Many physically demanding jobs require being on your feet all day, such as cooking, cleaning, or construction. However, even in roles where work could be easily done while sitting down, standing is still often required, which many employees have a bone to pick with.
Just like these airport workers, who, after their manager took away their chairs, decided to unite and do the bare minimum, wreaking havoc in the airport.
Many question why workers are expected to stand when they are perfectly able to do their duties seated
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These workers even started boycotting when their chairs were taken away by new manager
Image credits: EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Anonymous
On average, workers spend about 55% of their workday standing
Image credits: davit85 / freepik (not the actual photo)
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for 2024, on average, workers spend about 4.13 hours of their workday standing. This comes to about 55% of the workday, which is a slight decrease from previous years when the average ranged from 57% to 61%.
Occupations whose workers spend the most time standing include food preparation and serving, building, construction, healthcare support, and sales-related roles. People in these positions can spend up to 97.6% of their workday on their feet.
BLS states that standing is present when workers are not sitting or lying down, which also encompasses walking, climbing, stooping, and other movements. Prolonged standing or frequent motion can lead to lower back pain, fatigue, muscle pain, leg swelling, and even increased cardiovascular problems.
While this is unavoidable in roles where tasks can’t be done sitting down, employees who could work seated but are still required to stand have been making some waves for quite some time now. This is completely understandable, as standing all day without an apparent reason not only crushes employees’ morale but also can be very tough on the body.
Employers can’t refuse workers a place to sit simply because they prefer that they stand
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Since many employees were pushing for the right to sit down, some countries and states in the US have put out laws that state that employers can’t refuse workers a place to sit simply because they prefer that they stand. In addition, they have to provide their employees with suitable seating during work activities and breaks.
“There is no principled reason for denying an employee a seat when he spends a substantial part of his workday at a single location performing tasks that could reasonably be done while seated, merely because his job duties include other tasks that must be done standing,” wrote Justice Carol A. Corrigan.
Greater flexibility and a wider range of body movements are beneficial for workers, as being in one position, whether standing or sitting, for too long can have negative effects on both physical and mental health. By changing poses, workers are using their muscles more, which reduces strain and pain on individual muscles and improves their blood flow.
Those employees who feel that their job can be done seated but are still expected to stand should bring this issue to their manager or employer, as under some laws, they are legally required to provide them with seating.
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