Variohm Eurosensor; An Update on our Standing Desks.

As you may have read in our previous blog post, all of our employees have been offered a standing desk. Here is an update on how we are adapting to the change.

In November 2014, we came across an article in the paper explaining the benefits of standing during the day rather than sitting. This article explained that standing up more often can decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease and heart attack. It also explained that standing up burns up to 0.7 calories more per minute than sitting.

Now that we have been standing for six months, we thought we’d give you an update on our progress.

Working at a Standing Desk

We started, in November, with six employees requesting standing up desks, but since then we have had more employees interested. We now have ten employees with their own custom measured desk risers so that they can stand whilst completing everyday working tasks.

Most of our employees have chosen to stand for general health and mobility reasons, Cathy our Operations Director and Ben in our accounts department have both struggled with back problems in the past and have found standing to be a great help. Ben says “It was difficult at first but I wouldn’t change back”

All of our standing employees have commented on the amount of energy they have – particularly in the afternoons. Cathy says “I think it makes you more engaged on the phone as you are more alert”.

 It has also helped to give people better posture and, as standing burns more calories than sitting, we’ve also had comments on how much warmer people are feeling – some of us have even lost a few pounds.

Getting the Right Balance of Sitting and Standing

As you can imagine, going straight from sitting all day to standing all day can be uncomfortable. Our employees have had to find a balance which is right for them when it comes to adapting to a standing desk. Alan Disbery, our Herga Sales manager says “I like to mix it up.  When you have been used to sitting for long periods, standing for long periods can also have an uncomfortable effect.”

Alison, our Digital Marketing Co-ordinator says “For the first couple of weeks my feet really hurt, but now my body is used to it. As long as I make sure I have breaks during the day I feel fine.”

Our employees have also found that standing during the day gives them more energy throughout the evening. Helly, our Returns administrator says “I have noticed I am more active when I get home from work and do not want to just sit and watch TV like I used to.”

Overall we have found standing at work to be successful. We get the occasional odd look from office visitors but most people are intrigued by the idea so we’ve found it to be a great way to break the ice.

Do you have the option to stand up at work? We’d love to know your thoughts.