Desk converters have taken workplaces by storm. These simple-looking devices offer tremendous benefits to users. When employee health, safety, and well-being are a prime concern for employers, desk converters are nothing short of a blessing.
Desk converters aren't just helping safeguard employee well-being at work. It's also helping remote employees ensure that they aren't putting themselves at risk of developing consequences of sitting in an incorrect posture for too long.
If you're new to desk converters and aren't sure what they are, fret not. We're here to explain what desk converters are, how they benefit you, and how you can ensure that you're choosing the right desk converter.
Benefits of a Desk Converter
A desk converter converts a standard work desk into a standing desk. This means that you can use a standard workstation to alternate between sitting and standing so that you aren't in the same posture for a prolonged duration. Standing and sitting in the wrong posture for long hours is equally harmful to you, and your best bet at safeguarding your health, safety, and well-being is to alternate between these two positions at work.
Below are some ways in which a desk converter benefits you:
Affordable Investments for Your Health and Well-Being
Most experts suggest you invest in ergonomic workstations so that your work desk is at the right height for you and you don't have to sit or stand in awkward postures. If the work desk is too high for you, you'll have to sit with an extended back and neck to reach the desk's surface. If the desk is too low for you, you'll have to sit with your head bent forward and your back curved. These postures can strain your back, shoulder, and neck muscles and put you at risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders. Ergonomic standing desks allow you to sit and work with your desk adjusted to the right height and then alternate efficiently between sitting and standing. Ergonomic desks are the ultimate solution, but the problem with them is the cost.
This is where desk converters come into play. These are available at a fraction of the cost and offer more or less the same functionality as standing desks. These converters can be lowered to allow you to use your desk as a standard sitting desk and raised to convert your desk into a standing desk, reducing the risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Helps Prevent Consequences of Prolonged Sitting
Posture-related musculoskeletal disorders aren’t the only risk of sitting in an incorrect posture for long hours. Prolonged sitting can also put you at risk of numerous other problems like excessive weight gain, slow metabolism, and digestion problems. However, when you alternate between sitting and standing at work using a desk converter, you're able to steer clear of all these consequences associated with prolonged sitting.
Decreases the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Prolonged sitting increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack. Blood starts to pool in your feet when you're sitting for long hours. This is because immobility hinders smooth blood flow to and from the legs. When the blood pools in the feet, the available blood volume for the rest of the body is reduced, and the heart has to work harder to deliver sufficient oxygen to all body parts.
When you're standing, continuous micro-movements in the leg muscles ensure a smooth blood flow and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Using a desk converter to alternate between sitting and standing decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases by ensuring a healthy and smooth blood flow throughout the body.
Decreases the Risk of Type-2 Diabetes
Did you know prolonged sitting puts you at risk of type-2 diabetes? Well, it does! Immobility and lack of physical activity slow down the metabolism, which can cause an insulin imbalance, thereby putting you at risk of type-2 diabetes. Alternating between sitting and standing using a desk converter activates the cellular and muscular systems to actively moderate insulin levels, which decreases the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Enhances Productivity
Too much of anything, be it sitting or standing, isn't good for health. If you sit or stand for too long, you'll start to feel tired and exhausted, and this will come in the way of your productivity at work. However, a desk converter will enable you to use a standard desk as a sit-stand workstation that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing at work. This ensures you don't get tired from staying in the same posture for too long, and this boosts your productivity and efficiency.
Choosing the Right Desk Converter for Your Workstation
Not all desk converters are the same, meaning not all of them will suit you. To reap the maximum benefit from desk converters, you must choose the right one. If you buy a desk converter that doesn't really change things for you at work, there's no point in spending your money.
Our tips below will help you choose the right desk converter for your workstation.
Evaluate the Utility
The first and most important tip when buying a desk converter is to evaluate the utility. By utility, we mean to evaluate what you'll use the converter for. Do you use a laptop or a desktop computer? Desk converters for laptops and desk computers are different. A converter that's designed for a laptop won't be suitable to be used with a desktop computer and vice versa. Choose a desk converter that's suitable for the type of device you use.
Evaluate the Type of Converter
The next important consideration when looking for the right desk converter is the type of desk converter. Different desk converters are available today, including mechanical spring adjustment types, gas-spring adjustment, and electrical types. Spring and gas-spring adjustment types come with a mechanical lever that you can operate to lower or raise the converter. The electrical type of desk converters is more convenient. You can operate an electrical desk converter like Motorized AlcoveRiser EM7 through an electrical control panel.
Evaluate Ergonomics
Ergonomics has to be the most important factor when choosing a desk converter. Most manual desk converters feature a raising arc movement. It means that you've got to lean forward and pull the converter up manually. Leaning forward and lifting the converter (with the weight of the computer) puts you at the risk of muscle strain and fatigue, and you may end up with a hurting back. Electrical desk converters offer better ergonomics and are, therefore, a better option.
Check Monitor Mounting Options
Don't forget to check whether the desk converter has monitor mounting options or not if you use a desktop computer. Some desk converters come with monitor clamps that you've got to attach to the desk converter yourself. These clamps hold the monitor in place at a height and distance that suits you best. This leaves a lingering risk of the monitor falling off due to the clamp's failure to hold the weight. To prevent this from happening, look for desk converters with built-in monitor mounting arms to mitigate the risk of clamp falling.
Evaluate Safety
Not all desk converters are safe. Some cheap desk converters may need help to hold the weight of your computer and may collapse. You need to evaluate the desk converter's safety features before buying it. If you're buying a manual desk converter, look for the safety latch and see if it engages properly when you lift the converter. Electric desk converters are generally safer, with advanced non-tempering and strong motors to ensure the converter holds its position securely.
Consider Your Height
One of the most neglected factors when choosing a desk converter is the user's height. If the maximum height to which the desk converter can be raised, and it's still not the ideal height for the user, the desk converter is useless for the user. The user will still have to bent to be able to use the computer. Make sure you evaluate closely whether the desk converter's maximum height is suitable for you. Taller individuals should look for higher desk converters, so they don't have to stand and work in an incorrect posture.
Closing Word
Desk converters are the most under-appreciated tools in the world of ergonomics. They're too simple, yet their benefits aren't the simplest. A desk converter might be the missing piece of the puzzle to an ergonomic workstation.
