Office Life Archives - Page 3 of 4

Warning: your co-workers will be so jealous

With the rise (literally) of the standing desk, you may be one of the 67% that would jump at the chance to grab one if it was offered at your workplace. After all, the health benefits of moving more throughout the day will enhance your life, and maybe even lengthen it. It can improve your mood, energy output, and yes, moving your desk up and down looks really cool!

If you do install one, get ready for a lot of questions and general curiosity from your work mates. “What’s that?,” everyone will ask when they first see you popping up above the cube wall. Don’t be surprised if interest turns to envy when you start showing off your relaxed posture, enhanced productivity and laser-point focus.

People can’t help talking about it. Like Jared S., who told us: “Still keep getting funny looks from people in the office. Well worth it!” Or Moses E., who said concisely: “Why sit when you can stand?” People’s reasons for standing and moving more are as varied as can be.

Want to join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram? Here are a few hashtags to get started: #SitLess #MoveMore #JustStand #StandingDesk.

Standing up for office culture

Office culture is quickly becoming a bigger differentiator when it comes to recruitment and retention of employees versus traditional employee benefits. Whether it’s flexible work hours, limitless snacks, free gym memberships or even a nap room, some companies are going to the extreme to increase employee satisfaction. Yet, despite their willingness to get creative, companies are still missing the mark when it comes to one thing in particular that has a huge influence on employee health and happiness: their working environment.

Results from Ergotron’s JustStand Index show that 68 percent of employees must sit all day for their job, with 61 percent reporting that they dislike or even hate having to do it. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that they would prefer the ability to sit and stand at will. The level of dislike for prolonged sitting has reached a level where 17 percent of respondents would prefer to give up a vacation day, 15 percent would rather buy the entire office lunch and more than a third (36 percent) would give up access to social media for an entire month.

The ability to get up and move around while still remaining productive can be a win-win scenario for both employees and employers. Mobility and collaboration have become expected perks in today’s corporate world, as younger employees fear being confined to “cube life.” As a result, employees are beginning to demand more flexible work environments. Our research showed that the average respondent spends more than half of the day (12.3 hours) and nearly three quarters of the average work day (5.8 hours) sitting. Using sit-stand workstations to encourage movement can improve culture and health, helping companies attract and retain top talent – all while enhancing productivity.

How Can You Take a Stand?

A quick and easy way to improve workplace culture is to offer sit-stand workstations. These desks are a step in the right direction for creating a work environment that promotes wellness while addressing one of the major reasons cited when discussing employee unrest or unhappiness. In addition to increasing worker satisfaction, studies suggest that sit-stand solutions may provide some health benefits to employees.

To download the full ebook, please visit: www.juststand.org/JSindex

Raise yourself out of your chair to raise your productivity

By now, the term “sitting disease” and the effects of prolonged sitting have been well documented. Yet, despite the increased attention regarding the harmful effects, many employers have not made the connection between extended sitting and the physical health of their employees – and in turn, the overall health of their organization.

According to the results of our just released JustStand® Index, restlessness from prolonged sitting is more disruptive to organizational productivity than visiting social media sites. While many employers are worried about cyberloafing – personal use of a company’s internet access while at work – and its impact on productivity, it’s clear that employees are spending more time moving around (61 percent) than cyberloafing (a combined 39 percent).

A majority (58 percent) of employees admit to taking two to five breaks a day and another 25 percent are taking more than six breaks per day to relieve the discomfort, restlessness and fatigue caused by prolonged sitting. While taking regular breaks is important, these findings indicate that employees are spending excessive time away from their desks due to the discomfort of prolonged sitting.

What’s more, outside research suggests that when interrupted it can take a worker more than 20 minutes to get back on task. This means that time, productivity and ultimately, money, are all unnecessarily lost each day.

How to help your office MOVE MORE:

As organizations look for ways to improve employee productivity and minimize distractions, we believe it’s critical to examine employees’ time spent seated at their desks and find ways to alleviate their discomfort. One potential solution is changing up the traditional workstation composition. Providing employees with height-adjustable sit-stand workstations gives them much more flexibility while working. They can easily move from sitting to standing and stretch every half hour. These workstations are an excellent and popular wellness benefit – you can check out these testimonials to see the difference sit-stand workstations can make.

To download the full e-book visit: www.juststand.org/JSindex

Up & Moving: The 2016 JustStand Index

Since launching the first JustStand® Index in 2013, more attention has been given to the dangerous metabolic effects of sedentary lifestyles, or sitting disease as it is more commonly known. Although awareness is growing, there has been little focus on how sitting all day affects the overall health of an organization. We’ve seen the workplace change drastically – with a new generation of workers and innovations in technology – but, for the most part, employees still remain in office chairs. And many of them aren’t happy about it.

In the second JustStand Index, which launched today, we aimed to uncover how sedentary lifestyles are impacting the productivity, engagement and well-being of employees. The report analyzes how sitting impacts key aspects of the workplace – here are the key findings:

Company productivity: When feeling restless, employees are more likely to get up and move around (61 percent) than browse the internet or social media, also known as cyberloafing (39 percent). While taking regular breaks is important, the data suggests that employees are spending excessive time away from their desks due to restlessness and physical discomfort from prolonged sitting.
Office culture: Over 60 percent of employees dislike or even hate sitting, yet nearly 70 percent do it all day, every day.
Employee health: Considering the influx of wearable technology, people are presumably more health-conscious than ever before, but may have been lulled into a false sense of fitness and health. Sixty-two percent of employees indicated that they get the recommended 2.5 hours a week of exercise. However, sitting too much at work, despite physical activity undertaken throughout the week, is detrimental to the human body.
Wellness programs: Despite health and wellness programs in corporations being a stated priority, only 23 percent of employees are aware of a wellness program at their company and of that population, only 35 percent of these programs offer alternative workstation as a benefit options to help avoid prolonged sitting.

The JustStand Index also measured the change in awareness from the initial report in 2013. While awareness of sitting disease has doubled (15 percent), it has yet to achieve widespread understanding. And while 86 percent of people believe that prolonged sitting increases the risk of early mortality, only 48 percent of people believe they are personally at risk. This demonstrates the need for further education and conversation throughout the business community.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be exploring these key findings in more detail. In the meantime, visit here to download the full eBook.

Worldwide Stand Up Days!

Several years ago, most of us weren’t aware of the dangers of sedentary workstyles and prolonged sitting. Today, we know that many office workers sit almost 10 hours a day, which is too much. Regular low-level movement is healthier, so switch from sitting to standing every 30 minutes or so.

To remind us to sit less and move more, engage with one of these upcoming stand up awareness days:

On Your Feet America – April 29, 2016. To learn more, visit their website, follow @getUSAstanding, share #SitLess #MoveMore #OYF16. (Organizers: Get America Standing and Active Working.)

On Your Feet Britain – April 29, 2016. To learn more, visit their website, follow @getGBstanding, share #SitLess #MoveMore #OYF16. (Organizers: Get Britain Standing and Active Working.)

On Your Feet Canada – April 29, 2016. To learn more, visit their website, follow @getCDAstanding, share #SitLess #MoveMore #OYF16. (Organizers: Get Canada Standing and Active Working.)

Get Fit, Don’t Sit – May 4, 2016. To learn more, visit their website, follow @AmDiabetesAssn, share #GetFitDontSit #StopDiabetes. (Organizer: American Diabetes Association.)

Join us in making some simple changes so that you spend more time up off of that chair – at work and at home!

Q&A: Standing desks require training, like a marathon?

Q: I’ve seen news reports that say standing at a desk for long stretches can be a health hazard if you don’t build up to it gradually. Do I need to train to use my standing desk, like for a marathon? – Michael M., Graphic Designer

A: In light of recent warnings by the media on the risks of using standing desks for prolonged periods, I’d like to provide my perspective, which is based on years of experience and observation in ergonomics research.

The sad fact is that employees have traditionally had to stand — or sit — for prolonged periods, with no training in proper body mechanics. Early in my own career, I worked in the publishing industry as a photographer, production artist, technical illustrator, and so on. In those roles, I spent a lot of time on my feet. While stools were available, it turned out that sitting didn’t give me the mobility I needed to run back and forth between tasks.

No one suggested I get training on how to work standing up. In fact, now that I think about it, I wasn’t given training on standing before becoming a waitress, factory worker, or amusement park mascot either – and I spent most of one pregnancy hoofing it as a department store clerk. I didn’t suffer from all that standing, but I would certainly have benefited from training, during an employee safety orientation, say.

In contrast, when I had jobs that kept me sedentary, I was miserable with back pain. It was so bad for so long that I considered applying for disability if I couldn’t stay at my job. Can you guess if anyone trained me on the safe way to sit? Afraid not. I had to find the answers on my own, a process that led me into a career as a researcher in human factors and ergonomics.

As a responsible desk manufacturer, Ergotron is at the forefront of scientific research on workplace wellness. In future blog posts we will detail our guidelines for establishing a work routine that helps mitigate the risks of either sitting or standing for long periods.

Carrie Schmitz
Ergotron Senior Manager,
Human Factors and Ergonomics Research,
@giveafig

Disclaimer: Ergotron devices are not intended to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent any disease.

Take your health to new heights at work

Achieving a higher level of health sounds great, but since many of us spend so much time at the workplace, how do we fit in wellness? That’s part of the question that Ergotron aims to help employers answer at the Higher Health Symposium on April 19th at Northwestern Health Sciences University (NHSU) in Bloomington, MN.

Ergotron is partnering with the NHSU and several other notable companies, including Advacare, Corporate Health Systems, Optum and Trig for this event. The day-long forum will highlight new opportunities for improving employee health, wellbeing and productivity.

There’s a lot to be said on the subject and the day’s agenda will be fast-paced. Conference-goers will hear from six unique speakers on all aspects of innovative employee health and wellness. Ergotron will explore the implications of sedentary behavior and ways to make movement a conscious part of everyday life.

Are you a wellness champion? Suggest this event to organization leaders near Bloomington who are ready to take their employees’ health to new heights. There’s still time to register to attend.

We will follow-up after this event with action-able tips from a great lineup of industry professionals, including Jerry Kill, the dynamic former University of Minnesota football coach. Stay tuned for a recap post right after the symposium.

Join the conversation on social channels, using hashtag #HigherHealthSym16.

Office Spaces airing on Lifetime TV

Prepare to see a new take on office design on a new reality show Office Spaces™ which has recently aired on Lifetime Television®, 7AM ET/PT. In this new office makeover-type reality show, acclaimed Interior Designer, Kalyn Rothaus, transforms an outdated warehouse into a sleek, modern office space.

The series has a fresh take on the latest innovations for creating the office of the future, increasing productivity, and sit-stand work environments! You can get in the loop with Office Spaces on social by visiting their Website, Facebook page, Twitter feed (hashtag #officespaces), or watch clips on YouTube.

This show may inspire your next office rebuild.

Scientific concept: learning and movement linked

This is the first in our new series on scientific concepts that explain why standing and moving leads to greater health and mental focus, in the classroom and the workplace.

The part of the brain that processes movement is the same part of the brain that processes learning. Peter Strick and his staff at the Veterans Affairs in Syracuse, NY have traced a pathway from the cerebellum back to parts of the brain involved in memory, attention, and spatial perception. Our brain predicts – or thinks about – our movements before we execute them so that we control them better. Motor activity is preceded by a quick thought process that sets goals, analyzes variables, predicts outcomes and executes movements. This requires widespread connections to all sensory areas of the brain.

Ordinary, non-disruptive activity – such as standing and shifting weight slightly – plays a major role in maintaining body weight, caloric intake, overall health. In addition, low-level movement also ensures better brain function.

For more information about movement and thinking, check out research on the science of sitting and standing.

Simple ways to move more

Remember your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight (21% of us) or exercise more (14%)? Well, if you’re like many January 1st resolvers that researchers tracked, you may have fallen off the wagon by now. Does that describe your situation? BJ Fogg, PhD, Director of Stanford University’s Persuasive Tech Lab, says that tiny habits are what get you big results. For people who are not exercising at all, the most sustainable goal is to simply move more during the day.

Here are four baby steps to help you get a move on – and enjoy a multitude of related health benefits, such as lowering weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Rewards that last a lifetime!

Start small. Start by standing more during the day, maybe during those times that you’ve pinpointed as being most sedentary, such as computer time at work or TV time in the evening. Can just standing possibly make a difference in your health? Yes, research suggests it does! Any amount of activity is better than zero, and can also burn calories. How many calories? Check out our calorie calculator to find out! Often you can burn enough calories each day to dodge the one to two pound weight gain that creeps up on most of us annually.

Select new behaviors. Make a list of a variety of activities that get your body moving. Movement doesn’t have to raise your heart rate, build big muscles, make you sweat, or take place in a gym. Be on the lookout for ways to move more whenever and wherever possible, as part of your normal daily lifestyle. If an activity strikes you as enjoyable as well as healthy, so much the better!

Examples: Ditch labor-saving devices like the TV remote, dishwasher – or even elevators! Get on the floor and roughhouse with your kids or pets. Take up a new family pursuit – bowling, ping-pong, or mini-golf, anyone? Set a timer and see how long you can go before sitting down on the weekend. Do an office mini-circuit of squats, lunges, and chair dips. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes to work so you can go for walking meetings. Bring your fitness band, too, and you’ll be ready to stretch during those long conference calls. The list is endless.

Ramp up. Once you’ve chosen some new habits that you’d like to establish, create small challenges for yourself. For instance, if 10,000 steps a day is your goal, start by adding 500 steps and go up from there. Turn it into a game by using an activity tracker to measure your progress and nudge you on to your end-goal. Remember, nice and easy does it. You’ll hit the recommended 10,000 daily steps before you know it!

Find a buddy. It’s fun to work out with a partner or group; you can encourage each other and rely on the energy of someone else when your own motivation is flagging. You’re less likely to hit the snooze button when a pal – including the four-footed type – is waiting to go for a walk with you. Even if you don’t have a workout partner in real time, you can use social media to connect with others for inspiration or accountability. Or, reach out to health professionals (doctor, nurse, fitness trainer, yoga teacher, etc.) for more guidance.

What are the advantages to dialing in on a couple of tiny tweaks at a time – rather than giant leaps to overhaul sedentary behaviors? They’re easier to implement so you’re more likely to get results. Confidence gained after one success will naturally lead to another, and so on, and so on.