A misleading news story misses the point of standing desks (although burning a few extra calories is always welcome).
When journalists write a headline, they do so to grab attention and create controversy, and it was no different when the Daily Mail ran an article claiming ‘standing desks are not better’. The newspaper chose to focus on their weight loss element, trying to sensationalise the fact that those using a standing desk burn only nine more calories an hour than colleagues at a seated desk.
Desks are not a slimming aid.....
We don’t think anyone in the world of furniture design or commercial office design has suggested that standing desks lead to a slimmer physique. Of course, by merely being on your feet you’ll burn more calories but the focus of the article was unfairly weighted and glossed over some real benefits of standing to work.
....but they will keep your healthy
We can all increase our life expectancy, lower our diabetes risk and cut the chances of cancer by ending our predisposition to a sedentary lifestyle. A report co-commissioned by Public Health England recommends workers should be on their feet for four hours of the working day and standing desks are an easy way of meeting this target. You can read more about the recommendations here, and our blog on the sit-stand revolution contains some really meaty research that endorses standing more in the workplace.
Find a happy medium
Standing to work means breaking the habit of a lifetime, so while the health benefits are numerous, you can’t expect your office to switch to a sit-stand arrangement overnight. A compromise is to abandon the traditional fixed set up where people sit at the same desk every day and adopt a more hot desking environment where a mix of seated and sit-stand desks are available. Or invest in adjustable desks that switch between heights according to an individual’s needs. Ask us about rebalancing your desk set up by way of commercial office refurbishment.