A lot of people think that sitting down in front of the computer screen all day can be beneficial to your body. But the truth in the matter is that sitting all can have serious repercussions to your health. Research shows that sitting for long periods can affect people with health problems. It could lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome and a number of conditions which are increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.
According to Fastcodesign, 85% of workers are experiencing discomfort on their desk jobs particularly where they can’t change postures during the day. The best way to prevent those health issues is to change postures alternatively, moving from time to time sitting to standing and even sitting at a stool height counter. The ideal person for a sit-stand desk is someone who is connected to a computer at a desk and can’t just get up to alternate postures.
More companies are now looking after the wellbeing in the workplace. Thus, the adjustable standing desks (or stand-up desks or sit-to-stand desks or height adjustable desks) are becoming necessary for the employees.
So, if you're using a standing workstation, you've made the right choice that might improve your health. To explore the right sit-stand desks there are factors to consider: Are height adjustable desks fitted for the specific person? Which height adjustable standing desk is best? What is the price range? And can the ROI on stand-up desks turn around and guarantee of their usage?
Another essential factor is the method which to arrange the roll out of sit-stand desks in the office. If having the right budget and giving every employee a height adjustable desk, but sometimes that is not the case. A practical solution is sharing sit-stand workstations throughout the office to use as needed. Finally, many companies opted to have a stand-up desk for employees with medical issues that needs them.
In order to find the right standing desk suitable for the employees there are some factors to be considered:
Posture
Align your head, neck, torso and legs vertically with the standing desk. When shifting your weight from foot to foot, a footrest is ideal. Also, wearing shoes that provide proper support is recommended.
Desk
A desk should be deep enough to allow the monitor to be directly in front of your eyes and minimum distance of approximately 20 inches (51 centimeters) away. It needs to keep the wrists straight and hands slightly below the level of the elbows. The ideal desk should a rounded front to prevent pressure on the wrists.
Monitor
Put the monitor directly in front of you. It should be an arm's length away. The top of the screen is slightly below eye level. If wearing eyeglasses, place the monitor lower to an additional 1 to 2 inches to have a better viewing. Position the monitor so that the brightest light source will not distort the image.
If dual monitors, the placement of the monitors will depend on how much time spent on each monitor and the type of work. If using both monitors simultaneously, put them closer together with the edges adjacent to each other. If one monitor is used more than the other, put that monitor in front of you and the other monitor to the side of the desk.
Keyboard and mouse
Put mouse and keyboard on the same table surface area and keep them close by for easy access. When typing or clicking your mouse, keep the wrists straight, upper arms close to the body, and hands at little below the level of the elbows. Utilize the keyboard shortcuts to minimize mouse usage. Switch hands when using the mouse by moving it to the other side of the keyboard.
Key items
Keep key items — such as telephone, stapler or printed materials — close to you to minimize too much stretching.
Telephone
If talking to the phone is a must, place it on speaker mode or use a headset instead of cradling the phone between your head and neck.
Now that you considered the proper office ergonomics for a standing workstation, like for example the correct desk height and the proper computer placement. Let’s start converting the standing workstation to be more comfortable and affordable.
Here are 11 things to consider when choosing a height adjustable desk:
- Height range
BIFMA recommend a range being 22.6″ to 48.7″. However, this will depend on the height and needs of the person utilizing the desk. If it is a shared sit-stand desk, the best way is to find a desk with a variety of height range.
- Depth
A 30″ depth should set as a minimum. But sometimes people want to spread out their work. Keep in mind there are plenty of options for the area of the work surface.
- Noise
Does the mechanism of the standing desk too loud or is it unobtrusive? Too much noise can disturb other workers in doing their jobs and should be removed.
- Ease of movement
There are a number of methods to raise and lower desks. There are the hand cranks type, electric motor equipped type and the pneumatic lifts. The latter two are the most noiseless, efficient, and easy to use.
- Speed
How fast does it raised or lowered? The quicker the speed, the more frequent people will adjust their worksurfaces throughout the day.
- Power
Choosing a height adjustable desk should have power that is easily accessible to electricity.
- Leg fatigue
One frequent complaint from people having a sit-stand desks is that their legs get tired standing. Sometimes using supportive shoes, adding a footrest to support one foot while standing, adding a cushion and slowly building up their standing tolerance by slowly adding to the time they stand.
- Weight
Each desk has weight restrictions, ensure the weight of the equipment is within the tolerable range where the desk can handle.
- Programmability
Some desks are programmed to different settings to make them easy to have the proper ergonomics every time. The Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desks by Flexispot have such functions.
- Functionality
The aesthetic of the standing desk should fit with your office environment. Also, having privacy screens lighting or tool rails are important factors in their usability.
- Price range
Of course, affordability of the standing desks is an important factor in choosing the right one. The best consideration is to balance functionality using the above factors with your office setup.
Felixispot products offer a variety of options for today’s modern office taking into consideration affordability and function. This is a good time to consider a sit-stand desk for your office environment. There’s a lot to choose from in the market right now and with the right criteria you can make a great investment!
Regardless, when choosing an adjustable height desk, keep in mind on the benefits the workers will get using the equipment and how happy they will in working for your company.
