Living a sedentary lifestyle can have serious repercussions on your health. While sitting down for long periods of time is often unavoidable in the workplace, more offices are introducing adjustable desks and chairs to help their employees with their general health and wellbeing.
Here we look at some of the major health benefits of upgrading your office with adjustable desks and chairs:
Back pain is one of the most common health problems in Australia! Simply upgrading your office furniture to adjustable desks and chairs can help improve your employees’ health and wellbeing.
1. Relieves Back Pain
Estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017-18 National Health concluded that up to 4.0 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems! Sitting for long periods of time can put a lot of strain on your spine.
But switching to adjustable desks gives you the option of sitting or standing. Even just one-hour of standing in between sitting can help relieve back pain. If you don’t like the idea of a standing desk, then upgrading your office chair to one with ergonomic features can assist you with proper support and increased comfort.
2. Reduces Stress Levels
It’s inevitable for employees to feel stressed at work every now and then. Sometimes stress can be a motivator which assists with meetings deadlines and quotas, but in some cases it can inhibit productivity and cause emotional fatigue. Introducing adjustable desks and chairs into your office can help employees manage their stress by promoting better posture and enhancing comfort – so they have one less ‘paint point,’ to worry about!
3. Reduces Risks of Poor Health Conditions
Health practitioners suggest that sitting down is now considered the equivalent to smoking! Sitting at a desk all day increases the risk of several chronic health conditions including: obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and even some cancers!
This is because when you’re sitting down, your cardiovascular system does not work as well. As humans, we are designed to move and stay physically active. However, upgrading your office furniture to adjustable desks and chairs can help by encouraging employees to move positions more often. This helps by stimulating blood flow, burning more calories and ultimately lowers risks of developing ongoing health issues.
4. Enhances Concentration
Keeping your mind active is extremely important, particularly as you age. While adjustable desks and chairs urges employees to move about more, this also improves concentration levels through elevated blood flow. Standing up helps by pumping blood around your body and to your brain, and thereby increasing your brain function. While adjusting positions might take employees some time to get used to, the chances are that this will help boost their productivity in the workplace, helping them feel more alert and ready to face the work week ahead.
5. Improves Energy & Mood
Adjustable desks and chairs appear to have positive effects on people’s energy and moods. In one 7-week study, participants using standing desks reported less stress and fatigue than those who were seated during their work days. 87% of those using standing desks reported increased vigor and better energy levels throughout the day. But upon returning to a seated desk, overall moods reverted to their original levels. This implies that a sedentary lifestyle is linked to anxiety and depression as well as other mental health problems. Having adjustable chairs and desks in place benefits your employees by giving them the freedom to work how they like throughout their workdays – whether that’s sitting, standing or both!
Looking to fitout your office or educational institution with adjustable desks and chairs to improve health, optimise comfort and productivity? All Storage Systems have several options available.
To find out more information on the benefits of upgrading to adjustable furniture in the workplace, talk to our friendly team on 1800 772 726 or email sales@allstoragestystems.com.au.
