Height adjustable desk, a standard for employee health and retention
When it comes to designing an office space, the main elements that generally attract attention are those with an eye-catching design, such as decorative elements. But the standard in recent years, when both employers and employees have realized that the difference is made by furniture products that promote health and well-being in the office, is the design of interior spaces that put the ergonomic needs and lifestyle of the user first.
So, today we are tackling a new topic: what is a high-performance workstation and what is the role of the height-adjustable desk in supporting both wellbeing and work performance? The answers are provided by Andrei Angelescu, Architect and Head of Architecture & Design at COS, a provider of integrated fit-out services and pioneer of this segment in Romania. COS is an exclusive distributor in Romania of Steelcase furniture solutions, a global leader in office furniture.
According to official statistics, Romania is the European champion of sedentary lifestyles: 62% of Romanians do not practice any sport and Romania is among the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the EU. A WHO report also shows that 58% of Romanian adults are overweight and 80% of them experience back pain at some point in their lives, with herniated discs being one of the common causes of this pain. And many of these negative statistics are attributable to static office work.
At the same time, a Steelcase survey, which analyzed the responses of more than 60,000 employees in 11 countries across organizations of different sizes, shows a significant drop over the past 3 years in their satisfaction with work-life balance – which reduced from 71% to 59% between 2021 and 2023. Thus, a new approach is needed from companies to offer employees more comfort at the office than they have at home.
“Fortunately, we can talk about a paradigm shift in recent years, both in Europe and in Romania. Employers have moved to new standards in terms of office furniture, investing in ergonomics and well-being. In this context, the height adjustable desk has become essential in those companies that have understood to put employee health first, promoting both performance and an active lifestyle,” says Arh. Andrei Angelescu, Head of Architecture & Design at COS.
Why a height-adjustable desk makes all the difference. How to choose it
Many of us spend 8 hours a day at a fixed desk, in the same position, in a chair, often with accumulated stress tension or lower back and neck pain. Not infrequently we even hear around us recommendations to change our lifestyle habits from specialists. If we experience back pain, we are advised either to change our chair or desk or to take regular breaks from work and do 10 minutes of exercise or a walk after every hour spent at our desk.
After years of rigorous study of working habits, as well as significant investment in research and innovation, the height-adjustable desk is the answer to these challenges. It is therefore a game-changer on the market. If a fixed desk forces you to use your body muscles in a certain position (generating tension and discomfort over time), the height-adjustable desk changes your habits naturally and forces you to use your body muscles in a new equation. Thus, by adjusting your desk according to your height, you are forced to move while you work, and thus naturally change an unhealthy habit (inactivity) with new habits that support your posture and long-term health. At the end of a day at the office, you don’t feel as much muscle tension because you’ve been working both standing and sitting. “We’ve noticed that people who use the adjustable desk tend towards the end of the day to work standing up and even do some exercise in between,” says the COS representative.
With healthy lifestyles becoming a major concern for employees in recent years, the height-adjustable desk, together with the high-performance chair, is also a major differentiator for employers, who offer workplaces that are superior to the home facilities of their employees.
The height-adjustable desk can be adjusted mechanically (with a lever) or electrically (with a push-button), the latter is also the most common on the market and is much easier to use.
But how do you choose a height-adjustable desk? Steelcase, an international furniture leader, highlights some key elements:
- Low level of noise generated by the adjustment movements and technological advancement of the built-in mechanism
- Possibilities to accessorize the office for an optimal working environment – e.g. horizontal and/or vertical cabling possibilities for connectivity with everyday work items (phone, laptop) but also lighting objects
- Embedded technology – for example, apps attached to your desk that additionally promote physical activity through reminders and alarms that alert you to get up from your desk at pre-defined intervals
- The basic warranty – in the case of Steelcase, this is 12 years on the electrical mechanism of the desk, which translates into reliability and a good long-term investment
The purchase price is also a criterion, and the options available through Steelcase and COS cover the affordable segment (desks priced between 500-600 euro), the mid-range (desks priced between 600-800 euro) and the premium segment (desks priced between 900-1200 euro). In general, the difference between the different types of price brackets is made by the features and technology incorporated in the electric height adjustable desk – which may consist of advanced adjustment mechanisms, various cabling or worktop shape options, antibacterial treated materials, or various types of attached applications.
Test the height-adjustable desk in your office space
Testing this type of office, before the actual purchase, by creating a dedicated area (islands) in the workspace, is a simple and effective way to identify employees’ appetite for this way of working and avoid the long-term costs associated with employee discomfort.
It is also a valuable opportunity to actively listen to people’s needs and involve them in the workspace design process, recommending COS and Steelcase specialists.
“A high-performance workstation is essential in everyday office work and has a major impact on users’ health. Therefore, testing the height-adjustable desk for some time right at the company’s premises helps to make informed decisions based on supporting employee productivity and health,” emphasizes Arch. Andrei Angelescu.
A top player in the segment of complete interior design solutions for workspaces, COS signs some of the most important office projects in Romania, and the company’s activity has a total volume of over 2,850 clients and more than 20,000 projects, in sectors such as telecom, IT, pharmaceutical, professional services, financial – banking, industrial and others.