A new Entefyer recently raised a good question—why is everyone standing around during meetings?
Our team is working on a long list of projects at any given time. Meetings are necessary for status updates, setting goals and timelines, and connecting with other team members overseas. We’re a collaborative and health-conscious bunch, so when we got wind of the potential risks of prolonged sitting we wanted to encourage Entefyers to get out of their chairs.
And that’s when our experiment with standing meetings began. We had two goals in mind: improving health and fostering collaboration.
It’s been said that “sitting is the new smoking” because excessive sitting comes with health risks. Prolonged sitting can negatively impact metabolism, affect the onset of type 2 Diabetes, and is correlated to various cancers. Which: yikes! We want none of that.
Another guide suggests that standing “burns up to 50% more calories” than sitting, and “avoids the decrease of enzyme activity that can contribute to cardiovascular disease.” Burning a few extra calories while at the office is efficient. And here at Entefy, we love efficiency.
Standing meetings have also been proven to enhance creativity, productivity, and teamwork. In one interesting finding, standing meetings “reduced territoriality, led to more information sharing and to higher-quality [work].” None other than Sir Richard Branson wrote a short article for Virgin’s blog in which he advocates for standing meetings, arguing that they open the door to direct and real communication versus getting points across through lengthy presentations on a big screen.
Back at Entefy, our own experience with standing meetings supports these productivity findings. Meetings are often 33% to 50% shorter. More ideas are exchanged around the room and Entefyers show up to meetings focused and prepared to make succinct, point-driven contributions.
What we didn’t expect is that standing meetings also translate into more information sharing and bonding across teams—from Product to Talent, for instance.
The spirit of mobility has led to other positive changes around the office. We offer standing desks to any Entefyer who requests one. One of our team members was inspired to buy a treadmill desk for his home office. During afternoon coffee runs, team members utilize the time to walk-and-talk about projects.
Around here, we’re taking a stand for the productivity and healthy living that comes from standing.