A study of call centre workers by the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health found that workers with standing desks made about one half additional successful call per hour in comparison to co-workers who sat while working. The workers with standing desks alternated between standing and sitting, and on average, sat down for 1.6 hours fewer than co-workers who sat all the time.

There were various outcomes, including:
– feeling fewer body aches during the day, and
– making half-a-call more per hour

Half-a-call more per hour. Four more calls per day. 20 more calls per week. 1000 more calls per year. From standing up to work for part of the day.

What’s going on here? Standing for part of the day changed something in the body so mental functioning was better, fatigue was less, and the drive to continue was still in place at the end of the hour. Compared to sitting, the workers with the ability to stand while working didn’t feel the need to “stand up and take a break” to stretch … they could just keep going.

Some clever wordsmith pointed out that the difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is that little bit extra. In many of the world-class performances on the field we see incredibly well-matched teams or individuals, with just that little bit extra on one side that clinches a win – even if it is but just milli-seconds in the pool or one point on the court.

What’s your performance metric? It’s easy to understand in a call centre world – calls per hour. Could your key performance metric be changed … even just that little bit extra … by standing to work more during the day? That’s the question I take from the research above.

It’s a far less significant change than the recent #Brexit vote, but it would appear that breaking up with your sit-only desk could usher in significant changes for you in the coming months and years.

Read about the study:
Inc., Your Productivity Will Increase by 46 percent if You Stand at Your Desk, Says Study
Vital Record, Boosting Productivity at Work May Be Simple: Stand Up
IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, Call Center Productivity Over 6 Months Following a Standing Desk Intervention