3 Easy Steps to Convince Your Boss to Pay for Your Standing Desk

If you’re here, chances are good that you see the value in leading a natural life. Of course, most of us spent the majority of our waking hours in an office – a largely unnatural setting.

Getting a standing desk or adjustable sit-stand desk is a great step in making those hours healthier. Here’s how to get management to back your improvement and ultimately reimburse your standing desk.

1. Money Talks First

Money can’t buy happiness, but I’ll bet it’s pretty important to your boss. He/she is likely evaluated on both the financial value your group creates and how much it consumes. If he/she hasn’t heard much about standing at work, he/she probably sees your shiny new desk as a cost with no upside. Let’s change that.

Business Insider reported that a small study showed a 10% increase in productivity when employees were provided with standing desks. Let’s assume it costs your company $30,000/quarter to keep you around, and that they think that’s a fair deal.

A 10% increase in productivity sweetens the deal for them by $3,000/quarter. That’s already plenty to cover all but the fanciest desks, once per quarter! If we assume you’ll keep your job for three years, they are investing ~$750 to gain $36,000 of value from you – a 4800% return on investment!

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2. Innovation Gains are Binary

We showed above that a 10% increase in your productivity makes your company $36,000 over three years. In reality, it’s likely much more beneficial than that. That’s assuming that a 10% increase in productivity just results in 10% more work getting done. Working at (literally) 110% greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll think of the next big thing that differentiates your firm and disrupts your industry.

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This is because those big ideas are binary – you either have them or you don’t. And with your productive machinery running 10% better, you’ve increased your likelihood of a big idea by more than 10%.

Beyond that, we’ve seen and felt (anecdotally) that standing can change the way you think. As QS author Ryan said, “For some people standing helps take the blinders off, and all the sudden that great idea that isn’t right in front of you comes into view.” Remember that tiny changes in perspective can lead to that big breakthrough.

3. Standing Desks Increase Employee Happiness and Health – and that Saves Money Too

The infographics below (compiled by the fine folks at Ergotron) show that standing desks mean happier, healthier workers. And happier, healthier workers mean increased employee retention and a decrease in work days lost to illness. In short, if you’re standing at work, you’re less likely to leave for greener pastures, and more likely to report to work each morning.

You’re also much less likely to end up on disability, in part because standing allows for optimal keyboard ergonomics (preventing carpal tunnel), but also because standing at work leads to healthier habits at home. That means even more black ink on the company bottom line.

Click picture to view full size. [Image Credit]

Click picture to view full size. [Image Credit]

How to Get Your Standing Desk Reimbursed by Management

The simplest step is to send this article to your boss. If the facts here, or at The Definitive Guide to the Dangers of Sitting don’t convince him/her, then maybe it’s time for you to work somewhere that gets it.

For a softer approach, you could print out the included images (and maybe a few from here), and plead your case in your own style.

Either way, you’re now armed with solid facts and statistics – and that should make getting your standing desk paid for a piece of cake.

Have you successfully secured reimbursement for ergonomic equipment at work? How’d you do it? Let it be known in the comments – you just might improve someone else’s life forever.