Working In Office Is Killing Us

Its official, the computer culture is killing us.

In a study released today by VicHealth, the average Australian office worker has been found to be clocking up 75% of their working hours sitting down, increasing the risk of serious health problems and even early death.

Prolonged sitting has been found to be a serious risk factor, even for those work horses meeting or exceeding national physical activity guidelines.

It has been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders - health implications that are costing the Aussie health system over $11 billion a year.

Not only that, but stacking on the kilo’s by sitting in a chair has a whopping impact on businesses by way of lost time too.
“The total direct financial cost of overweight and obesity was estimated to be $8.3 billion in 2008, $3.6 billion of this was associated with lost work place productivity,” the report said.

The report found that about 44% of workers compensation claims are for musculoskeletal disorders that cost businesses on average $7400 a pop.

Associate Professor David Dunstan says Australia’s behind the curve in addressing the issue, partly due to the cost. “The problem in Australia...is that adjustable workstations vary from $600 for the base model up to $2000.”

Multiply that by the number of employees you’ve got and it’s going to be a fair whack for any business. But what alternatives are there?
One affordable initiative is to convert meeting rooms to stand up setups with the addition of a tall table.

Apart from getting staff on their feet, studies have found stand-up meetings to be shorter and more focussed with more alert participants. Win-win.

Another alternative in a similar vein is the walking meeting. These are great for one-on-one or small group conferences and provide the opportunity to get some fresh air and stretch the legs. Again, this can only be good news.

And of course there are the little things too. Walk over to talk to a colleague instead of emailing them, stand up to get a file instead of rolling your chair over and take the scenic route to the coffee shop or bathroom instead of the most direct.

It won’t kill you to stand up, touch your toes and stretch your back every hour, but it might kill you not to.