Remote work has become a staple of modern professional life, but there’s a trillion-pound problem lurking beneath the surface that few are addressing. As I watched the Humble Works pitch at a recent Silicon Valley startup showcase, I was struck by how this company is tackling an issue that affects 1.3 billion information workers worldwide.
The problem? We’re all sitting hunched over our laptops, and it’s killing both our bodies and our productivity.
What caught my attention wasn’t just another standing desk solution—it was the fundamental rethinking of how we approach movement during the workday. The founder made a point that resonated with me: standing isn’t the answer. Simply switching from sitting to standing burns a few more calories but doesn’t solve the core issue.
The Real Cost of Immobility
The statistics are alarming. According to the presentation, 88% of managers don’t believe their remote teams are working as productively as they could be. This isn’t just about employer satisfaction—it represents a massive economic drain.
What’s fascinating is the potential upside: by incorporating movement throughout the workday, workers could unlock:
- 17% improvement in productivity
- 25% reduction in sick days
- Significant cost savings in health insurance
These aren’t small numbers when scaled across organizations. For employers, this could mean savings of £1,400 per employee in year one, growing to £2,600 by year three.
The Behavior Change Challenge
One investor raised a critical question that gets to the heart of the matter: how do you change people’s behavior? We’ve all been there—companies purchase expensive standing desks with memory settings, but as one investor noted, “Pretty much every single person either keeps it up or keeps it down. They’re not moving it up and down all the time.”
This is where I think Humble Works’ approach becomes interesting. Rather than just providing equipment, they’re developing an ecosystem that includes:
- Physical products that enable different working positions
- An app that tracks movement and productivity
- A reporting system that provides insights to managers
- Eventually, an AI manager to optimize team performance
The focus on measurement and feedback creates accountability that might overcome the typical behavior change obstacles. By establishing a baseline over three weeks and then introducing their suite of tools, they aim to demonstrate measurable productivity improvements within three months.
Data as the New Competitive Edge
What’s particularly forward-thinking about this approach is the data play. By collecting granular information about how movement affects productivity, Humble Works is positioning itself to disrupt multiple industries.
The founder suggested that by year three, they plan to take on the insurance industry with preventative health indicators derived from their movement data. This could fundamentally change how we think about workplace wellness programs and health insurance costs.
I found it telling that when pressed about valuation growth, the founder confidently stated that the data they’ll gather on remote work patterns “will put us in a position where the following round will be five times what we’re aiming for now.
The Implementation Question
The biggest challenge I see is implementation. The founder proposed a 25% initial rollout to a company’s remote workforce, targeting both early adopters and more reluctant teams. This phased approach makes sense, but the question remains: will the productivity gains be significant enough to drive wider adoption?
There’s also the privacy concern that one investor hinted at—will employees feel like they’re being “spied on” by management through these tools? The balance between productivity monitoring and employee autonomy will be delicate.
The vision is compelling, but the execution will require careful navigation of workplace dynamics and privacy concerns.
Beyond Standing Desks
What I appreciate about this approach is that it moves beyond the simplistic “sitting is bad, standing is good” dichotomy. The founder explicitly stated that “standing isn’t the answer” and that the real solution is creating behavioral change through movement.
This represents a more nuanced understanding of workplace ergonomics and productivity than we typically see. Rather than a single solution, it’s about creating an adaptive ecosystem that encourages regular position changes throughout the day.
As someone who has tried various ergonomic setups over the years, I can attest that the ability to vary positions is far more valuable than any single “perfect” position. Our bodies are designed for movement, not stasis.
The trillion-pound problem of remote work productivity won’t be solved with a single product. It requires a system that addresses both the physical environment and behavioral patterns. While Humble Works is still early in its journey, their approach of combining physical products with data-driven insights points toward a more comprehensive solution than we’ve seen before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How exactly does movement improve workplace productivity?
Movement increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which enhances cognitive function. Regular position changes also reduce physical discomfort that can be distracting. Studies referenced by Humble Works suggest this can lead to a 17% productivity improvement and 25% fewer sick days, as employees experience less physical strain and mental fatigue throughout the workday.
Q: Won’t monitoring employee movement patterns raise privacy concerns?
This is a legitimate concern. Humble Works plans to address this by anonymizing and aggregating data before presenting it to managers. Their focus appears to be on team-level insights rather than individual surveillance. However, companies implementing such systems will need clear communication about what data is collected and how it’s used to maintain employee trust.
Q: How long does it take to see results from implementing a movement-based work system?
According to Humble Works, they establish a baseline over three weeks before introducing their suite of tools. They then aim to demonstrate measurable productivity improvements within three months. This timeline aligns with research on habit formation, which suggests it takes about 21 days to begin establishing new behavioral patterns.
Q: How is this different from just buying standing desks for employees?
Traditional standing desks only offer two positions (sitting and standing), and as investors pointed out, most people tend to pick one position and stick with it. Humble Works is creating an ecosystem that includes multiple working positions, measurement tools, and feedback mechanisms to encourage regular movement throughout the day, not just occasional position changes.
Q: What kind of return on investment can companies expect?
Humble Works projects savings of £1,400 per employee in year one, increasing to £2,600 by year three. These savings come from reduced health insurance costs, fewer sick days, and increased productivity. However, it’s worth noting that as one investor pointed out, the company is still in early deployment stages, so these projections are based on general research about movement benefits rather than specific product data.
