Employees who want to work ergonomically, feel toned, and lose weight are bringing stability balls and treadmill desks to their offices. But they may be losing something other than weight—like their wellness, productivity, and respect for their work.
According to a MarketWatch article by Jen Wieczner, “the idea of ‘active workstations’ sounds great,” but there are some major downsides. Like a sore “downside” when you fall off your moving treadmill while trying to drag and drop data on a spreadsheet.
So while you may lose weight, Wieczner reports that you may also lose the respect of your colleagues when your e-mails are full of typos from your gyrations trying to key while bobbling on a stability ball. And some workers reported that they were expending calories while working, but it made them hungrier and likely to eat more rather than less.
And does the equipment make workers healthier? Actually, people trying to work while walking and wiggling have been reporting more back and joint pain. And many workers reported falling off balls and treadmills numerous times!
And what about productivity? The article says a Mayo Clinic study of transcriptionists found that keying speed and accuracy slowed by 16% while walking, compared with sitting, and a study from the University of Tennessee found that treadmill walking resulted in an 11% deterioration in fine motor skills such as mouse clicking, as well as in cognitive functions such as math.
So, while they sound like a good idea, these apparatuses may have more losses than gains. Just ask the workers’ compensation manager!