New working worlds
Interstuhl 
14.01.2026 
283Sitting – the silent health risk and why active sitting is part of the solution
More than ten hours – that's how long the German population sits on average every day, according to the latest DKV report from 2025 (p. 30). Whether in the office, working from home, or on the way to work, our everyday lives are characterized by long periods of sitting in a rigid position. The problem with this? Lack of exercise has long since become one of the greatest health risks of our time – it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and back problems.
The obvious answer often seems to be exercise in our free time. But studies show that even those who jog or go to the gym after work cannot completely offset the negative effects of sitting for hours at a time (Ergonomics White Paper, p. 6–7). The real solution is much closer – right under us: active sitting.
Below, we take a look at the alarming figures from the DKV report from 2025. Based on this, we explain why classic 'correct sitting' is no longer enough and show how active sitting with the help of modern office furniture can increase not only health but also productivity. We draw on our own research from our white papers and present clear graphics of the most important key figures, which illustrate how rare an all-round healthy lifestyle actually is in Germany.
The most important facts at a glance:
1. Sitting in numbers – what the studies reveal
On weekdays, Germans sit for an average of 613 minutes – that's a good 10 hours , with the median even reaching 623 minutes. In the following chart, we have broken down the distribution of sedentary activities on a working day:
For a long time, ergonomic sitting was considered the ideal solution for back health in the office. Height-adjustable chairs, lumbar support, and optimally aligned monitors were supposed to prevent discomfort. However, research clearly shows that even the "best" sitting posture loses its health benefits if it is maintained unchanged for hours on end. This is also shown in our white paper on ergonomics (pp. 6–7).
The DKV Report 2025 highlights this problem: people who sit for many hours a day are more likely to suffer from back and neck problems, restricted blood circulation, and poor concentration – regardless of how perfectly their workplace is set up. The real problem is the lack of movement during work.
The concept of activity-based working (ABW) .goes one step further. It takes into account that employees perform different activities during the course of their working day and choose the appropriate workplace for each task (Fincke et al, 2018 ).
Companies that implement ABW therefore provide their employees with a variety of zones that are specifically tailored to different tasks. These include, for example, areas for concentrated individual work, collaborative teamwork, or short breaks. Employees choose their workplace depending on the task at hand and switch between the different zones (Becker et al., 2022 ).
Active sitting is not a theoretical concept, but can be implemented immediately with the right office equipment and room design. The key is to encourage the body to make subtle but constant movements without having to interrupt work. Active seating furniture: Aditionally our PURE collection also promotes active sitting. Thanks to Smart Spring technology, PURE dynamically adapts to the user's body weight and movements. It allows for a wide range of motion in all directions, enabling three-dimensional sitting without additional adjustment. PURE ensures that the muscles are continuously activated and that frequent posture changes take place, keeping the legs, hips, and spine mobile.
The goal is clear: moving away from a rigid, passive sitting culture toward a work environment where movement comes naturally. Combined with short active breaks, as recommended in our ergonomics white paper (pp. 9–10) the result is an office that not only increases productivity but also protects health in the long term.
The health benefits of active sitting are numerous and kick in faster than you might expect. Even small, regular movements while sitting can: The DKV-Report 2025 clearly shows that ot getting enough exercise at work is one of the main risks to your health. Only32% of people meet the WHO's recommendations for doing endurance and muscle training exercises (pp. 22–23). For employers, this means that every investment in exercise-friendly workplaces has a preventive effect against absenteeism.
Active sitting does not have to start with a complete office redesign. Even small changes can have a big impact – both on health and on team morale. These measures can be implemented immediately, cost little to nothing, and, according to our findings, can have a noticeable effect on well-being and productivity within just a few weeks.
Sitting for long periods of time is an integral part of our everyday working lives – and at the same time a key risk factor for our health and performance. Research clearly shows that ergonomically correct sitting alone is not enough if there is a lack of movement .
Act now:
whether through movable seating, flexible workstations, or targeted opportunities for movement, even small changes can have a noticeable effect on everyday working life. Integrating movement into office and work concepts, at an early stage is a sustainable investment in your employees and your organization. Whether through movable seating, flexible workstations, or targeted opportunities for movement, every step toward greater dynamism in the office is a gain. Let us show you how your company can integrate active sitting into everyday life.
This means that total sitting time has increased by almost two hours per working day since 2014. 77 % of respondents say they sit for more than eight hours a day. However, only around 30 % of these "frequent sitters" compensate for long periods of sitting with sufficient activity (DKV Report, p. 38).
At the same time, only a very small proportion of the population meets the overall health benchmarks. For example, just 2 % achieve the "completely healthy", 34 % eat a healthy diet, and 29 % abstain from alcohol (DKV Report, p. 16).
We have illustrated the most common health problems caused by sitting for too long in the following figure:
2. From ergonomics to dynamics – why "sitting correctly" is no longer enough
This is where the concept of active sitting comes in. It means changing your sitting posture regularly, activating your muscles through micro-movements, and allowing your body to work dynamically. Instead of static positions, flexible seats, slightly springy mechanisms, or stools are used, which allow gentle rocking, turning, or leaning forward and backward.
This movement while sitting supports the spine and promotes circulation and metabolism without you having to leave your workplace. In modern office concepts, active sitting is therefore often combined with sit-stand workstations to make changing posture throughout the day a matter of course.
This automatically promotes physical activity in everyday working life, as employees change their posture more frequently uthereby reducing the amount of time they spend sitting (de Bloom et al., 2017). At the same time, studies show that ABW environments have positive effects on perceived autonomy, flexibility, and team communication (Becker et al., 2022 ).
In this way, ABW supports dynamic and flexible working that combines the use of different work zones, ergonomic variety, and physical activity.
3. BRINGING MOVEMENT INTO YOUR SITTING – HERE'S HOW
How do we at Interstuhl enable active sitting with our office chairs and UP's?
With our patented Flextech mechanism, we have expanded classic ergonomic sitting to include dynamic, three-dimensional movements. Flextech is based on a proven synchronous mechanism, but increases the chair's range of motion in all directions. This enables enables continuous micro-movements and promotes dynamic sitting behavior. Flextech supports an active sitting posture and can have positive effects on health and well-being by counteracting a lack of movement when sitting.
Flextech is available for Interstuhl office chairs in the HEJ, EVERY, JOYCE, AIM, GOAL
collections. The development of Flextech is based on scientific findings. Tests conducted by ETH Zurich also confirm a significantly greater range of motion compared to conventional synchronous mechanisms.
You can find more information about Flextech here.
Our Interstuhl UP stool also supports an active sitting posture thanks to the convex design of its seat. It follows movements in all directions when sitting, thus reducing pressure on the intervertebral discs. The continuous movement also promotes blood circulation.
Flexible workplace solutions:
Interior design – encouraging movement:
4. POSITIVE EFFECTS – FOR THE BODY AND THE COMPANY
This approach also makes economic sense: according to studies summarized in our ergonomics white paper (pp. 4–5), ergonomically and dynamically designed workplaces lead to fewer sick days, higher job satisfaction, and better employee retention. Movement while sitting is therefore not only a question of health – it is also a competitive advantage in the "war for talent".
5. IMPLEMENT IMMEDIATELY – FOUR QUICK WINS FOR MORE ACTIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE
6. SUMMARY
A change of perspective is therefore crucial: away from static solutions and toward working environments that make movement a matter of course. Active sitting, regular posture changes, and activity-based workplace concepts can help to improve health and productivity.
You can also look forward to our next Spotlight! – where we will delve even deeper into the topic of active sitting .
REFERENCES
2
OverviewPDF download
Do you have any questions?
