tag:theconversation.com,2011:/es/topics/office-workers-health-18727/articlesOffice workers' health – The Conversation2020-04-29T06:57:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1373822020-04-29T06:57:03Z2020-04-29T06:57:03ZGoodbye to the crowded office: how coronavirus will change the way we work together<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331191/original/file-20200428-110752-1uxxdae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=139%2C176%2C4557%2C3016&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As lockdowns are relaxed around the world and people return to their workplaces, the next challenge will be adapting open office spaces to the new normal of strict personal hygiene and physical distancing.</p>
<p>While the merits and disadvantages of open plan and flexible workspaces have long been debated, the risk they posed of allowing dangerous, highly contagious viruses to spread was rarely (if ever) considered.</p>
<p>But co-working spaces are characterised by shared areas and amenities with surfaces that need constant cleaning. Droplets from a single sneeze can travel <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852">over 7 metres</a>, and surfaces within pods or booths, designed for privacy, could remain <a href="https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2334-6-130">hazardous for days</a>.</p>
<p>Even in countries such as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-27/has-new-zealand-done-better-than-australia-on-coronavirus/12182254">Australia and New Zealand</a> where efforts to “flatten the curve” <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/jacinda-ardern-new-zealand-leadership-coronavirus/610237/">have been successful</a> and which have relatively easily controlled borders, it’s fair to ask whether communal workspaces might be a thing of the past. </p>
<p>Perhaps – if vigilant measures are in place – some countries can continue to embrace collaborative, flexible, activity-based workplace designs and the cost savings they represent. But this is <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/14/21211789/coronavirus-office-space-work-from-home-design-architecture-real-estate?subId3=xid%253Afr1586892270547ich">unlikely to be the case in general</a> in the coming years. Even if some organisations can operate with minimal risk there will be an expectation they provide virus-free workplaces should there be future outbreaks.</p>
<h2>Working from home</h2>
<p>Worldwide, there will undoubtedly be fewer people in the office – now workers have tried working from home, they may find they like it. And organisations may have little choice but to limit the numbers of workers on-site. Staggered shifts, enforced flexitime, and 24/7 operations may become the norm, along with working remotely.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331271/original/file-20200429-51489-1lqhyvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Video meetings, even within the same workplace, could become the new normal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The open plan model has been criticised for everything from lowered productivity, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2017.0239">less interpersonal interaction</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687016302514?via%3Dihub">antisocial behaviour</a>, <a href="http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/34543/1/12020_1101a_Tyler-Merrick.pdf">reduced well-being</a>, too much <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494413000340">distraction</a>, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494413000340">lack of privacy</a>, and making workers <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687018303466?dgcid=rss_sd_all">feel exposed and monitored</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/get-out-of-my-face-were-more-antisocial-in-a-shared-office-space-64734">Get out of my face! We're more antisocial in a shared office space</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But it has also been shown to <a href="https://theconversation.com/open-plan-offices-can-actually-work-under-certain-conditions-89452">improve cooperation and communication</a>. Whether these innovative spaces are within a large organisation or are communal workspaces where start-ups, freelancers, and contractors can sit together (such as <a href="https://gridakl.com/">GridAKL</a> in Auckland or <a href="https://thecommons.com.au/location/sydney/">The Commons</a> in Sydney), their popularity is undeniable. The sense of community and the ability to share knowledge and ideas are key attractions of co-working. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/open-plan-offices-can-actually-work-under-certain-conditions-89452">Open plan offices CAN actually work, under certain conditions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Riding the shared/flexi-space wave have been companies such as WeWork – popularising communal tables within co-working hubs and providing “pods” for private conversations. But there is now little doubt WeWork will be an early casualty of COVID-19. Already in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradthomas/2020/04/15/wework-from-home-now/#5035b4bb7093">financial trouble</a> before the pandemic, WeWork will cut more than 1,000 jobs this month. </p>
<p>But what about the thousands of organisations that retooled their densely populated work environments to encourage flexibility, activity-based work, and movement within and between spaces?</p>
<p>James Muir, CEO of sustainability start-up <a href="https://www.crunchandflourish.com/solutions">Crunch and Flourish</a> has no doubt using co-working offices in central Auckland has been a positive: “We benefited from the great community at GridAKL,” he says. “And before long we were collaborating with other start-ups on marketing and design as well as getting great advice from more experienced entrepreneurs.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331269/original/file-20200429-51466-14dcs94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shared workspace company WeWork is expected to be another casualty of COVID-19.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Missing social cues online</h2>
<p>Those fortuitous conversations and information exchanges will inevitably become rarer as we avoid the risk of interpersonal contact - and they are almost impossible to mimic online. Personal interaction (even within the office) will be replaced with the already familiar virtual video meeting - or even, as TIME magazine reports, <a href="https://time.com/5801882/coronavirus-spatial-remote-work/">holograms and avatars</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-womens-life-long-experiences-of-being-judged-by-their-appearance-affect-how-they-feel-in-open-plan-offices-124765">How women’s life-long experiences of being judged by their appearance affect how they feel in open-plan offices</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However, communication is more challenging when conducted remotely. We are more persuasive in person, particularly if we <a href="https://doi/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.241">know the person</a>. Being on a video call is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting?ocid=ww.social.link.email">more draining</a> than a face-to-face chat because workers must concentrate harder to process non-verbal cues such as tone of voice and body language. Anxiety about technology is another barrier, and some find <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2012.10.009">lack of eye contact</a> in virtual meetings (mimicked by staring at the “dot” of your own camera) disquieting.</p>
<p>New norms of hand sanitising, cleaning equipment and wearing masks will emerge. Handshaking or friendly pecks on the cheek may soon be things of the past, as will family photos and mementos on desks, if they prove too difficult to sanitise.</p>
<p>Aside from behaviours, policies, and attitudes, the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/27/after-coronavirus-the-office-of-the-future-is-the-office-of-the-past.html">physical office will need to change</a>. Already, a company in the Netherlands has coined the term the “<a href="https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/netherlands/six-feet-office">6 feet office</a>”, aiming to redesign workspaces to help workers maintain social distancing at work. </p>
<p>We may even see the return of the high-walled cubicle, and the introduction of wide corridors and one-way foot traffic, already found in some <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/hospitals-quickly-reshape-treat-covid-19-patients/">hospitals</a>. Activity-based work and hot-desks (which oblige people to move throughout the day) could be replaced by assigned desk arrangements where workers sit back to back.</p>
<p>New builds might incorporate touch-free technology such as voice-activated lifts, doors and cabinets, touchless sinks and soap dispensers, improved air venting and UV lights to disinfect surfaces overnight.</p>
<p>In the meantime, will James Muir resume running Crunch and Flourish from his co-working office after the pandemic? “Yes,” he says, “once the risk of any new cases is under control.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137382/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Morrison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The open-plan, shared office may be a thing of the past if physical distancing and stricter hygiene become the new normal.Rachel Morrison, Associate Professor, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/990992018-08-03T09:49:28Z2018-08-03T09:49:28ZHow clean is your desk? The unwelcome reality of office hygiene<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230376/original/file-20180802-136679-1jbzhgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you work in an office, the chances are there are some colleagues you would rather sit next to than others. But we’re not just talking personality likes or dislikes here – what can also be a factor is how clean they keep their desk. </p>
<p>The average office desk is said to contains <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/average-desk-germs-toilet-seat-kitchen-keyboard-mouse-phone-a8237431.html">400 times more germs than a toilet seat</a> – meaning that many office workers could be at risk of sickness due to dirty desks.</p>
<p><a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0037849">Research by the University of Arizona</a> found that humans are the most common source of bacteria and that, compared to women, men have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items. Theories as to why this might be include men having bigger desks, meaning an increased surface area available for depositing, as well as having on average, lower standards of personal grooming.</p>
<p>As microbiologists, when we look at offices we are looking at what is called the built environment. It is thought that the built environment micro-flora (all the bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes detected) is far less varied than the <a href="https://msystems.asm.org/content/1/2/e00033-16">outside world</a>. </p>
<p>It is also thought that it can be strongly affected by the geography that surrounds it. For example it was impossible to tell apart the microbial mix between offices in San Francisco and New York. The office bacteria in <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0037849">Tucson</a>, in Arizona are quite different due to the higher temperatures and the desert environment that surrounds it. What is also clear is that the microbes in two offices in different cities are more similar than, say a kitchen and an office in the same building.</p>
<h2>Time to clean your phone</h2>
<p>Humans are the biggest source of microorganisms at the desk – most bacteria in an office comes from people. The computer keyboard and mouse are a common part of office life for many. Unsurprisingly each key strike both deposits and picks up microorganisms. Studies of keyboards outside of offices has found <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196655317310635?via%3Dihub">pathogenic bacteria</a> within hospitals, whereas within universities, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196655308009085?via%3Dihub">multi-user</a> keyboards have a greater range of organisms – including some gut bacteria. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230377/original/file-20180802-136646-1imps0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As far as bacteria goes, your desk is worse than a toilet seat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/26517478">microbial flora of mobile phones</a> has also been under scrutiny, heightened perhaps by how close we bring them to vulnerable entry points such as mouth and ear. Research varies on just how many germs are on the average phone, but a <a href="https://cals.arizona.edu/news/why-your-cellphone-has-more-germs-toilet">study at the University of Arizona</a> found that mobile phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats. </p>
<p>But touchscreen phones in a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12223-014-0350-2">German university</a> were found to have lower levels of bacteria – and these were typically skin, nasal and some gastrointestinal species. </p>
<h2>Beware the paper and the cups</h2>
<p>Most paperwork these days is digital, so is prone to very different viruses and bugs. But still, many of us will regularly come into contact with different bits of paper – think, taking minutes in a meeting, leaving notes on a colleagues desk, or even when reading books or newspapers on a lunch break.</p>
<p>Paper and particularly library books are not a common source of contamination – but, despite this, a requirement for UK readers suffering from certain diseases to refrain from taking out any books while ill still exists. Sick library book readers must also inform the local authority – who may choose to disinfect or destroy any volumes. <a href="https://www.publichealthjrnl.com/article/S0033-3506(06)00108-9/fulltext">The law requiring this</a> was brought about as a result of scarlet fever being transmitted from an individual due to his unusual habit of using skin peelings as bookmarks. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230379/original/file-20180802-136664-182bfzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beware the paperwork.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Equally startling is guidance from <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/16/wash-reusable-coffee-cups-every-drink-public-health-england/">Public Heath England</a> that reusable coffee mugs must be cleaned properly to prevent bacterial growth. <a href="https://nypost.com/2017/09/25/your-office-coffee-cup-likely-is-covered-in-poop/">Research has shown</a> up to 90% of mugs in office kitchens are coated in germs, and that 20% of those cups actually carry fecal matter. If you ever needed a reason to take your own cup, there it is.</p>
<h2>No pen is safe</h2>
<p>There is certainly <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03494.x">evidence of survival of microorganisms</a> on stationery. But in your office, you only need to be worried if you chew on pens and happen to lend them to people with poor bathroom hand-washing practices. </p>
<p>But of course, none on these surfaces are created to encourage bacterial growth – so if they are kept clean they harbour few nasty surprises. It is also becoming clearer that we do <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-012-0733-3">personalise our environment</a> with our own microbes be that our keyboard, coffee cup or the very shoes on our feet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99099/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Loughlin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The average office desk is said to contain 400 times more germs than a toilet seat.Michael Loughlin, Principal lecturer in the School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/444952015-07-17T10:17:28Z2015-07-17T10:17:28ZLet children move around, stand or walk in the classroom. You’ll see the difference<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88408/original/image-20150714-21728-1h1hmq5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why not let children stand and study?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/youbelonginlongmont/6955979583/in/photolist-bAFdot-bnLmrq-bnLhQW-qPZ9sD-qPZ9yv-qMGdu3-pTd5JZ-qPZ9xt-5b1NrV-tzbZYW-7QrxNC-5dsFUh-pXDMMV-61JGsc-dKTqiH-cDnEHW-oe5trh-pSZ7QE-qPZ9CD-qPUMjm-qPZ9Dv-qPZ9Gg-yQMEo-4J66tt-uw4cA1-qhJqVh-PgUqD-4QxVoG-at1Xmm-9ddrSa-89FwtD-br86US-6r39hb-92Rfvg-amMNGj-a5oF29-auPEkS-cwKZdo-bpZvVo-7qvHBL-7x2qL3-atB2VY-b73L1g-asH8ZA-5iPrjZ-tgVtg-52gJdC-9ueG3v-8Z4p83-hfh4wG">You Belong In Longmont</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The question of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidsturt/2015/01/13/is-sitting-the-new-smoking/">“is sitting the next smoking”</a> has been raised by many health experts in the past few months. <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/">Many ailments</a>, including diabetes and heart disease, are known to be connected to an inactive lifestyle.</p>
<p>However, most of this attention has been focused on adult office workers and the negative health impact of sitting at work all day. </p>
<p>But, if our waistlines and even our longevity are connected to how active we are each day, is it not important to teach our children how to be more active, from an early age?</p>
<p>During the past few years, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2015.1058093">many</a> <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/278732994_Reducing_children's_classroom_sitting_time_using_sit-to-stand_desks_findings_from_pilot_studies_in_UK_and_Australian_primary_schools">researchers</a> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103223">around</a> the world have been <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21421945">evaluating</a> the <a href="http://www.academia.edu/13751659/Choice_and_Voice_Teacher_and_Student_Perspectives_of_the_Use_of_Standing_Desks_in_a_Secondary_Classroom">use</a> of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15288906">standing</a> height desks instead of the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">more traditional</a> seated desks in school classrooms. </p>
<p>As director of the Ergonomics Center at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, I am constantly in corporate offices, K–12 classrooms and graduate classrooms where I teach. I also research better methods of classroom management and academic performance via health interventions. Ten years ago, while focusing primarily on adult office workers and the loss of non-exercise, physical movement in a work day, I wrote a book on the topic, <a href="https://thebackschool.net/store/products/suggested-reading/could-you-stand-to-lose-second-edition/">Could You Stand to Lose</a>?</p>
<h2>Standing in classrooms</h2>
<p>The idea came as we explored younger office workers’ health and noticed a lack of important postural habits, poor core strength and larger waistlines than what the older generations displayed when they entered the workforce. </p>
<p>It was at that time that we realized if we were going to affect the health of office workers, we would need to start much younger. Standing became a simple proxy for what we really need – more low-intensity, whole-body movement! </p>
<p>We asked, could we perform the same work while standing at a desk rather than always sitting at it? And we realized this type of change was possible. </p>
<p>We then turned our attention to adolescent health in classroom settings. </p>
<p>My team’s research in schools began in 2008, when we first looked at classroom movement as a way to deal with the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm">growing number</a> of obese children. In the past 30 years, obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents.</p>
<p>So, in 2008 we began installing and testing stand-biased desks for K–4 students to allow upright movement during instruction and self-work. </p>
<p>We started this work in College Station, Texas with elementary students to avoid the difficulty of measuring the Body Mass Index (BMI) in children experiencing puberty. During those years, the BMI fluctuates so rapidly that it is tough to follow an intervention. </p>
<h2>Encouraging movement</h2>
<p>From a few classrooms in one school to dozens of classrooms spread over many schools, we continuously upgraded our sample size and research methods. Over the past seven years, we have placed several thousand students at standing desks for our studies in both elementary and high school. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88690/original/image-20150716-5108-nbuaiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Standing desks encourage movement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/traffas/5619585646/in/photolist-9yzR2G-96PdKX-28jFN6-9hHpjg-egnPHK-5BmVWa-5BmqW8-eHxpq-9YQAyw-9YMGon-5BmW2X-9Wydai-65jcRz-qELRuT-91GpNY-8k1Ts1-eb3gXy-i6ycVY-9D3AFF-b2KyeM-fDKqKu-833tVt-69Y1V1-c2Z2mq-4s3WXA-9YQBAC-9YQBNW-a6Rv9-8xNBB5-4tNyE-9YMFoZ-9YMEVD-9YMFjD-9YQz1C-7aJgCx-7BLEJA-6vfV8p-4wuANX-ddyTuo-ddyS9Z-ddyTCU-ddyS7t-ddyTr7-5PV4Ny-7JJoKs-5VNaUZ-6jund9-7b29pF-dG573-bov2cY">aarontraffas</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Stand-biased desks allow students to sit (on a stool) or stand at will.</p>
<p>However, these products were a nonexistent category for mainstream school furniture vendors. So, we had to create our own designs based on teacher and student feedback. The market is now beginning to evolve worldwide as others weigh in with creative approaches such as standing tables for multiple students.</p>
<p>Classrooms with stand-biased desks are part of what we began to call an <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/9/9361">Activity Permissive Learning Environment (APLE)</a>, which means that teachers don’t tell children to “sit down,” “sit still,” or “don’t move around” during class.</p>
<p>Instead, they encourage movement such as standing, rocking, fidgeting and walking. Most traditional classrooms are lecture-style, with an instructor up front and students dealing with poorly fitting, hard plastic chairs for 80%–90% of their day.</p>
<h2>Impact of a standing desk</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/9/9361">Research</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00889">shows</a> that our bodies are so connected to our minds that our ability to focus on difficult cognitive tasks is directly linked to adequate physical activity.</p>
<p>In short, an active mind requires an active body.</p>
<p>Children become more restless and distracted with prolonged sitting. Active workstations <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">reduce</a> disruptive behavior problems and increase students’ attention by providing them with a different method for completing academic tasks and breaking up the monotony of seated work. Students were less distracted while working at a standing desk. </p>
<p>This was not all: the activity also led to more burned calories. After two years of exposure to activity-permissive learning environments, students showed decreases in <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html#percentile">Body Mass Index percentiles</a>.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836531">own research</a> shows that students K–12 given a stand-biased desk burned 15%–25% more calories than their peers in traditional seated desks.</p>
<p>As a result of these encouraging health numbers, we turned our attention to student comfort and posture. Again, we <a href="http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=35796#.VahC3RNVikp">observed improvements</a>
on both measures over traditional seated furniture. </p>
<p>In addition to increasing energy expenditure, we now see that activity-permissive learning environments help to reduce disruptive behavior and increase students’ academic potential. Based on the number of parents contacting us for help with students doing homework, it appears the process can work as well at home as in school. </p>
<h2>Future of classroom design</h2>
<p>The success of stand-biased desks is nothing new. </p>
<p>Benjamin Franklin had a patent on a standing school desk over 200 years ago, and Thomas Jefferson worked at one that he designed himself. Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Napoleon Bonaparte and even Donald Rumsfeld <a href="http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/07/05/become-a-stand-up-guy-the-history-benefits-and-use-of-standing-desks/">have all worked</a> at standing desks to create some of their most memorable work. </p>
<p>Although <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=16PSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA379&lpg=PA379&dq=us+worker+sedentary+time&source=bl&ots=FIkuZKAi9m&sig=HtBkqLIBuSajrNamYLvSctq7GcU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CF0Q6AEwB2oVChMI0dPc55nexgIVAy6ICh2BUgE2#v=onepage&q=us%20worker%20sedentary%20time&f=false">research and history</a> have shown that stand-biased desks have many favorable effects, most Western workers and students are still engaged in seated desk work for the majority of their day. </p>
<p>Our work in schools with thousands of K–12 students has included looking at stand-biased desks, exercise balls, several types of wobble stools and even swinging footrests and treadmills. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/278732994_Reducing_children's_classroom_sitting_time_using_sit-to-stand_desks_findings_from_pilot_studies_in_UK_and_Australian_primary_schools">Many</a> <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09613218.2015.1058093?journalCode=rbri20">other</a> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103223">researchers</a> around the world have also been examining the use of classroom design to alter physical activity patterns, with leadership coming from Australia, New Zealand and England. </p>
<p>Teachers around the globe want better classroom management, better student engagement and, ultimately, improved learning.</p>
<p>New approaches for addressing physical inactivity that are in harmony with children’s natural habits, tendencies and engagement could be the way to go.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Benden consults for several furniture related corporations and owns shares in the faculty led startup company, PositiveMotion LLC, He has multiple US Patents for furniture items and thru his job at Texas A&M has licensed several inventions to furniture companies. He received research funding from the CDC and the NIH for research mentioned in the article.</span></em></p>Aren’t there huge health benefits to staying physically active, for adults? Why should it be any different for children?Mark Benden, Associate Professor & Director of the Ergonomics Center, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.