Winter 2016

Editorial
Sit-stand Furniture
Editorial kindly provided by Galina Solopova – Century Office
In Sweden sit-stand desks are now
fully integrated into the workplace
and office furniture - whilst Denmark
has recently brought out new laws
to make it compulsory for employers
to offer employees the option of a sit/
stand. Back here in the UK we are
beginning to adopt and adapt to the
idea of sit-stand desks & hot-desking;
yet we are still somewhat lagging
behind as many employers seem to
observe the installation of sit-stand
desks as an unnecessary cost rather
than an investment into the long term
health of staff.
The Finance Manager for the global
healthcare company Arthrex Sweden
comments, “I would not dream of not
having a sit/stand desk. Employees in
Sweden have had them for decades
even all the hot desks are sit/stand.
The fact that you feel so much more
energised and alert when you switch
from sitting and standing throughout
the day especially is a huge advantage
for office workers such as myself, as
my role dictates that I am at a desk
constantly working with numbers.”
The NHS has found that there
is increasing evidence that links
excessive sitting with being obese,
type 2 diabetes some types of cancer
and even premature death. Research
also carried out by the British Heart
Foundation and Get Britain Standing
found that workers sitting for long
periods at their desk could have
a serious impact on their health.
According to statistics carried out in
the UK, the survey found that almost
half of the women (45%) and almost
two fifths of men (37%) working in the
UK offices spend less than 30 minutes
a day walking around at work. In fact
further research has found that moving
from a sitting to standing position
helps the user feel more energised,
aiding better concentration, increased
productivity, reduced back problems
and can help burn up to three times
more calories!
Introducing sit-stand desks into the
workplace can also prompt employees
to think about the current layout and
even create or introduce other areas
such as a breakout space, an informal
space for individuals to have quiet
thinking time or a space for small
groups to informally meet and discuss
ideas.
A common misconception of standing
desks is that users are required to
stand all day. In fact standing all day
can be bad for health as is sitting down
throughout the day. Users of sit-stand
desks should regularly alternate
sitting down and standing up, the aim
is to keep mobile and avoid remaining
in the same position for a long period
of time. Experts suggest sitting for no
more than 20 minutes at a time and
stand in one position for no more than
8 minutes at a time as well as keeping
mobile & taking short walks around
the office throughout the day.
Sit-stand desks can help boost
productivity & motivation, by
standing up office workers feel more
alert and more focused on tasks they
are working on. These desks can also
help improve posture as users are not
hunched over a desk and is also a good
opportunity to stretch muscles and
joints thus improving circulation as
well as the added benefits of burning
more calories than sitting down. It is
also believed to help increase energy
levels by keeping users alert and
active. So the BIG question is, why
are some companies still reluctant to
invest in sit/stand?
Steve Bays, Managing Director of
Century Office comments, “In the past
few years I think one of the reasons
that is contributing to companies
not investing would be the very vivid
memories of the credit crunch. Many
small to medium size companies
don’t want to spend a big chunk
of their money on office redesigns
and expensive office furniture,
instead they are looking for cheaper
alternatives and getting the ergonomic
solutions for the employees who have
severe problems already with the
posture, back problems etc. Saying
that I think this is changing now. We
have seen a massive rise in sit/stand
desking enquiries in the last year.
Since we launched, our affordable
electric height adjustable desking
solutions, the sales have doubled or
tripled. We have made it possible for
companies, big or small, to be able to
afford and offer sit/stands to all their
employees which is a big step in the
right direction for today’s firms.”
22 www.ofas.org.uk WINTER 2016