Fellowes has today announced the launch of its next generation Sit-Stand Workstation, the LOTUS™, as a direct response to the urgent need to improve employee wellbeing and productivity in the office. Through its range of Sit-Stand solutions, Fellowes aims to equip businesses with workstation products for employees to support and encourage active working. This is a proven way to boost the bottom line by increasing productivity, lowering absence rates and helping to retain and attract the best talent.
Independent research commissioned by Fellowes, in collaboration with Loudhouse, highlights the business case for a shake-up of traditional working. Its findings show that:
- ]Businesses across Europe currently lose €73 billion annually due to employee sickness
- 1 in 3 European workers are suffering daily from ailments caused by working at a computer.
- 60% of European workers claim their productivity and performance have been either significantly or moderately affected as a result
- And 32% have taken an average of 2 weeks off work as a result
The research highlights the need to promote active working as a shocking 94% of European workers admit to sitting at their desks for long periods of time without moving around. This inactivity is associated with physical changes in the body; muscle activity stops, metabolism slows down, fatigue and stress increase. Sitting is not just bad for our backs, it affects our breathing and digestion – impacting health by increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression and even early death or cancer.
Louise Shipley, European Business Team Manager – Workspace Management at Fellowes, summarises the implications of the research, “With an ever increasing squeeze on productivity, and retaining and attracting the best talent becoming ever more difficult, our research outlines a clear call to action for employers to take wellbeing more seriously. At Fellowes we are working to create solutions that close the loop on connecting the workspace with wellbeing. This will ultimately help boost business performance, increase workplace ROI and provide a competitive advantage when recruiting”.
The Fellowes Sit-Stand Workstations help combat health issues in the workplace, by avoiding static sitting and encouraging staff to keep moving, alternating between sitting and standing - without interrupting productivity.
The LOTUS™ arrives fully assembled and can be placed on any surface without the need for new desk fittings, removing the need to replace any existing furniture. It has 22-different height settings and includes cable management to smoothly adapt to working positions, with a large and stable work-surface which allows for everything to be moved in tandem. This encourages effortless movement, improved posture and elevated productivity. The Workstation is also robust enough to last as long as any standard desk.
Shipley continues, “In Scandinavian countries such as Denmark and Sweden, 88% of office workers are already using Sit-Stand desks as a way of tackling these issues and feeling the benefits, which means it’s only a matter of time before companies in other European countries follow suit. The time to act is now!
"Healthy employees are happy employees. Happy employees come to work and work harder which means more business revenue. Sit-Stand Workstations offer a simple change within the workplace environment which can start a wellbeing revolution. Fellowes is leading a Sit-Stand Movement by equipping businesses to become workplaces of the future. Employees now have a unique opportunity to take control of their health and employers to safeguard their greatest asset – their staff”.
If you want to trial Fellowes Sit-Stand Workstations in your business, find out about our Try Before You Buy scheme here.
For further information on the Sit Stand Range visit website.
