Many other workers around the country are fighting for the right to sit down at work, according to an article in The Guardian. Business owners and bosses mistakenly think taking chairs away from workers will increase worker productivity. A worker quoted in the same article said from her perspective workers are in pain from standing all day and that makes them much less productive stating, “The irrationality of it is so astounding.” (June 28, 2023)
However, “according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is ample evidence documenting the negative health effects of standing too long at work. Some of it is obvious: fatigue, lower back pain, tiredness and swollen legs. But there are also long-term risks associated with being on one’s feet for too long; it increases the risk of cardiovascular problems and adverse pregnancy outcomes.” (tinyurl.com/a7nat8ux)
“I think it’s a very classist thing,” said a worker featured in the article. “No one would dare criticize a lawyer for sitting on the job. But in retail or the service industry, when the job is deemed to be unskilled labor, people get irrationally offended when they see you sitting.”
In retail. I’d kill for a chair. There is absolutely no fucking reason to not have one, and my coworkers and I find places to sit regardless, usually the company’s fancy machines.
You’d think they’d rather we sit on actual chairs, but as the worker quoted says:
If the intent is to say something about the capitalist/worker relationship, it could be totally rational.
Leg and back pain is merely a reminder of who owns who, for sure.
related