Considering Apple boss Tim Cook once described sitting as “the new cancer,” it’s little surprise that workers at the company’s new Apple Park campus have been given standing desks to work at.
“We have given all of our employees, 100 percent [of them], standing desks,” the CEO revealed in a recent interview broadcast on Bloomberg TV.
“If you can stand for a while, then sit, and so on and so forth, it’s much better for your lifestyle,” Cook said. Various researchers have been saying for years that sitting for long periods of time can cause health problems in both the short and long term, including everything from painful back problems to obesity to a range of chronic diseases.
Keen to avoid a workforce of grimacing employees holding their backs or taking time off for medical treatment, Cook has decided to introduce standing desks to Apple’s offices to give workers the opportunity to switch from sitting and stay a little more active. Cook has commented in the past about how sitting for long periods may result in health issues further down the line. The CEO said that many employees who have an Apple Watch use its “stand reminder” feature, which, at regular intervals, prompts you to get up and walk around a little bit.
“Ten minutes before the hour, it will remind you to move,” Cook once said. “We have a lot of people using the Apple Watch at Apple, and 10 minutes before the hour, suddenly they all get up and move.” It’s rare for Apple to give anything away about what goes on behind the scenes, with the company famous for wanting to keep most aspects of its business very much behind closed doors.
Speaking of closed doors, pretty much the only other thing we know about its stunning new “spaceship” campus is that some of its workers, perhaps while taking a break from sitting or standing, have been walking into all-glass doors and walls. The accidents were brought to light by Bloomberg just months after Apple Park opened, with the publication of transcripts of several 911 calls appearing to confirm the reports.
As for staying on your feet at work, a study published earlier this year suggests that prolonged standing can also harm a person’s physical health, suggesting that the key is to switch regularly between sitting, standing, and walking throughout the day whenever you have the chance.
