Wondering whether work from home may influence your health not only in a good way but a bad one as well? Now, you will discover a few negative effects of distance work! Go on reading.
As far as the Covid-19 pandemic remains rampant in hotspots worldwide, it has started to dawn upon businesses that performing their job remotely, including a flexible schedule, full-time, or part-time options is their new normal.
Distance work is likely to remain for ninety-four percent of businesses for unspecified periods. The question arises whether it is good or terrible news for your staff’s health? Here, you may find out several ways remote work may affect people’s wellness (preliminary with negative effects).
Digital Communication Resulting in Poor Eyesight and Fatigue
During the pandemic, colleagues have strengthened the use of such video conferencing platforms as Skype and Zoom as the primary method for communicating (for job matters as well as socializing). To prove a point, as it was reported in App Annie, people downloaded the above-mentioned platforms across Google Play and iOS around sixty-three (!) million times in March.
However, using modern communications technology (from Zoom to the old-reliable smartphone) proved to affect users’ health. Many employees started gawking at their screens for the time that exceeds work hours with no breaks, sitting in very uncomfortable positions. That thing results in problems with eyesight (in some cases, it may even lead to retina damages). Note that if you read this article you probably need computer glasses. Even if you feel ok with that, it would be a good idea to visit your ophthalmologist, ok?
Blurred vision is not the only consequence of excessive screen time. Have you ever heard about such a well-documented phenomenon as “Zoom fatigue”? Sooner or later, this happens when employees (even those who can’t imagine their lives without frequent video chatting) get burned out after meetings that go on for hours. No matter how much a person willingly works from home, more than four one-by-one conference calls via Zoom will negatively contribute to their energy levels.
Physical Health Suffering from Distance Work
Let’s figure out several key negative effects of remote work for your physical health:
- Easy access to the kitchen (in particular to the fridge with super delicious snacks) means that most probably starting from the beginning of the pandemic, many employees may have gained weight;
- Back pain. Many employees have unsatisfactory designed workspaces at homes that lead to bad sedentary behavior. This result in headache, back pain, and even numbness in the extremities. According to Popular Science, employees who sit for hours at the computer may unconsciously stoop, thus, slowly hurt the spine, which may cause micro-injuries.
By the way, a slumped posture also has a negative influence on employees’ mental health. According to psychology research, it triggers worse memory and bad moods. People start perceiving things in the blackest colors.
Remote Work Leads to Feeling Lonely
Many people who work from home love this because they can alternate their work routine and time with their nearest and dearest. For instance, they often use their work breaks to have a meal with their families or just help their children with home assignments.
The point is that not every person can boast about warm family relationships. In fact, many employees suffer from a lack of a welcoming atmosphere at home due to strained relations with their families. For such employees, their interactions (both work and friendly) with colleagues are considered a key source of positive emotions as well as support. Having small talks with coworkers in the office adds much to better spirits.
It is truly hard to reproduce small, spontaneous, and friendly office talks in a virtual context. As a result, many people who work from home start feeling lonely. According to psychology study, this can give rise to insomnia, depression, and even abuse of substances.
Finally, let’s recollect a very bright development introduced by DirectApply that demonstrates the future of the remote worker. The solution is called Susan, a visual prototype of the employee, who prefers remote work, in 25 years from nowadays, if they don’t optimize their work habits. Forecasts definitely look disappointing!
