You've probably started hearing the term more and more over the past year: sitting is the new smoking. It's catchy sure but what exactly does it mean? Just like smoking sitting is a voluntary habit that's really hard to get out of once you start. Just like smoking the harmful effects of sitting are subtle but no less destructive. Just like smoking sitting can cause a host of chronic conditions and diseases - everything from cancer to heart disease to diabetes and even to a shorter life. And just like smoking sitting will eventually have a major negative impact on every part of your physical and mental health - from head to toe.
And soon there may be one more link between sitting and smoking: lawsuits. While some employers are getting hip to the benefits of a stand up desk and helping their employees kick that office chair to the curb other companies might start seeing negative repercussions if they don't step up to the standing desk plate. A recent article from Huffington Post asked an important question: will the harmful health effects of sitting too much at work lead to employee lawsuits just like with smoking?
For one thing: offices as they've been setup for the past 50 years have not been conducive to a healthy standing life. Many employees may not have the option to stand while they work if their desk is a standard cubicle. And not many common work areas have height adjustable desks or even high tables to stand at while you work. So is it the company's fault if an employee starts experiencing the negative effects of sitting when they've never had the option to stand at work? Some people may start to argue yes in the coming years.
And another reason sitting lawsuits may not be too far behind: employees are getting increasingly bold about taking their management to task for aggravating bad health in the workplace. For example there have been countless cases of staff members suing their employers for health issues related to secondhand smoke (believe it or not it's still a problem in a lot of offices). In one case a company was ordered by a judge to pay past and future medical bills as well as disability benefits when an employee actually developed cancer due to secondhand smoke in the office. And smoking in the office isn't the only case of workers standing up for themselves in the courts. The Huffington Post article even cited a case of former professional wrestlers suing World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) because they "ignored or minimized the signs of brain damage and other injuries" incurred from entertainment wrestling matches. If athletes who throw chairs at each other can sue for their work injuries it may not seem all that crazy for overworked and overweight employees to sue for their own problems due to sitting disease.
It may be some time until companies across the board realize the health (and legal) hazards of sitting and take active steps to help their employees be more active and even get a stand up desk of their own. But that doesn't mean you can't take a stand in the meantime. Start a revolution in your office and order your height adjustable desk (or standing desk alternative) from UpDesk today.
