HUMAN FACTORS & ERGONOMICS
OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND?
As we find ourselves in a new era of remote and hybrid working, Guy Osmond, MD of Osmond Ergonomics, explores the potential impact on the health of employees.
It’s more than two and half years since the pandemic tilted the world of work on its axis, catalysing radical changes in the way companies and their employees conduct business. The vast majority of knowledge workers moved to homeworking virtually overnight and since then, working remotely for at least part of the week has become the norm rather than the exception, replacing the old office-bound model for many businesses.
While this paradigm shift has undoubtedly brought benefits, including facilitating more agile and flexible working, it also comes with inherent challenges. If the risks are not managed properly, the consequences for workers, and ultimately the businesses they’re part of, could be painful and long-lasting.
THE PANDEMIC HANGOVER The way this new age of homeworking manifested at
speed and under duress at the start of the pandemic has left a lasting, if unintended, legacy.
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In many cases, the makeshift arrangements adopted at the outset have been allowed to perpetuate – even after people have moved into permanent hybrid working situations.
And while some employers have provided funds or equipment to meet the needs of employees in their homes, that support has been insufficient or non- existent for many.
Millions of homeworkers are still making do with inadequate equipment, lack of space, and poor or non-existent training about how to create a healthy and sustainable working environment at home. Even if their employer has supplied a chair or the funds to buy one, it is a waste of money unless the whole setup is reviewed and training is provided.
Leaving people working on laptops at kitchen tables – or the equivalent – risks a tsunami of health issues down the line. The evidence is clear that prolonged sitting and poor workstation layout can be the trigger for musculoskeletal pain and discomfort – especially over months and years.
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