酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 时尚潮人
  5. 正文

活力工作站的概念听起来很美-第1页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞
文章总共1页

The idea of 'active workstations' sounds great. Why not burn a few calories at a treadmill desk while you work, or strengthen your abs on a giant rubber ball while returning emails?


活力工作站"的概念听起来很美。为什么不能一边工作一边在跑步机办公桌前燃烧一些卡路里呢？为什么不能一边回复电子邮件一边在大橡胶健身球上锻炼一下你的腹肌呢？



As these products have grown in use, so has feedback on their downsides.


随着这些工作站健身产品越来越多地得到使用，其收到的负面反馈也与日俱增。



When John Osborn's treadmill desk arrived in his corner office last August, the New York CEO of advertising firm BBDO spent nearly 80% of the day working while walking. But soon colleagues began pointing out rampant misspellings in his emails. 'You quickly realize how difficult it is to type anything longer than a sentence,' he says. And while he had hoped to drop some weight, he found that after a few weeks, his appetite increased. 'The big joke around here was I got the treadmill desk and I put on 6 pounds,' Mr. Osborn says.


奥斯本(John Osborn)是广告公司BBDO纽约分公司的CEO，在去年8月，跑步机办公桌刚被搬进他的角窗办公室时，他把白天将近80%的时间都用来一边工作一边健走。但是不久后同事们开始指出，他发的电子邮件里充斥着拼写错误。他说，你很快就会发现在电脑上敲出一个句子以上的内容有多难。虽然他曾希望减点体重，但结果却发现，几个星期之后自己的胃口变大了。奥斯本称，我用了跑步机办公桌，却增重六磅（约2.7公斤）──公司的人都把这件事儿当笑话讲。



Office furniture that allows employees to stand, walk, cycle or sit on a giant rubber ball includes the Steelcase Walkstation (starting at $4,399) and the LifeBalance Station ($2,795 and up), a combination desk-and-elliptical machine. The products come with health-boosting claims such as relieving lower back pain or stimulating blood flow to the brain. Ergonomic specialists cite injury risks. User complaints include lower back pain. Employers are just beginning to deal with issues of hygiene, etiquette and liability.


能让员工在工作的同时站立、健走、骑单车或坐健身球的家具包括Steelcase工作站(Steelcase Walkstation，起价4,399美元)和LifeBalance工作站(LifeBalance Station，起价2,795美元)，后者是办公桌和椭圆机的结合体。这类产品宣称能够促进健康，包括缓解腰痛以及促进大脑供血等。但人体工程学专家提出，使用这类产品可能会有受伤风险。有用户抱怨在使用该类产品后感觉腰痛。同时雇主也开始考虑如何应对员工使用这类产品所带来的卫生、礼节和责任方面的问题。



While the health advantages of sitting less are well established, helping to cut the risk of obesity and heart disease, the productivity benefits of so-called active workstations are less clear from the results of the small studies to date. A 2011 Mayo Clinic study of 11 medical transciptionists found that typing speed and accuracy slowed by 16% while walking, compared with sitting. And a 2009 study from the University of Tennessee, with 20 participants, found that treadmill walking resulted in an up to 11% deterioration in fine motor skills like mouse clicking, and dragging and dropping, as well in as cognitive functions like math-problem solving.


虽然少坐对健康有益的观点广为认可，且少坐被视为有助于降低罹患肥胖和心脏疾病的风险，但是从截至目前的小规模研究的结果来看，所谓的"健康工作站"给工作效率带来的好处却不甚明显。梅奥诊所(Mayo Clinic)2011年一项对11名医疗转录员进行的研究发现，和坐姿相比，行走时的打字速度和准确率要降低16%。田纳西大学(University of Tennessee) 2009年针对20名参与者所进行的研究发现，在跑步机上行走会导致精细运动能力（如鼠标点击或拖拽）和认知能力（如数学解题）下降高达11%。



Steve Bordley, founder and CEO of TrekDesk, which makes desks designed to fit with any treadmill, says such studies don't account for the added benefits for workers, such as feeling less lethargic after lunch or less absenteeism.


TrekDesk是一家生产可以和所有种类的跑步机配套的办公桌产品的公司。该公司创始人兼CEO博德利(Steve Bordley)称，上述研究没有考虑到劳动者的获益，比如午饭后困乏感减少以及缺勤率降低等。



Ergonomic experts say that overuse, combined with too much or not enough air in the ball, may contribute to lower back strain. Since keeping the ball stable requires abdominal strength and concentration, distracted workers may not maintain good posture or end up rolling onto the floor.


人体工程学专家表示，过度使用健身球加上球内充气过量或不足，可能会引发腰痛。由于保持健身球的稳定需要使用腹肌力量并集中精力，员工一旦分心就可能没法保持身姿，并将最终滚到地板上。



Gabriel Gaster, a data scientist for a Chicago-based tech startup, has never fallen off his office stability ball, but says he has a 'close call' about once a month. 'That keeps you on your toes,' says Mr. Gaster.


加斯特(Gabriel Gaster)是芝加哥一家初创科技公司的数据科学家。他没有从办公室的平衡球上掉下来过，但是他说，几乎每个月他都差点"惨遭不幸"。 加斯特称，玩平衡球你可得全神贯注！



A 2009 British study concluded that the posture of 28 employees who sat on a stability ball was just as poor as those who sat in a chair. A Dutch study published in Applied Ergonomics the same year found that, compared with chairs with armrests, the balls produced 33% more 'trunk motion' in its 10 subjects, but they also produced more 'spinal shrinkage,' or compression of the vertebrae.


2009年英国的一项研究表明，28名坐着平衡球办公的员工的体态和坐椅子办公的员工同样地糟糕。同年，发表在《实用人类工效学》(Applied Ergonomics)上的一项荷兰研究的论文指出，相较于扶手椅，平衡球使10名研究对象的"躯体动作"增加了33%，但是也使研究对象的"脊骨收缩"（又称脊椎压缩）有所加剧。



Kentucky-based insurance giant Humana says it is planning to add to its current inventory of 40 treadmill desks, while Google now has about two dozen between its New York City and San Francisco Bay area offices.


总部位于肯塔基州的保险业巨头哈门那公司(Humana)表示，该公司计划在现有40台跑步机办公桌的基础上再增加其数量。谷歌(Google)目前拥有大约二十几台跑步机办公桌，这些设备安置在其纽约及旧金山湾区的办公室里。



When Toyota Motor Co. began allowing employees to bring in their own treadmill desk or stability balls, both fell out of use pretty quickly, says Chris Burton, who until recently led Toyota North America's office-ergonomics initiatives. Things quietly soured, he said, as one woman fell off her treadmill within the first few weeks and another employee claimed the stability ball didn't achieve his desired goals. Mr. Burton's conclusion as to the benefit of these alternatives? 'The jury is out,' he says.


此前负责丰田汽车公司(Toyota Motor Co.)北美分公司人体工程学创意的伯顿(Chris Burton)表示，当丰田开始容许员工把自己的跑步机办公桌和平衡球带到办公室来用之后，员工们的热情却很快降温了。他说，这事儿就这么销声匿迹了，因为在最初几周里，就有一位女员工在跑步机上滑倒了，另一位男员工也声称，平衡球没有帮他达到预期目标。当问到他对另类办公方式益处的看法时，伯顿说，对此尚无定论。



To be sure, balls and treadmills won't be replacing the desk chair any time soon. Shelly Wolff, a health-management consultant for Towers Watson, a global human-resources firm, says a half-dozen of its client companies tried rubber exercise balls in lieu of chairs -- but only briefly.


可以肯定的是，平衡球和跑步机不会很快取代办公座椅。全球性人力资源公司韬睿惠悦(Towers Watson)的健康管理顾问沃尔夫(Shelly Wolff)称，有几个韬睿惠悦的企业客户曾试图用橡胶健身球来取代座椅──但他们的尝试都是浅尝辄止。



'It was a terrific idea, but it just really didn't work because they really were not very safe,' says Ms. Wolff. Clients who tried them have reported 'many' employee falls and were concerned about workers' compensation risks, she says.


沃尔夫称，这是个很棒的创意，但就是行不通，因为坐在健身球上办公确实不是很安全。她说，尝试过这种办公方式的企业报告了"大量"员工摔倒事件，这些企业对员工索赔风险很是担忧。



The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which tracks product-related harm. In 2011, the past year for which data is available, treadmill injuries in any context (home, office or gym) comprised 37% of all exercise-equipment mishaps, which numbered nearly 62,000, a Wall Street Journal analysis of the database found. Reported treadmill injuries included foot lacerations, knee sprains and chest contusions.


由美国消费品安全委员会(U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)维护的国家电子伤害监督系统(National Electronic Injury Surveillance System)专门负责追踪与产品相关的危害。《华尔街日报》(Wall Street Journal)对该系统数据库的一项分析发现，2011年，发生在家、办公室及健身馆等各类场合的跑步机事故占健身设备事故总数（接近62,000例）的37%。目前该系统仅提供2011年的数据。上报的跑步机伤害包括足部撕裂、膝盖扭伤和胸部挫伤等。



At Office Walkers, an online community where people discuss treadmill-desk issues (the group motto: Working @ 100 calories per hour), complaints range from 'crippling' Achilles tendon pain to painful shocks from the machine's static buildup.


办公室健步者(Office Walkers)是一个网上社区，在那里人们讨论和跑步机办公桌相关的话题。这个网上社区的座右铭是：工作一个小时，消耗一百卡路里。在那儿，抱怨的内容五花八门，包括让人一瘸一拐的跟腱疼痛以及跑步机累积的静电引发的电击刺痛等。



A Steelcase spokeswoman says safety was the 'primary driver' in the development of its Walkstation, which comes with safeguards like a shock absorption base to reduce the risk of joint injury and an automatic shut-off feature.


Steelcase的发言人表示，安全性是该公司开发工作站产品的首要驱动力。他们的产品安装有用以降低关节损伤风险的减震基座以及自动关停功能等防护措施。



Manufacturers say shock reports are rare and recommend customers ground treadmills with a rubber mat. Pain and soreness, they say, is frequently a result of newbie overuse. 'People get excited and walk for eight hours the first day,' says Mr. Bordley.


跑步机办公桌的制造商表示，极少接到与震动引发的损伤相关的投诉，但建议客户们在跑步机下方垫上一块橡胶垫。他们称，疼痛往往是由新手的过度锻炼造成的。博德利称，第一天人们总是很兴奋，会一连走上八个小时。



Some manufacturers cap machine speeds between 2 and 4 mph.


部分制造商给跑步机设置了每小时二英里至四英里的限速。



Some companies have asked their employees to sign waivers before using the equipment, say treadmill desk manufacturers. Issues include whether it is OK to drink hot beverages while walking on a motorized machine and appropriate footwear. The LifeBalance Station is designed to be used with high heels, says its developer Christoph Leonhard, a professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.


跑步机办公桌的制造商表示，有些公司要求员工在使用这类设备前签署免责声明。内容涵盖当行走在开启的机器上时是否可以喝热饮，以及对鞋子的要求。芝加哥职业心理学校(Chicago School of Professional Psychology)教授、LifeBalance工作站的开发者莱昂纳多(Christoph Leonhard)称，这款跑步机办公桌专为穿高跟鞋运动而设计。



After a handful of University of Kentucky employees began requesting treadmill desks for their offices, the school brought in specialists from different departments -- occupational health and safety, risk management, workers' compensation and legal -- to devise rules for the equipment's use. Among their suggestions: Treadmills should have noise-muffling technology to minimizedisturbance to office neighbors. Users should avoid high heels, walk slower than 2 miles per hour, practice 'proper hygiene' and keep a regular desk and chair to give themselves a break. 'Our guidelines are pretty stringent,' says Jody Ensman, who manages the university's health-and-wellness program.


在肯塔基大学(University of Kentucky)的几位员工要求在办公室内安置跑步机办公桌后，校方从职业健康与安全、风险管理、劳动者补偿及法律等不同院系召集来专家，以拟定健身设备的使用规则。他们的建议包括：跑步机应该运用降噪科技，以使对周边同事的干扰最小化；使用者不应穿高跟鞋，行走速度不应超过每小时二英里，保持良好的个人卫生，并定期使用普通桌椅进行休整。肯塔基大学健康与福利项目负责人恩斯曼(Jody Ensman)称，我们的要求颇为严格。



TreadDesk sold 2,800 workstations in 2012 -- 50 times more than when it launched in 2006, according to CEO Jerry Carr. Sales of the TrekDesk increased tenfold in the last two years, says Mr. Bordley.


TreadDesk公司的CEO杰里•卡尔(Jerry Carr)称，该公司2012年卖出了2,800套工作站──这是2006年产品最初上市时销量的50倍。博德利称，在过去的两年里，TrekDesk工作站的销量增长了10倍。



As with other exercise regimens, people tend to lose interest in workstation fitness products over time. A recent study from the University of Iowa found that when stationary bikes were offered as an alternative to desk chairs, only 19% of employees still used them after four weeks. Lucas Carr, author of the study, says reasons include lack of motivational support and anecdotal evidence that participants' knees were hitting the underside of their desk.


就像对其他锻炼之道一样，随着时间的流逝，人们对工作站健身产品很可能也会兴味索然。爱荷华大学(University of Iowa)近期的一项研究表明，在健身车作为办公桌椅的备选一并提供给员工之后，只有19%的人在四周以后仍会继续使用健身车。这项研究的发起人卢卡斯•卡尔(Lucas Carr)表示，其中的原因包括激励性支持的缺乏，以及那些道听途说的有人把膝盖撞上了办公桌的奇闻轶事。



Jen Wieczner

文章总共1页
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号