Stand-up desks are the Fitbits of 2018.
Only a few years ago, the Fitbit was the must-have wellness perk, with as many as half of the Best Firms handing them to staff to encourage them to get active. And while Fitbits – and the walking challenges and broader wellness initiatives that go along with them – are still popular, the hottest piece of equipment at top workplaces is the standing desk.
Illinois-based Weiss & Co. provided standing workstations to all its employees, and described them simply as “game-changers.”
Similarly, at Minnesota’s Mahoney, Ulbrich, Christiansen & Russ, “Every work station is equipped with motorized adjustable desks to any height desired by the employee to promote ergonomic and healthy movement,” the firm reports. “Additionally, many employees also have stair steppers under their desks.”
Meanwhile, San Diego’s LevitZacks CPAs outfitted every employee’s private office with sit/stand desks, and “every one was personally assessed by an ergo expert for optimal comfort and safety.”
With the goal being overall health, Virginia’s Keiter to the slightly different approach of offering employees a one-time $250 “alternative work station reimbursement” to outfit their workspace with standing, walking, or other equipment that would “enhance well-being while working in the office.”
But standing desks aren’t the only answer: Proclaiming that “sitting is the new smoking,” McKonly & Asbury added a fitness area specifically “to encourage micoworkout interest to all staff throughout the day.”
