Healthy Sitting - Setup and Habits

The chart above shows a way to visualize the range of risk for two seated work components – quality of the workstation setup and quality of the individual’s habits. For seated work to be part of a healthy life, employees need equipment that adjusts to fit them AND they need the skills for healthy sitting. Here is my take on the 4 quadrants:

1. High risk as workstation does not encourage healthy sitting and user does not have the skills to minimize the risks.

2. High to moderate risk as workstation may match users needs but user is unaware of how to optimize healthy sitting – including being productive away from their computer.

3. High to moderate risk as user understands healthy sitting and regularly works away from their computer to create movement in their day while staying productive – despite a setup that doesn’t fit.

4. Low risk as setup matches user and user applies the fundamentals of healthy sitting including productive tasks away from the computer when practical.

Unfortunately, too many of us are in quadrants 1 and 2. Employers that value the health and wellbeing of their employees can demonstrate this value by making sure everyone has coaching on healthy sitting and access to equipment that fits.