How to get HR to approve an ergonomic standing desk for back pain
Sitting at standard office setups for long hours causes physical discomfort, back pain, and knee pain. Fighting HR to get a proper standing desk and chair makes dealing with these physical ailments even harder.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 10.8× more often in r/Accounting than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Buying a good desk chair, triple monitors, and a solid standing deskDid this help you?
- 2Stacking monitors on a monitor stand or books to adjust viewing heightDid this help you?
- 3using eye dropsDid this help you?
- 4wearing blue light glassesDid this help you?
- 5taking breaksDid this help you?
- 6using a standing deskDid this help you?
- 7Changing seating positions frequentlyDid this help you?
- 8Doing chair pilatesDid this help you?
- 9Putting feet up on a second chairDid this help you?
- 10Pulling knees to the chestDid this help you?
- 11Opening a desk drawer to use as a footrestDid this help you?
- 12Taking walks during breaksDid this help you?
- 13trying different chair settingsDid this help you?
- 14looking for alternative office chair modelsDid this help you?
- 15considering ripping off the built-in lumbar pillowDid this help you?
- 16getting hepatitis and tetanus vaccinationsDid this help you?
- 17going to the gym to stay strongDid this help you?
- 18using mechanical lifting aids and working with a partnerDid this help you?
- 19wearing knee pads, safety glasses, gloves, respirators, and ear plugsDid this help you?
- 20Wearing quality footwearDid this help you?
- 21Doing nightly yoga stretchesDid this help you?
- 22Keeping a stool at the front of the room to alternate sitting and standingDid this help you?
- 23Using a wheeled chair to move around the classroomDid this help you?
- 24Obtaining a doctor's note for accommodationDid this help you?
- 25Sitting on tables to avoid getting on and off the floorDid this help you?
- 26Having students bring items directly to the teacher where they can reach themDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“It’s uncomfortable to sit the exact same way for 8 hours a day. Changing positions help.”source ↗
“I hate sitting I get restless and my lower back hurts so I be hitting all sorts of weird sitting positions”source ↗
“I'm an older Gen Z (1998), but I'm the youngest on my team. By 30 years 😂 I am moving around a ton during the day, and love going on walks during break!”source ↗
“I’m a millennial. I sit the ways you’re talking about all the time. Mostly I sit Indian styled. I put one knee up with foot on chair a lot.”source ↗
“Debit: Shallow Women Credit: Back and Knee Pain”source ↗
“Good luck having to argue your way with HR to having a good standing desk and chair for your bad back.”source ↗
“my eyes get heavy around 9pm when i'm grading on my laptop.”source ↗
“my eyes get heavy - not dry, not painful, just heavy - and my brain slows right along with it.”source ↗
“How did anyone handle bending and squatting to help kids all day? Im dying here.”source ↗
“My leg muscles always feel like it’s being pulled. I try to sit when I can but I have to mostly stand because our school wants us to circulate all the time”source ↗
“As for the bending and squatting…I sat on tables and made them come to me more. I was like “guys this belly is huge and I can’t get on and off the floor easily so help me out here and bring things where I can reach them if I’m helping you with something””source ↗
“now I’m worried about my health in the future if I choose this job for the rest of my life, should I be concerned?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7How to avoid getting sick when everyone at work is sick
- 2How to deal with extreme boredom and pretending to be busy at work
- 40Why are teachers expected to be available 24/7?
- 17How to survive year-round mandatory overtime in public accounting
- 5What to do during a long unexpected airport layover
- 4How to survive the long school stretches without breaks