Whether you have two employees or two hundred, employee health matters. Employees who eat healthily and exercise have higher job performance and take fewer sick days.
But let's say the job requires long hours in the office. How can you encourage healthy habits while your employees are at work? The answer is simple: give them the ability to improve health while at work.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can incorporate healthy habits into your workplace. A standing desk, for example, has huge impacts on an employee's day.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of a standing desk.
Why Should Employees Stand While Working?
Most people probably know that they should move around during the day. Sitting for too long causes all kinds of health issues. But employees may become absorbed in their work and forget to get up and move around.
Standing desks that adjust, like the latest ergonomic office products, allow a lot of flexibility for employees to stand and sit during the day. These hassle-free desks can also convert regular desks into standing desks.
Here are some ways that a standing desk can improve overall employee health.
1. Reduce Pain
Poor posture while sitting can lead to neck and back pain. This comes from slouching, or a monitor that is positioned too high or too low. A study found that standing for just about one hour per day reduced overall neck and back pain.
2. Increased Productivity
Undoubtedly, standing desks are an adjustment. You may fear that employees will be distracted and unable to do their jobs while standing.
In fact, the opposite is true. Standing desks increase overall alertness and therefore increase productivity.
3. Lower Health Risks
There are all kinds of risks associated with sitting too long, including heart disease and obesity. It is well-known that a sedentary lifestyle is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to an active lifestyle.
Standing for even short periods per day burns calories. Employees will burn about 50 calories an hour. Think of the calories that can be burned over a day or even a week!
Standing for a portion of the day will also decrease blood sugar levels. This leads to a reduced risk for Type 2 diabetes.
4. Improve Morale
Employees will have an increased sense of wellness if they stand while working. They will gain energy and have a better mood as a result.
Employees will feel more focused and less stressed with the option to stand during the workday. Overall, this will lead to a more positive attitude in the workplace.
5. Increased Lifespan
Research shows that sitting more than six hours per day is linked to risk of early death compared to people who sit only three hours per day. This is regardless of how active the person may be outside of work.
The workplace is a great way to provide intervention in the amount of time spent sitting. Giving employees a standing desk or a sit-stand desk will provide them with control.
Improve Health With a Standing Desk
As you look at ways to improve health for your employees in the workplace, consider standing desks. They are a straightforward solution that offer a lot of health benefits in the workplace, even if you're working from your home office.
You can read more on our site in the business and entrepreneurship categories. We publish plenty of powerful articles on workplace wellness, entrepreneur health, and ergonomic office furniture among other related topics here on Bootstrap Business.
