Stand-up meetings: healthier and more efficient

Meetings are seen as a plague in modern everyday office routines. They are reputed to steal your time and get on your nerves because they often last much too long and are unproductive. Even so, meetings are ideal for getting people on board for topics and projects. What's the best thing to do? The answer is quite simple: hold stand-up meetings. Read on to find the best way to changeover from sitting to standing.

Scientifically proven: flexibility boosts productivity

According to a current study by Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, conference participants develop more ideas standing than when sitting down. Meetings flow more quickly and staff are more motivated afterwards. This applies particularly when the right furniture is available.

Height-adjustable conference desks are seen as ideal. A desk that can be adjusted quickly and easily without making much noise fosters the change from sitting to standing that is so important for health reasons. After all, sitting is meanwhile seen to be as bad as smoking: it makes people ill and reduces their life expectancy, particularly when it comes to sitting for long, uninterrupted periods. A study by the Swedish Institute for Sport and Health revealed a clear correlation between sitting for long hours and cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes and a generally increased mortality risk. Unfortunately, this also applies to people who exercise during their leisure time. The best remedy consists in changing position frequently, something that is easy to do with height-adjustable conference desks.

It should be possible to adjust the lifting capacity of the desk to the specific loads requested by the users. Electric versions naturally do not need this. Another important aspect is the legroom curve stipulated by TÜV (German technical inspection association), as this is the only way to ensure sufficient freedom of movement. The legroom curve defines the area that must not be impeded by cross beams, technical machinery, equipment or other furnishings when standing/sitting at the workplace. Tables with integrated cable management are ideal for all those wanting to avoid a mess of tangled cables. And given the frequent use of notebooks or tablets at many meetings, user-friendly interfaces for chargers and power sockets are advisable. Something that employees always appreciate without being absolutely necessary are foot rests to help reduce standing pressures or a resilient foot mat to encourage dynamic standing. As a result, people will move more rather than just sitting still, while working with greater concentration.

Pay attention to the following points when making your choice

• The basic prerequisite is naturally the actual height adjustment: it must be possible to adjust the desk quickly and easily without making much noise. Electric adjustment is preferable particularly for really large conference desks.
• The desk size depends on the number of people involved. It should therefore be possible to adjust the desk tops according to their needs. In other words, different sizes must be possible. The general rule of thumb is for the edge of the desk to be at least 70 cm long for each person.
• In manually adjusted conference desks, it must always be possible to adjust the lifting capacity. For example, if the lifting capacity is set too high with scarcely any load on the desk, the desk could move up much too quickly.
• Every participant must be able to stand at the desk in a good position. Always ensure there is sufficient legroom or standing room. The freedom of movement must not be impaired by any cross struts or cable ducting.
• Conference desks can have many complex features so that personal instructions about the product's health-related functions should be provided. Attention should be drawn to the positive aspects of dynamic standing and sitting.
• A feature that is very useful today without being vitally necessary consists of desks with integrated power supply or connections to networks or media equipment.
• Foot rests are also a very good idea as they animate people to move even more and make standing much more pleasant with the possibility of changing the supporting leg.

Minimum requirements

• Quick, easy adjustment without much noise
• Different desk top dimensions
• Clearly arranged controls
• Adjustable lifting capacity for the desk (apart from motor-driven desks)
• Sufficient standing room and legroom
• Motivating instructions about the product's health-related functions

Also appropriate

• Collision prevention to rule out any crushing and shearing risks
• Simple installation of cable ducting
• Interface for chargers and power connections
• Foot rest
• Resilient foot mat
• Soft start and soft stop function
• Digital height display and memory function
• Easy to repair

• Bosse M1 conference*
• Bosse M3 desk*

Manufacturer

Dauphin HumanDesign® Group GmbH & Co. KG / Bosse*
Espanstraße 36
91238 Offenhausen
GERMANY
Phone +499158/17 700
Fax +499158/17 701
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.dauphin-group.com/en