Doctors around the world believe that there’s been a major shift in the human demographic in the last 150 years. And this has more to do with our interaction with the physical environment than the other way around. People now walk less, sit more and have a huge dependency on technology. All of which is leading to burning fewer calories than previous generations.
Since work too has become largely sedentary over the past several decades, employees now face a new form of health risk. Risk which originates from sitting at their desks/work-stations. Medical research centred around wellness at workplaces supplements the notion, clearly highlighting a high correlation between sitting and obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
One reason is that work today is less physically engaging than it was in the 60s or 70s. A classic example is how we place ourselves in our chairs after reaching office. It’s almost akin to parking our cars in the parking lot – transactional and mechanised, devoid of any movement. And this has indeed led to some fatal results; there are thousands of deaths every year due to physical inactivity. Data have also led to believe that physical inactivity at work increases the incidence of over two dozen unhealthy conditions. Most of which, if not all, happen to be in the chronic diseases spectrum.
The answer? A radical course correction in workplace health by incorporating active workplace theories into the design process. Simply put, these are practices and processes that reduce risk by adapting behaviour-led workplace design; in turn increasing physical activity and healthy habits at work.
Standing up to the challenge
One of the highly preferred active workplace proposals is the sit- stand workstation/office. A modern solution to inactivity where the employees have the choice to work while being seated or standing. An easy way to accomplish this is by raising the furniture on cinder blocks. Else, basic tweaks can also be tried like raising and lowering the mouse, keyboard and monitor using an extending arm attached to a fixed height desk or work surface. Moving the desktop or work surface up and down using an electric motor, hand crank or pneumatic action can also do the trick. Workers could adapt to a sit/stand routine with a work surface at counter-height and a stool. Treadmills and stationery bicycles can be considered, too. For all the flexibility and versatility sit/stand offers, it’s often referred to as active workstation or active office.
Sit-stand provides a good break from sitting and aids posture, besides alleviating musculoskeletal soreness associated with all-day sitting. The best part? The sit-stand workstation variations can be leveraged for short periods of time to break up the day.
The workspace scenario in the past generations was relatively better in the sense that it involved regular standing up and moving the body’s muscles, which is missing from today’s world of computers, desk jobs, and TVs. The solution is to add micro-level of non-exercise related activity into the daily routine. For example, simply standing up triples the energy expenditure compared with sitting. And since a slow (1.5 km/h) walk triggers more than half the metabolic activity of a brisk (5 km/h) walk, a leisurely hour-long stroll burns more calories than an intense 30-minute power walk.
Exactly what active workplace design interventions promise to achieve.
Going back to the drawing board
Contemporary architects and designers are making product and materials choices that are futuristic, reduce energy consumption, and are inspired by innovation. Though thus purged of toxins and chemical hazards, the irony today is that office environments still pose a risk to workers – through the very chairs, desks and workstations where they work – against which they are defenceless.
In terms of ROI, active workplaces help majorly cut down healthcare costs while providing a speedy return on investment. From an employee well-being standpoint, it’s just as important as bringing furniture and accessories that enable activity to individual workstations.
However, like all other proposed transformations sit-stand practices will only become inclusive when workers decide on their own to make the change. And in all faith, they will do so because once they try it, there’s no undoing it – they like it and simply because it works. They will stick with it because they feel better, get more done in less time and leave the office with still enough energy to do more in the evening than simply crashing on the sofa, completely drained.
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