\u201cWhy would you want to stand?\u201d an account of the lived experience of employees taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention

Jennifer Hall,Louise Mansfield,Alison McConnell,Tess Kay

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-8038-9

Abstract

BackgroundSit-stand desk interventions have the potential to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour and improve employee health. However, the extent of sit-stand desk use varies between employees and in different organisational contexts. Framed by organisational cultural theory and product design theory, this study examined employees’ lived experience of taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention, to understand the processes influencing feasibility and acceptability.MethodsParticipant observations and qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 employees from two office-based workplaces in the UK, as part of a process evaluation that ran alongside a pilot RCT of a workplace sit-stand desk intervention. Observational field notes and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThree themes related to the experience of using a sit-stand desk at work were generated: employees’ relationship with their sit-stand desk; aspirations and outcomes related to employee health and productivity; and cultural norms and interpersonal relationships. The perceived usability of the desk varied depending on how employees interacted with the desk within their personal and organisational context. Employees reported that the perceived influence of the desk on their productivity levels shaped use of the desk; those who perceived that standing increased energy and alertness tended to stand more often. Sit-stand desks were voiced as being more acceptable than intervention strategies that involve leaving the desk, as productivity was conflated with being at the desk.ConclusionsThe findings indicate a range of organisational, social-cultural and individual-level factors that shape the feasibility and acceptability of sit-stand desk use, and suggest strategies for improving employees’ experiences of using a sit-stand desk at work, which might positively influence sedentary behaviour reduction and health.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02172599, 22nd June 2014 (prospectively registered).

Highlights

Sit-stand desk interventions have the potential to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour and improve employee health
Six themes related to processes influencing the feasibility and acceptability of sit-stand desk use include: (1) behaviour change and habit formation, (2) sit-stand desk design, (3) employee health: expectations and outcomes, (4) the prioritisation of productivity, (5) social norms and interpersonal relationships, and (6) normalisation of standing: organisational cultural change
Gaining an understanding of the feasibility and acceptability of using sit-stand desks is important for informing the development of guidance for workplaces looking to develop and implement workplace sedentary behaviour-reduction interventions, to improve their chance of success

Summary

Introduction

Sit-stand desk interventions have the potential to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour and improve employee health. The extent of sit-stand desk use varies between employees and in different organisational contexts. Framed by organisational cultural theory and product design theory, this study examined employees’ lived experience of taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention, to understand the processes influencing feasibility and acceptability. Utilising of the socioecological model permits an investigation of how the intervention context interacts with sit-stand desk provision to influence sit-stand desk use. Examining the processes influencing the feasibility and acceptability of sit-stand desk use through accounts of employees’ lived experiences in different organisational contexts, will aid understanding of the appropriateness of sit-stand desks as a workplace health strategy [14]

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