Benefits of Standing Meetings
Improving health and wellness in the office is becoming a focal point for many companies. One of the early “fads” in this pursuit was to transition meetings from sitting to standing. The thinking was to use standing as a way to counteract the harmful effects of prolonged sitting and to burn more calories.
A recent study released by the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri showed that standing meetings may in fact increase productivity. The purpose of the study was to determine what would happen when groups of students worked together without chairs. The impact was significant: When participants worked in rooms without chairs, group arousal (as measured via special sensors worn on their wrists) was increased, which suggests increased collaboration.(1) The study's authors noted: (2)
"A primary function of arousal is to signal the importance or significance of environmental stimuli and prepare the body for action… In social situations, joint experiences of arousal promote affiliation and collective sensemaking, both of which are essential for motivating collective action."
Another important thing they noted was that the standing groups also had significantly decreased territorial behavior and increased sharing of information and ideas—all of this simply due to getting up and out of their chairs!
The results on productivity and collaboration are impressive. The researchers recommend that people I charge of organizing meetings should encourage standing instead of sitting, as well as add in a collaborative focal point, such as a whiteboard, to encourage participants to work together.
Bottom Line: Standing meetings benefit employee and work team productivity and wellness!
References:
1) Social Psychological and Personality Science June 12, 2014