Are sit-stand desks just another fad?

Do you follow fads or avoid them?

Do you jump in and embrace chia seeds and kale for breakfast? Or do you stick with your porridge?

Whatever your fad-penchant, at some point all fads either fade or become the new norm. Either they live or they die.

And what do you make of sit-to-stand desks? Are they a fad? In a few years will you wonder why you ever specified them?

Time will tell. But the consensus is sit-to-stand desks are here to stay. Because they offer a better way to work.

Here’s why.

What science tells us

These days everyone spends a lot of time sitting. At the office, at home. We all sit a lot. And you probably know that too much sitting is bad for you. Too much sitting can even reduce your lifespan.

Getting up out for your chair, and off your butt, is the obvious antidote for too much sitting. Studies show that no matter what your total sitting time is, regular interruptions from sitting can dramatically improve your health and wellbeing, as well as your productivity. Research recommends a mix of sitting, standing, and moving throughout the workday – and not too much of any one activity. Everything in moderation.

So the science is there. If you want to be healthy at work then you need to sit less. Hence the rise in popularity of the sit-stand desk. And one reason they won’t just be another fad.

Standing made easy

Sit-stand desks aren’t new – they’ve been around for decades.

The problem with early models has been the effort required to go from sitting to standing – a difference in height of 400-500mm. Desks using screw thread or hydraulic adjustments are way too slow. And if adjusting the desks takes too long or is too much of a pain, then people won’t make the adjustments.

If you don’t make the adjustments you don’t get the benefits. And the most benefit is gained by spending some time standing every hour.

For sit-stand desks to be more than a fad, they have to be super quick and easy to adjust.

The latest adjustment mechanisms enable simple, virtually instant height adjustment. Using a counterbalance gas-spring mechanism these desks can go from lowest to highest position in 0.9 seconds. The desk height can be changed as quickly as you can stand up or sit down. Crestline’s Aktiv Worksystem is one example.

More than a fad

Most fads pass. But some stick. The sticky ones generally fulfil unmet needs. They solve a problem.

That’s why sit-stand desks will stay. They’re a design solution to meet the fundamental need for people to adopt a variety of postures throughout their day.

And now with products on the market that make adjustments fast and easy they’re a viable design solution.

Stand up, sit less. Move more. More often.

At Crestline we have a range of sit-stand desk options. Want to find out more or arrange a trial? Give us a call on 07 855 9932 or email info@crestline.co.nz