How To Justify A Standing Desk At Your Workplace
Standing desks are more than just a craze, and theyโre spilling beyond the deep-pocketed offices of world-known companies like Google and Facebook.
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People are becoming smarter, more aware, and more preventative when it comes to their health, which in itself is brilliant to see. Where they stumble, though, is the cost justification of a standing desk culture in the workplace.
The difference between โpriceโ and โcostโ
Price aversion is natural โ of course weโre all guilty of denying a purchase based on price alone, both personally and professionally.
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The difference between price and cost becomes apparent: price is what a company would pay for equipment, furniture or software upfront. Cost, however, is the ongoing payment attributed to losses and other operating costs.
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Can your business justify the costs associated with workplace injuries and days missed, and look beyond upfront price?
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Common sedentary injuries
A lot of pressure is put on your body when youโre sitting, slumping, and slouching for up to 17 hours in a day. โ17 hours?โ you think. โIt canโt be that much!โ Calculate it: on average, you spend around seven hours in bed, letโs say an hour or two for the work commute, plus about seven or eight hours sitting at your desk. Combine all that with two or three hours of sitting in front of the TV to relax at night, and weโve brought your grand total to 17 hours (and possibly more!) of sedentary behaviour.
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Common workplace injuries, due to a sedentary lifestyle, include:
- โ Tight hip flexors
- โ Stiff spine
- โ Aching hamstrings and calves
- โ Tight shoulders
- โ Sore neck
But why? We could go on (and we have: see this blog and this blog), but to put it simply: reduced muscular demand โ in that sedentary position โ leads to increased joint loading and stress due to de-conditioning.
Standing desk justifications
OK, so you know the facts, and youโre obviously keen to stand up for your healthโฆ but how do you convince the boss?
The cost of workplace injuries
Check out these stats! You might like to allude to your boss that:
- Lower back pain is the most prevalent workplace injury in Australia
- It affects employees of all ages in all sectors (so no one is exempt)
- Back pain costs Australian businesses a whopping $4.8 BILLION every year (argh!)
- 25 per cent of back pain sufferers (aged between 18 and 55) take 10 or more days off per year. (Whatโs that costing you in lost productivity?)
Productivity
Standing desks (moreover, the ability to switch from standing to sitting within mere seconds) are attributed as one of the greatest advantages when it comes to improving workplace productivity.
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In fact, some journalists who tested out standing desks reported that, when standing, they felt a sense of perseverance or urgency, that allowed them to refocus and complete tasks more efficiently.
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Concentration
Avoid that dreaded 3 oโclock slump (ahhh, only two hours to go!) and remove โfood comaโ from your vocabulary: shifting between sitting and standing increases blood flow and improves energy and concentration.
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You even start to segment tasks: โIโll sit once Iโve finished this blog postโ โ the reward is sitting, but the condition is that you wonโt do so until you finish your current task. You then make a decision to get the job done with fewer distractions!
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Staff welfare
Beyond the legal obligations to which you have to comply (Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), compensation, annual leave, etc.), a quality company requires quality staff. Retain and recruit the highest quality of staff by offering generous benefits and true compassion.
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All of these actions create a positive and fruitful work environment, and improve the welfare of not only staff, but of the managerial team, too. Youโll see an improvement in workplace absences, and your team will be not only happier, but healthier, too.
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So stand up for your health today, and have a chat to your boss about a sit-stand work environment. What have you got to lose? Contact us today if you require any further info.
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