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6 Ways to Get Your Employees Moving at Work

As offices begin to reopen, office managers will once again face the ongoing challenge of keeping employees healthy, active, and engaged while at work.

Moving during the day is critical for health and wellness. Sedentary workers are at higher risk for long-term health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and strokes. Meanwhile, research has repeatedly shown that regular movement throughout the day increases productivity, quality of work, and overall happiness.

Moving throughout the day is also a meaningful way to combat the adverse side effects of a desk job, which are at least partially a consequence of the tremendous stress that maintaining one position for hours puts on the body. Some of the strategies to combat this single-position stress include taking walks throughout the day and using a standing desk. In this blog article, we’ll describe six steps managers can take to promote health, wellness, and movement in the workplace.

1. Invest in Ergonomic Seating

Studies suggest that sitting isn’t necessarily a problem for workers. After all, sitting not only promotes focus and productivity but also allows the body to rest. However, sitting becomes a problem when workers sit in chairs that don’t correctly properly support their hips, back, and spine. As a result, many workers suffer from pain, discomfort, and dysfunction.

Ergonomic options make the act of sitting healthier and more sustainable for office workers. Ergonomic chairs are designed to adapt to the user’s needs and support the various joints and muscles in a variety of seated positions. A quality ergonomic chair should allow the user to at least adjust seat height, seat depth, and lumbar support.

2. Choose Height-Adjustable Desks

As we mentioned, one reason why sedentary work causes so many health problems is the strain of staying in the same position for hours on end. So, even though standing isn’t technically a form of exercise, even just alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day can prevent single-position stress and ease the burden on muscles and joints.

Not only that, but standing activates more muscle groups and causes you to burn more calories per hour than sitting. So, helping employees alternate between sitting and standing is a great way to increase employee movement at work, and a height-adjustable or “standing desk” is the best way to do it. Innovative height adjustable desking solutions like our Zen collection combine height adjustability with other valuable features like optional privacy screens and Bluetooth capabilities. And when you use our app integration with a ZGO Solutions standing desk, you can set prompts to remind you to stand while working and receive a personalized report of how many calories you burned throughout the day.

3. Offer Flexible Workstations

One of the best ways to promote employee activity in the office is to design your workspace with flexible working options. Standing workstations and group worktables not only promote intentional collaboration but also give people an easy reason to get up and move around. Plus, strategic collaborative workstations help teams focus, build trust, and work efficiently as a group.

For a flexible desking solution that’s available in back-to-back and benching configurations, check out our Harbor collection.

4. Make Daily Walks Part of Company Culture

Making low-impact exercise part of the company culture is one of the easiest and surest ways to promote employee wellness. Many employees don’t make time for exercise during the day because they don’t want to be seen as unproductive, especially if they don’t see other employees devoting time to fitness. Employees also may simply not be in the habit of scheduling active time into their day.

A daily lunchtime walk, for example, is accessible, inclusive, and easy for employees to join. By scheduling company walks on a team-wide, department-wide, or company-wide basis, you’re not only signaling to employees that you care about their health but also removing the biggest obstacles that prevent employees from staying active. And you’ll probably find that the time away from their desks improves employee productivity, focus, and morale, not to mention creating a daily opportunity for bonding and teambuilding.

5. Sponsor an Employee Wellness Program

Incentivized wellness programs are a proven way to build camaraderie and emphasize the importance of health and fitness. The potential options for the structure and incentives of a wellness programs are endless, so start by focusing on a few behaviors you want to encourage: active commuting, using standing desks for an hour or two a day, and activity breaks, for example.

Then, think about incentives that will resonate within your company culture. Gift cards, travel vouchers contributions to health reimbursement accounts, additional paid time off, memberships in fitness clubs, and drawings for valuable items like fitness equipment can all do the trick.

6. Educate Employees About Healthy Choices

A little education goes a long way. Some employees may not fully understand the risks of prolonged sedentary periods or completely appreciate the potential benefits of standing and moving throughout the day. Many of us cultivate bad health habits early in life and then never re-evaluate them until someone empowers us with the right information and solutions. Educating your team on what constitutes a healthier choice is sometimes all it takes to help people make better decisions. If you’re not sure where to begin, some companies offer comprehensive workplace health coaching and education, often with options for on-site and remote learning.

Touch-Free Settings Protect Employees and Promote Health

At ZGO Solutions, we know that good health is isn’t limited to exercise alone. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces need new solutions that protect employees and promote wellbeing as workers return to offices. Our ZGO app offers touch-free adjustments for ZGO Solutions standing desks. With the app, you can control your desk height through your phone rather than through a remote or desktop buttons. Managing desk height through an app helps your employees reduce contact with potentially contaminated surfaces and minimizes their chances of getting sick — an innovation we at ZGO Solutions are proud to move forward so your workplace can stay productive, happy, and healthy.

Height Adjustable Global Collection Promotes Wellness

At ZGO Solutions, we design desk solutions that make office health and wellness attainable and accessible. One of our cornerstone lines of desks, the Global collection, includes height adjustable desks and collaborative workspaces, making it easy and intuitive for employees to make healthy choices throughout the day. These Scandinavian-inspired desks are minimal, beautiful, and entirely adjustable to suit the user’s needs. Sustainably designed and made, the Global collection adds an elegant, eco-friendly touch to any office.

RELATED: Why Every Manager Needs to Help Employees Get Up and Move

ZGO Solutions: Desking Solutions for the Healthy Office

ZGO Solutions crafts beautiful, functional desking solutions that keep you and your office happy and healthy. For more information on our Global collection of products or any of our other height adjustable desking solutions, or to learn more about how we think past the frame to move you forward, contact us today!

References

Benden, M., Mehta, R., & Shortz, A. (2016, January). Standing up for learning: A pilot investigation on the neurocognitive benefits of stand-biased school desks. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 13(1): 59. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph13010059. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4730450/

Castaneda, R. & Medaris Miller, A. (2019, September 5). The benefits of using a standing desk. U.S. News. Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/the-benefits-of-using-a-standing-desk

Fischer, K. (2018, February 6). New Research Rekindles Debate Over Standing vs. Sitting at Your Desk. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/debate-over-standing-vs-sitting-at-your-desk#1

Garrett, G., Benden, M., Mehta, R., Pickens, A., Camille Peres, S., & Zhao, H. (2016). Call center productivity over 6 months following a standing desk intervention. IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, 4(3), 188-195. Doi: 10.1080/21577323.2016.1183534. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21577323.2016.1183534

Wheeler, T. (2019, December 8). Why sitting is bad for your health. WebMD. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-sitting-health

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.