Does your work desk affect your health and productivity?

College Station, TX — People who work at desks may find that switching to a standing desk from a traditional model reduces discomfort – and also boosts productivity, results of a recent study show.

Researchers from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health measured the activity levels and computer use of 61 office workers at a major university over a 10-day period. Participants were placed into three groups based on their workstation: traditional, sit-stand and “stand-biased.” The workers reported any discomfort they felt in 10 different parts of the body – from neck to feet – before the researchers developed potential solutions.

Among the workers using a traditional desk and chair, 80% experienced lower back discomfort. That compared with 52% of those using “stand-biased” desks – defined as a fixed work surface around elbow height while standing in conjunction with a drafting stool or chair with an extended cylinder.

Although the traditional workstation group transitioned significantly more from seated to standing postures, the stand-biased group exerted more energy.

Meanwhile, the stand-biased group logged a significantly higher word count than the traditional workstation group, although it also made more typos, according to a Texas A&M press release. 

“The bottom line is that the risk of health issues from sedentary work can be alleviated through alternative desk options, like sit-stand or stand-biased workstations,” study co-author Kaysey Aguilar, an assistant professor at Texas A&M, said in the release. “These are win-win solutions because they benefit workers’ health while maintaining the high productivity employers expect.”

The study was published online in the journal IISE Transitions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors.