Making the decision to spend big dollars on ergonomic furniture for the workplace can be a hard thing to process. Is it worthwhile? Will it benefit you and your staff?

Strong connections have been established between occupational sitting and negative health outcomes. Of these, neck and back pain are common problems that arise from prolonged sitting time at work. Headaches, sciatica, shoulder injuries and hip pain can all be a result of occupational sitting. Sit stand desks provide an opportunity for workplaces to reduce their sitting time and ultimately improve their health.

Several studies have found that workers felt more productive, energized and less stressed as a result of working with sit stand desks. Organisations looking to include sit stand desks as part of their health and wellness programs need to balance the costs of new ergonomic furniture against potential productivity gains. 

An important indicator to consider is productivity/days lost as a result of staff absenteeism or workers taking time off due to muscular injury. These are injuries that can potentially be avoided with proper education and review of an employees workstation. 

So is it worth the investment? My answer is not so simple. It depends. If the employee is regularly suffering from muscle aches and low back pain that is attributed to their working postures (in particular, occupation sitting) then a sit stand desk might be a cost effective tool in managing their pain. However other alternatives are also available, such as;

• Taking regular breaks from the workstation to break the sitting cycle
• Take informal meetings away from the office
• Stand during telephone meetings 
• Position a communal bin or water station away from workers desks to encourage them to get up to remove rubbish or get a drink of water.
• Join a lunchtime yoga class or start a walking group during your lunch break.