News

Standing desks have been widely used in Scandinavia for some time, however they're still relatively unknown to most people in the UK and other parts of Europe. This has recently begun to change after constant media attention covering the benefits brought about by the use of standing desks.

It is becoming clear after numerous scientific studies that the amount of sitting an average desk-based office worker does each day is a serious health risk - as well as less productive for many people. Studies show that people should be standing for at least 2 to 4 hours of their work day in order to reduce health risks, maintain energy levels and increase mental alertness.

We'll keep an updated list below featuring some of the more informative articles written in the press, with a bit of commentary added.

- 15th April, 2014: BBC article talking about some of the big companies who have bought standing desks, and those who are considering rolling them out as an option for employees.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26937454

- 23rd April, 2015: The University of Chester and Virgin Media's Sheffield office are conducting a study that "will measure the effect of standing on physical health, psychological wellbeing and productivity." The study will run for a full year.

Link: http://about.virginmedia.com/press-release/9472/virgin-media-stands-up-for-health-in-groundbreaking-standing-experiment

- 1st June, 2015: Guardian article on a report commissioned by Public Health England and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine , which advises standing initially for 2 and ideally for 4 hours per day while in the office. It mentions how a balanced approach can be the best way, noting "Bradley said some tasks, such as writing a paper or numerical analysis, were better done sitting but others such as meetings or going through your inbox were actually more productive when standing."

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/01/office-workers-on-feet-standing-fours-hours-day-study-health

- 2nd June, 2015: NHS article covering recent recommendations and studies around increasing time spent standing, or at least moving around during the day. They acknowledge that expert opinions and recent studies point towards standing being beneficial for health, though that further specific research is important.

Link: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/06June/Pages/Office-workers-of-England-stand-up-for-your-health.aspx

- 2nd June, 2015: Lifehacker again mentioning the report which advocates increased time spent standing as work to reduce risks of various serious health problems. It also links to some good information about the standing desk options out there - we hope they will link to Furna soon as well!

Link: http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/2015/06/02/stand-up-for-at-least-2-hours-every-day-at-work-to-reduce-your-risk-of-cancer-and-be-more-productive