Standing for Health: Solutions to Sedentary Work

By Roberta Etcheverry

CEO
Diversified Management Group

We have all seen the headlines — “sitting is the new smoking,” and “we are sitting ourselves to death,” and “death by chair.” Are they true or just the latest hype to help boost the fast-growing sales for sit-stand workstations?

Between time in the car, at the computer, and then more time on the sofa, people are sitting more and more. If all of this sitting is putting people at risk, what do employers need to do to help employees break the sitting cycle? If sit-stand workstations are the answer, how does an employer decide who gets them — and what kind to get? Does the employee’s doctor decide? What other strategies can make work less sedentary?

Let’s begin with what we know. At the 2016 DMEC Annual Conference in New Orleans, I had the pleasure of presenting with Dr. Steve Wiesner, National IDM Physician Advisor, Kaiser Permanente, and Peggy Sugarman, PhD, Director of Workers’ Compensation, City and County of San Francisco. During his presentation, Dr. Wiesner highlighted various studies of the health risks of sitting and the health benefits of activity throughout the day. Here are some of the key points Dr. Wiesner covered:

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