5 myths about ergonomic office furniture busted

If you want to have an ergonomic and healthy workplace, you have to dig deep into your pocket - at least that's what most people think. But is that really true, or is it just an excuse? We have taken a closer look at this and four other myths about ergonomic office furniture in this article!

What actually is ergonomic office furniture?

As a start, a brief explanation of when a piece of furniture is actually ergonomic. First of all: There is no real rule as to when a chair or table can be described as ergonomic. For this reason, there are some criteria that make an ergonomic chair. These include, among others:

• height adjustment
• Pleasant padding that is not too soft
• Firm footing on the ground
• No backrest or one that doesn't give too much
• For chairs with armrests, as many adjustment options as possible
• Head and neck support for chairs with backrest

For a table to be ergonomic, it should have these characteristics:

• Height adjustment without physical effort
• Sufficient freedom of movement
• Memory function for different heights

You can also find more detailed information on ergonomic sitting and standing stools as well as height-adjustable desks in our blogs. To do this, simply click here . But now to the five myths that are still spreading about ergonomic office furniture.

1. Ergonomic furniture is always expensive

This rumor even has a true background. About 20 years ago, health in the workplace didn't really matter. Health awareness, especially among the older generation, was not great enough back then when attention was paid to things like standing desks or healthy office chairs. Sport and a healthy diet were not part of a balanced life for many employees at that time.

But with a slowly emerging health trend, companies also saw the opportunity to do business with furniture that was supposed to be healthy. The result was allegedly "individual" ergonomic office chairs from manufacturers that were previously unknown. This individuality had its price, the chairs were often sold to companies or individuals at very high prices. This is how the "healthy" pieces of furniture got their bad reputation because they didn't really contribute to health.

Since then, ergonomic office furniture has more or less been considered a rip-off – but can that still be justified today? The answer is clearly no. In terms of price, for example, height-adjustable desks hardly differ from normal tables without height adjustment. The desqup Pro, for example, costs EUR 449.00 and is a fully-fledged table with all the important functions. The matching sitting and standing stool Wobble is available from 149.00 euros. Ergonomic office furniture is now affordable for everyone!

2. Standing for a long time is also unhealthy

That too is only partly true. Your everyday work should always contain all three elements, i.e. sitting, standing and walking. In this paragraph we will look at how you can best divide this up. Basically, however, it can be said that sitting for a long time is significantly less healthy for your body than standing for a long time.

Also interesting: Standing is not just standing. If you stand for a long time, you can also have health problems here. For example, it can quickly happen that you shift your weight to one side - this puts more stress on one leg and all your joints on that side. The right height of your height-adjustable desk also plays a role, otherwise tension in the shoulder and neck area can occur.

To prevent pain and discomfort in your joints, you should never stand at your desk for more than 1.5 hours at a time. 

The height-adjustable desk, for example from desqup, has the advantage that you can quickly switch between standing and sitting. According to experts, you should organize your working day something like this:

• 50 percent sitting
• 40 percent standing
• 10 percent walking

But: Too much walking never hurts. Because this is the only place where your circulation keeps going and you feel fitter for longer. For example, from now on, try to do conference calls while walking as much as possible.

3. An electric height-adjustable desk is always better

That is only partially true. According to studies, people use a height-adjustable table more often if it has a manual adjustment - even if it depends heavily on the individual. The crank adjustment is a little faster than with an electric motor and also requires a slight effort. So you ensure more movement at work, even if it's just a small thing. So if you want to be a little bit more active, the manual adjustment is the right one for you!

But: An electrically height-adjustable table is more common and also much more comfortable. The adjustment takes a little longer, but it only takes a push of a button to start - for some people this also leads to more frequent use. In addition, the price difference between the two variants is only small. That's why it's not reprehensible if you use an electrically height-adjustable table such as the desqup Pro.

4. There is no really "healthy" sitting

Many people decide against an ergonomic office chair because they believe that sitting is not really healthy. That is not correct, even if this statement has a kernel of truth. The healthiest way is always exercise, such as easy walking. However, you can also optimize your sitting in such a way that it has almost no effect on your health.

Ergonomic office furniture such as a sitting and standing stool make a major contribution to this. On it you have to keep your back straight and cannot sink into a comfortable armrest. You will automatically hold an upright posture after a while, reducing back pain and tension in the shoulders and neck.

An ergonomic sitting and standing stool like the desqup Wobble also has a semicircular rubberized underside, so it causes small micro-movements all the time. You're constantly moving, but you don't notice it. This increases your calorie consumption and reduces the risk of diabetes and obesity. Another reason to switch to ergonomic office furniture!

5. Ergonomic office furniture does not have a long service life

We can answer that with a resounding no. Many people think that a height-adjustable table is more prone to defects due to the built-in electronics - but this is not correct, at least not proven.

Small electric motors, such as those used in height-adjustable tables, are only occasionally exposed to brief loads. They don't run continuously and don't have to lift heavy weights, so they are never pushed to their performance limits. Experience shows that an electrically height-adjustable table can easily have a service life of more than ten years. The rumor that the devices are particularly vulnerable has thus been refuted.