Benefits of Electric Height Adjustable Desks

As a nation, we have become more inactive and more chained to our desks during work hours. With advancements in IT and communications, there is little need for anyone to even get up and walk across the room during their day at work. Obesity and lethargy are on the rise as we all stare into our phones during our lunch hour and sigh if we have to climb a flight of stairs.

Aside from the obvious unhealthy lack of movement with little chance of getting the blood pumping around the body between 9 and 5, there are other factors that should be considered by employers, when considering the use of the height adjustable desks.

What are the Advantages to the Employee?

• Less likely to suffer from back issues from sitting all day in an uncomfortable position.
• Improved circulation and blood flow to the brain and extremities.
• Avoidance of monotonous postures, for example, neck and shoulders at the incorrect angle, legs crossed cutting off blood supply.
• Less chance of intestinal and digestive issues that can come from being seated all day.
• Prevention of muscle inactivity, cramps, deep vein thrombosis.
• Varied working posture available.
• No more lethargy after lunch or mid-afternoon.
• Burn more calories whilst working.

What are the Advantages to the Employer?

• Increased health and motivation of the team as a whole.
• Increased performance and efficiency with the increase in energy.
• Less absence due to illness or stress.
• Improved communication between the team verbally, less dependence on email.
• Better staff retention if they are happier at work.
• Wheelchair users are catered for.
• Ideal opportunity to operate desk sharing or hot desking.
• A more dynamic and efficient working style.

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Manual or Electric?

Why do I need an Electric Height Adjustable Desk?

As someone who has made the decision to go ahead and purchase a height adjustable desk, you may be under the misconception that a manual version will be less expensive. This is not true in all cases and certainly, some are less than certain pneumatic desks or crank operated desks. Here are some further points to consider as advantageous in choosing electric:

• Ease of Use – If you will be wanting to adjust the height of the desk a few times a day (which is surely the point), it needs to be an easy and smooth operation. Nobody is going to be inclined to change the height if it involves hard work! Crank and pneumatically operated desks all require effort.
• Fast Change – For desk sharing and hot desking there needs to be a quick height adjustment time so changeover time is kept to a minimum. Electrically operated height desks can go from seated position to standing height in a few seconds.
• Getting the Optimum Height – With electric desks there are infinite stop positions which enable you to get your perfect working height just right. You may want to be moving the desk up or down just a few centimetres according to the task you are performing. Incremental control is the key here to get the most out of your desk.
• Safety and Collision Control – One of the issues with pneumatic controlled desks is the counterweight factor which can mean the desk flying up very fast when you release the mechanism. Our Conset range of desks come with a two-button safety panel to ensure that the desk won’t be accidentally activated. For bench desking situations where you have numerous desks situated together, we provide anti-collision control to prevent accidental damage to cabling, hardware or people’s hands.

Frequently Asked Questions on Height Adjustable Desks

What is the weight Capacity of an Electric Height Adjustable Desk?

This will depend on which brand or model you choose. But as a guide most electric desks these days have a lift capacity of somewhere between 220 and 330 lbs. With most laptops and screens being fairly lightweight these days its unlikely there will be an issue with the most usual desk setups.

What happens to trail cables and phone lines?

We supply height adjustable desks with folding cable trays that connect to the harness system cable riser, dropping wires neatly down into the lower cable channel keeping them neatly out of the way.

Can I have electrically adjustable desks in a bench desking situation?

Bench Desking or rows of desk units used in large departments are the perfect situations for using electric height adjustable desks. With collision control as a safety feature to stop trapped hands and fast height adjustment, your employees will be thrilled with this setup.

How easy are the desks to Install?

The desks take a short time to assemble, then the configuration and positioning can be easy enough but depends on your office plan. With electric desks, there obviously needs to be an available power source. Here at Randalls we will plan your office space, supply all of your decking (and any other furniture) and then assemble and install it all for you.

How much Electricity do Electric Desks Use?

If you are worried that getting height adjustable desks with motors will increase your electricity bill, then don’t! The average motorised desk uses 200 watts, and that’s only when the motor is in use to raise and lower the desk. On standby, it only uses 0.2 watts.

Can I get any colour or finish that I want?

We have a huge range of finishes in all colours including wood effect finishes. Whatever your style or taste we can match it with coordinating desking.

I’m Interested in Electric Height Adjustable Desking – what do I do now?

If you are interested in finding out more about height adjustable desks and which model will be best suited for your office then contact our team today on 0117 360 123 for further advice.

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So you’ve read all of the statistics about how sitting all day is killing you, and you’ve decided to take the plunge and get a sit-stand desk. There are many options to consider at this stage, all of which can vary wildly and can be a bit overwhelming. A good place to start when you’re trying to figure out the ergonomic desk that’s right for you is to choose how your desk is going to adjust from sitting to standing. While there are manual options like pneumatic or crank desks, we here at Human Solution almost always recommend going with an electric height adjustable desk.

First off, most people interested in non-electric height adjustment are under the assumption that electric standing desks are the most expensive. Actually, we carry plenty of electric options that are comparable to, or even less expensive than, their manual counterparts. A two-leg standing desk like our UPLIFT Desk is comparable in price to (usually even less than) a crank desk, and less than most pneumatics. So if price is what is drawing you towards a manual sit-to-stand desk, there’s no reason to rule out an electric standing desk.

If you’re still leaning toward a crank adjustable desk, you also need to take into account the time and effort it takes to adjust your desk from sitting to standing. An inch of height adjustment usually takes five or six turns, which can be cumbersome if you’re raising and lowering your desk often. Of course, that’s the entire point of a sit-stand desk, which is one of the reasons we recommend electric if feasible. Electric adjustable height desks go from sitting to standing in only a few seconds, and they require no force from you to do so. (Yes, physics nerds, I realize pushing a button is technically force, but you catch my drift).

And even though a pneumatic desk can conceivably go from sitting to standing height almost instantaneously, it too requires physical exertion to adjust up or down – even one properly counterbalanced for your desktop weight. In fact, counterbalance is a unique problem to pneumatic desks. While most pneumatic desks have a counterbalance mechanism, you need to know how much weight will be on your desk. Not enough, and your desk will come flying up when you release the mechanism. Too much, and it’s impossible to move. With an electric standing desk, as long as you’re within the weight capacity, you never have to worry about counterbalance every time you add or subtract weight to your desktop.

Getting it to the proper height can be tricky with a pneumatic desk as well. An electric desk has infinite stop positions between the lowest and highest height, and a quick push of the button will allow you to make minute adjustments. I know because I’m constantly moving mine slightly up or down, especially when standing, depending on the task. Making a small height adjustment with a pneumatic desk involves releasing the mechanism and physically moving it up or down, and it can sometimes be frustratingly hard to find the sweet spot that way.

So if your desk is going to be near a regular ol’ wall outlet, there’s really no reason not to go with an electric height adjustable desk. They hardly take any electricity to operate, and you can leave it plugged in even when not adjusting as it barely uses any power when in place. Some people do need manual adjustment – for a desk in the middle of a room, or a place where no electrical power is available. And don’t get me wrong, manual sit-to-stand desks are great and a huge improvement from a fixed height desk. But if you’re going to upgrade, an electric standing desk is the way to go.

Learn more about electric adjustable-height desks at TheHumanSolution.com