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Get insights into the benefits of sit-stand desk solutions, including three delivery models that can deliver return on investment and potentially lower healthcare and workers’ compensation costs. In 1995, I was on my belly, dragging a body through the sand for 25 yards under an 18-inch “ceiling” of barbed wire when I wrenched my back. I was training to become a Medical Service Corps officer and had to learn how to carry a wounded soldier while crawling on the ground. 
After serving my country, I entered civilian life with a corporate job. To combat my back pain, I started standing at my workstation. I found that I had more energy, so I stood more. My employer saw me standing and got me a height-adjustable desk. Using it, I felt focused, alert and productive, and my back pain subsided. I was hooked. Today, employers have evolved into three camps related to sit-stand solutions: those who see the value and provide sit-stand desks to virtually everyone; those who offer sit-stand desks and provide them to those who request it; and those who only provide sit-stand desks to employees based on medical accommodation, typically requiring a doctor’s note.
Apple, Google and Facebook, three of the most valuable companies of all-time, provide height-adjustable desks to all or most of their employees, subscribing to the “all in” strategy for several reasons:
To gain the best results, the sit-stand solution must be used correctly. The device must be programmed for the proper ergonomic settings for sitting and standing based on each employee’s height. Users also need to know how often to transition between sitting and standing throughout the day. Unfortunately, in most cases, little or no training is given to employees about how to properly use their new height-adjustable devices, which could result in the device going unused, being used ineffectively or possibly causing even further injury. Even if the employer hires an ergonomist to work with employees, the device won’t be effective if the employees cannot recall the instructions, such as the correct sitting and standing heights based on their personal needs. Making it easy for your employees to properly use sit-stand desks will help ensure that your company will reap the financial and injury-prevention benefits. There’s no easier or more effective adjustable-height device than a set of electric legs that slide under an existing work surface. The electric operation puts no physical strain on the user’s neck, shoulder and back muscles, unlike desk-on-desk devices, which require the user to bend over and lift the device up to raise it and push it down to lower it. This exposes the lower back and other muscles to a possible pull or a strain. These are the areas you are trying to protect from injury. Starting at around $400, a set of electric legs has become quite affordable. An added benefit of electric height-adjustable devices is that most of them have the ability to store each user’s proper height settings for sitting and standing. Users simply push the button or use a mobile app (if available) to adjust their desks to the proper heights. Using the built-in settings and a mobile app makes transitioning to the user’s proper sitting and standing heights faster and easier, which helps ensure appropriate usage. Proper usage helps reap wellness and productivity benefits while helping to prevent potentially wasted costs of the device going unused.
A smartphone or desktop app teaches employees how to properly use their sit-stand devices, including:
Potential results: Employees become engaged in their sit-stand progress and gain the benefits of their sit-stand solutions.
Measuring employee usage of sit-stand devices is critical to determining the overall benefits. Organizing friendly competitions will give you insights as to which employees are properly using their sit-stand desks. Is it 90 percent? Is it only 30 percent? You don’t know unless you track and measure. The best sit-stand solutions make it easy for you by automating this task. Friendly competitions using group gamification can boost employee morale while increasing the effectiveness of the sit-stand devices for each user. For example, set up a competition to see which department’s workers can come closest to the desired target of 10 sitting-standing daily transitions for one month. Alternatively, departments can compete for the most calories burned in total in a week. Offering rewards makes the competition more fun. Potential Results: **By getting employees to properly use their sit-stand desks, they will be more productive, engaged and healthier, resulting in fewer healthcare-related costs and lower absenteeism.**
Reduce Health Insurance and Worker’s Comp Costs Utilize the usage data you’ve collected as a tool to lower your company’s health insurance premiums and/or worker’s compensation costs. Analyze your employee data by sorting it into groups: those with the sit-stand devices and those without. Compare to determine if the sit-stand group has seen a reduction in healthcare and worker’s compensation costs. If the sit-stand group shows lower costs in those categories than the other, then you have a case to request lower insurance premiums. Utilizing a solution that does the measurement for you makes it quick and efficient. Potential Results: Statistical data can help you fight for lower healthcare premiums and worker’s compensation costs.
Sidebar: Tips for Choosing the Right Sit-Stand Desk