The typical office worker will sit at their desk for over 1,300 hours this year, 10,000 hours just eight years into their career and 53,000 hours by the time they retire.
Data, gathered by Banner, shows that despite growing concern for the health and wellbeing of employees desk-based employees are estimated to spend 70% of their working day sitting down.
Searches for ‘hip pain’ and ‘chair pain’ are on the up, while searches for ‘back ache’ remain high, all symptoms associated with chronic inactivity.
Jason Thomas, Strategic Sales Manager at Banner, said: “As it’s often cited that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert within a given field, most of us will be a pro at sitting five times over by the time we retire. With numerous health issues associated with long-term sitting, this is a growing concern for employers across the UK.”
Promisingly, searches for solutions, such as ‘standing desk’ and ‘ergonomic chair’ have also risen since COVID-19, which suggests workers are beginning to address the health implications a sedentary work schedule can cause.
Thomas continued: “To encourage a healthier workplace, employers should make sure office and homework stations are set up with health and wellbeing in mind. It’s great to see standing desks and under-desk treadmills being more widely adopted in recent years, but there’s more that can be done. Cultural changes, such as walking competitions, no-chair meeting rooms, discounted gym memberships and lunch time yoga classes, can all help encourage employees to become more active while at work.”