Defaults at Work: A Field Experiment on the Effect of Nudges on Stand-Up Working

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Abstract

Sedentary behavior at work is a major and growing public-health concern. This field experiment tested whether default settings on height-adjustable workstations could promote standing at work, and whether transparency and health coaching strengthened the effect. The study included 149 employees across eight departments of a Belgian government organization. Departments were assigned to a non-transparent default nudge, a transparent default nudge, coaching alone, or a transparent default plus coaching. Across eight weeks, posture was recorded every 30 minutes. Standing rose from 1.82% to 4.93% under the non-transparent default, to 11.25% under the transparent default, and to 18.80% when the transparent default was combined with coaching. Coaching alone had no significant effect. Although standing declined after removal, it remained above baseline after one week.

Study design

• Authors: Mathias Celis, Nicolas Dirix, Mona Bassleer, Wouter Duyck
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Published: 24 June 2025
• Sample: 149 employees in eight departments
• Design: Eight-week workplace field experiment with baseline, intervention, and follow-up
• Measurement: Fixed-camera observations every 30 minutes, producing 91,604 datapoints across 3,840 hours

Main findings

• Non-transparent default: standing increased from 1.82% to 4.93%.
• Transparent default: standing reached 11.25%.
• Transparent default plus coaching: standing reached 18.80%, the largest effect.
• Coaching alone did not significantly change standing.
• Effects partly persisted after the intervention ended.

Conclusion

Default nudges can alter deeply habitual workplace movement patterns. Transparency strengthened their effect, while coaching was most useful when paired with an environmental default. The combined intervention addresses capability, opportunity, and motivation and offers a scalable approach to reducing sedentary work.

Citation

Celis, M., Dirix, N., Bassleer, M., & Duyck, W. (2025). Defaults at Work: A Field Experiment on the Effect of Nudges on Stand-Up Working. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(7), 994. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22070994

Publisher: MDPI