Mike Chitwood, a certified ergonomic assessment specialist at St. Elizabeth Business Health Services, explains adjustable (or stand-up) work stations and their benefits.
Why they’re good:
Research has connected an excessively sedentary lifestyle with things you don’t want to take sitting down like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. You can add backaches, neck aches, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel and eyestrain.
Since we spend so many of our waking hours at work, it makes sense to look for opportunities to break that up. If you have a traditional work station – desk, chair, computer – try to find ways to get up and around, like walking to a colleague’s office instead of sending an email, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
But if you can, look into an adjustable work station that allows you to stand while keeping your keyboard and screen at ergonomically correct positions.
“It allows people to get out of the seated positions we get stuck in,” said Chitwood, also a licensed occupational therapist. “We’re not made to spend long periods of time sitting down. We’re meant to move around and be in different positions.”
Who has them?
“A lot depends on the company and how flexible they are with their work areas,” Chitwood said. “Some companies can be very conservative, and some feel like if they open that door, then it’s something that’s going to cost them a lot of money.”
Anecdotally, Chitwood said it seems employers in creative segments, like advertising or software-design, tend to be more progressive in terms of work stations. “It’s not your typical, quote-unquote administrative setting,” he said. They’re also growing in popularity with people who work from home.
How much do they cost?
Simple tabletop models like FlexiSpot and X-Elite are available on Amazon for less than $300; Executive Office Solutions’ portable stand is less than $100. More sophisticated models from office furniture vendors run into the thousands.
“Like anything else, you probably get what you pay for,” Chitwood said. “If it’s something that you’re using alone, maybe a few hundred dollars to make you more comfortable is good. If you’re in a business where that station is going to be in use in three shifts, 24 hours a day, maybe that isn’t going to hold up.”
What to look for:
Per St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s partners at the Mayo Clinic, when working at a standing workstation, you want the top of your monitor at or just below eye level; your upper arms to be in tight to your body; your wrists straight and hands at or below elbow level; your head, neck and torso to be in line; and both keyboard and mouse on the same surface. Chitwood said to look at workstations as you’d look at office chairs or gym shoes: Try them out first, and the more adjustable they are, the better.
The last word:
Chitwood said he understands why some companies may be reluctant to embrace adjustable work stations, but is a big believer in the payoff.
“You see employees become much more productive. The quality of their work increases. You have much happier employees. Morale is better, and turnover decreases. So maybe it’s not how much it’s going to cost you, but how much it’s going to benefit you.”
