There has been a lot of information published recently about the perils of sitting all day while at work and let me preface this by saying that I am writing this article while standing at my computer. That being said, is it truly necessary or even healthy to stand all day while working? As a partner in Jaymil Ergo and Office Solutions a leading workplace ergonomics company, I will provide the proper perspective on this issue.

The evidence on the surface may seem irrefutable –

• According to Just Stand.org in a study conducted by The American Cancer Society, 37 percent of women who sat over 6 hours daily were more likely to die during the time period of the study than those that sat for less than 3 hours.

• And, in an article written by Bill Phillips and the editors of Men’s Health “according to a study published in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise research journal, scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.”

Based on this information, this should definitely encourage people to stand while working whenever possible. However, another factor to consider is the potential ramifications to standing all day while at work. Consider for example, employees who work (standing) on an assembly line, machine operators, cashiers or toll booth collectors.

• According to Canadian Women’s Health Network, the effects of standing all day can be manifested virtually immediately and prolonged standing and walking causes or makes health problems worse and soft tissue injuries including:

o swollen or painful feet or legs;

o bunions;

o plantar fasciitis (inflamed connective tissue that goes from heel to toe, supporting the arch);

o stretched Achilles tendon (tendinitis);

o varicose veins;

o knee problems;

o low back pain;

o neck and shoulder stiffness;

o poor posture (and its effects);

o restricted blood flow;

o increased chance of knee or hip arthritis

o muscle soreness and fatigue.

• And, in an article published by Cornell University’s Ergonomics Department, standing to work can increase the risk of varicose veins and also lead to a nine fold increase in the risk of carotid atherosclerosis due to the additional load on the circulatory system.

In fact, we install a significant number of anti-fatigue mats and leaning stools in many organizations to mitigate these risks.

Proper ergonomics dictates that we avoid any type of repetitive motion to avoid potential injuries. Ideally for example, you would want to mouse using both hands and ensure that your shoulders are relaxed, elbows are slightly beyond 90 degrees and your wrists are at a slightly negative tilt while doing computer work – whether you are sitting or standing.

So is it better to sit or stand? As you may have surmised, the answer is that the ideal solution is a combination of the two. There are various schools of thought as to the frequency in which they should be done. One theory is to vary your position every twenty minutes, another is to stand for “as long as you can” (assuming it is at least twenty minutes) and when you feel some fatigue, change to a sitting position. This will also increase your productivity as discussed in a study conducted by Cornell University’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory.

An electric sit to stand work station is the ideal application to address this We have seen a significant increase in interest and demand for electric sit to stand solutions for a number of compelling reasons

The cost of the units has declined significantly making it an affordable option especially when you consider the potential long term benefits.

• Their ability to quickly adjust the height of the work surface at the touch of a button.

• Increased options in work surface design and color selection.

• The option of acquiring the mechanism alone and fitting it onto existing furniture.

This initiative has been prevalent in Europe for quite some time. In fact, since 2005, over 90% of all desks installed in Danish offices are sit-stand designs.

In summary, there is significant health benefits associated with standing at work but the most beneficial scenario is to vary your position throughout the day from sit to stand. We would encourage you to consider this option. It could save your life.


Mike Kind is the author of this article on Standing Desks. Find more information on Ergonomic Products here