Working from home has taken a toll on health outcomes
Months of working at a kitchen table (or worse) for hours a day has led to an increase of musculoskeletal problems.
Working from home can bring about higher productivity—but it also seems to increase reports of lower back pain and weight gain, a new study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The study looked at a range of issues associated with working from home during the COVID 19 pandemic, especially given that most workers did not have the specially designed ergonomic equipment more commonly found in offices. Researchers surveyed workers about musculoskeletal pain, sleep conditions, physical activity, resting, equipment and productivity.
Related: Ergonomics best practices for happier and healthier employees working from home
“The rapid shift in working conditions of millions of office workers raised some significant ergonomic considerations,” the study said. “In a typical home environment, furniture is selected base on emotional response, comfort perception, and build quality—not the features required to do work healthily and efficiently.”
An increase in musculoskeletal problems
The researchers used a detailed survey form to explore workers’ experiences in shifting from office work to working from home. They found a significant increase in reported lower back pain. The survey data also suggested an increase in neck, upper back, hip, and knee pain, although the numbers there were not seen as statistically significant.
“We found that the lack of lumbar support, stress levels, general health status, sleep duration, and rest qualities” all affected low back pain, the study said. Based on the study’s data along with other research, the report added that there are indications that pain levels increase as employees continue to work in sub-optimal conditions.
Interestingly, part of the problem may be linked to the often-reported issue of not being able to draw boundaries when switching to remote work. Even though workers were not stuck at an office or in a car, outdoor activities actually decreased, according to the survey. The study, conducted more than 6 months after the pandemic began, found that nearly half (46.9%) of participants reported an increase in weight.
In addition, the survey suggested more time was spent in front of screens. “The majority of participants reported a significant increase in the time spent using a computer and more daily working time and meeting times compared with the actual workplace experience,” the report said. The result was an increase in reported productivity, but the reported health consequences suggest problems down the road for remote workers.
The wrong tools for the job
The authors of the report said that the pandemic required workers to make a dramatic change in their work environment quickly, and the ad hoc nature of the changes had significant—and negative—impacts on their health.
“The study revealed that employees who switched to working from home during the pandemic process were caught unprepared in many ways,” the report said. “Chair type, desk type and computer type used for working from home were mostly inappropriate and the participants largely met their needs by their own immediately available means.”
The study went on to say that the majority of participants reported utilizing dining chairs/tables for remote work, and most chairs were purchased more than a year before the pandemic.
“Moreover, most of the computer equipment used during working from home was also provided by the participants themselves,” the authors added. “Screen height and the distance between the screen and participants were also inappropriate according to our results. All these findings illustrate that employees have not fully been able to adapt to the process of working from home during the pandemic. Considering that most employees have been working from home for more than six months and will continue to do so for some time, it is safe to assume that the problems related to musculoskeletal pain that we identified will only be exacerbated.”
The report concluded by suggesting that employers should help provide ergonomically appropriate equipment to employees who work from home and that educational programs should address best practices in this area, as well as quality-of-life issues.
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