine and overall health. Many assume that by sitting up straight, placing a minimal strain on our back, neck and eyes, which we are treating our bodies well, and so we can push this concern aside and focus on our work.

For those of us that are out of the denial phase but think that hitting the gym hard while not at work will reverse the effects, this, unfortunately, is not the case. What’s done is done, and no amount of running around after your children or pounding on the treadmill in the gym is going to make your body forget the pain you put it through slumped at your desk five long days a week.

Finally, as an employer you wanted to treat your employees well, and you are conscious that they spend much of their life sitting at their desk working hard for your business. What better way to show them your appreciation than to invest in some comfortable office chairs.

Benefits of Standing Desks

It does not come as a shock that standing up on your feet has countless benefits on our health. Love burning calories without having to hit the gym? Want to accelerate your metabolism? Scared of getting varicose veins? Stand up. Sitting down for a large chunk of your life is bad for your health, there is no denying it, we must face facts. If the sedentary effect cannot be reversed then, your employees may start to wonder why they waste their efforts trying to stay active outside of work and start wanting to keep fit during work hours. Want them chained to their desks? You may need to accommodate for their want to stay healthy while working.

While there has been no, or very little, solid proof that standing desks directly improve productivity, the effect that it has on mood can be seen as a pathway to better productivity. There are significant, beneficial cognitive effects of standing, meaning that by doing so you feel better about yourself, and this will be evident through your work. Coming to work on a Monday, still tired from the weekend and then faced with a mound of unfinished tasks from the week before can send your mood downhill. Boosting the mood of your employees can be tough but giving them the opportunity to do so themselves is certainly not to be ignored.

Key Takeaways

Standing desks vary in price, but a good quality one averages at around $500 in Australia. It is not a cheap initiative to take on board, and this must be considered. You may also find that some employees like the idea of a standing desk but aren’t so enthusiastic once they get one to call their own. If it’s within budget, give your employees the option to choose to have a standing desk – their brains and bodies will thank you for it.