What to expect from your treadmill desk: Q and A
Imagine you’ve taken the plunge. You’ve set up your dispatch center staff with treadmill or bike desks. They’ve all kicked the tires, so to speak, and texted the obligatory photos of their new equipment to family and friends. Everyone is genuinely excited.
But what’s the experience really going to be like?
How fast will I be walking on this treadmill?
Speeds vary based on the height and preference of each user, but most people walk 1-2 mph. This is a stroll—gentle enough that it doesn’t result in jarring movements that can interfere with work tasks.
Will I be sore?
Maybe at first. Like the adjustment to any new physical routine, using treadmill and bike desks requires a certain amount of acclimation (if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be worth your time and energy). But users are usually pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy it is.
The most important thing is to be deliberate about your ergonomic settings during setup. Any top-shelf workstation unit will provide all the information you need.
Is it loud?
Inc. Magazine’s Jeff Haden was surprised how quiet the treadmill’s gentle whirr is. These aren’t the brutish treadmills at the gym. At 2 mph they’re barely audible and certainly too quiet to hear over a phone connection.
Will I get sweaty and gross?
Not unless you’re unusually ambitious about it.
Power users (often those work from home … alone) have been known to increase their speed to cover more ground, and some, like columnist Danny Sullivan, say they can manage to work up a sweat over time that requires a shower.
Most users, however, walk more calmly than if there were going to grab a cup of coffee.
Translation: Have no fear of the 4 p.m. staff meeting.
Can I wear heels?
Bring walking shoes.
There’s another popular observation about these workstations: Your staff members don’t have to spend all day at them to reap the rewards. Using them for a couple hours at a time can be a smart choice at first, and managers have found that their employees can actually rotate among a few shared treadmills and bike workstations, returning to their usual spot when needed. This offers variety, is cost-effective, and provides new chances for mingling and information sharing among your 911 dispatch team.
It also means that you don’t have to invest in treadmill or bike units at a 1:1 workstation/employee ratio. With so many work tasks hosted in a cloud or over a local network, users can come and go as they please and gain quite a bit from it.
We might as well return to Haden for a conclusion:
Hmm: Longer life expectancy. Improved fitness. Smarter. Better circulation. Lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.
All that and you can lose weight.
Now tell me walking while you work isn't worth changing a few of your work habits and working through the short adjustment period.
And he’s not even talking about increased productivity, more mental energy and higher ROI for organizations.
Maybe it’s time to learn more. Xybix has partnered with LifeSpan, a leading manufacturer of treadmill and Xybix chose LifeSpan because people trust them. They also happen to do what they do it better than anyone else.
We think you can, too.
