Dangers of Working from Home You May not Know

The global coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people work. The traditional work model of coming to an office every day and doing work has now been replaced with remote work or hybrid work models. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more employees are working from home. However, there are dangers of working from home you may not know and, while avoiding the workplace and being socially isolated is critical to preventing the virus from spreading, working from home health risks and other health issues have increased.

Are you a manager or remote worker who has recently had to adapt to the remote work environment? With the increase of employees remotely working, many healthcare providers have noticed a rise in physical and mental health risks when working from home for a lengthy period. In this article by Autonomous, we discuss the physical and psychological health risks of working from home and how to avoid these issues through ergonomics.

The Physical and Mental Health Risks of Working From Home

With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, more people have been operating remotely from around the world. Although the initiative has been crucial in assisting in the monitoring of the virus's spreading, it has not been without its drawbacks. Healthcare services have seen an increase in work-related injuries that are specific to the home community as the number of people working from home has grown.

According to a new survey, 41.2 percent of at-home staff suffer from low back pain, while 23.5 percent suffer from neck pain.

Many of these health issues can be avoided or alleviated by taking simple steps to enhance the work-from-home environment. Experts hope to convince the remote workers that by simply improving and considering the ergonomics in their home office setting they can avoid ergonomic injuries and other physical and mental health issues brought on by the work from home setting. The three main surprising work from home health risks include:

1. Musculoskeletal Pain

2. Eye Strain

3. Mental Health

Musculoskeletal Pain

Musculoskeletal pain caused by a poorly set-up desk, a non - supportive chair, or excessive hours of sitting is a common issue for employees, both in the workplace and at home setting. Fortunately, by setting up your workstation with ergonomics in mind you are not going to experience this issue – we are going to get to how to set up your ergonomic home office in just a moment.

Eye Strain

You have probably noticed that your vision has become slightly distorted and blurred or that you have developed a mild headache after having to spend hours at your computer. Eye strain is a common issue, but it is becoming more prevalent among remote employees.

The blue light produced by monitors, which can cause vision disruption, is a factor that contributes to eye strain.  Fortunately, there are a couple of techniques to prevent eye strain:

·  Wearing glasses that block out blue light.

·  We suggest using eye lubricant or eye drops because you blink less while doing continuous close work on your computer. 

·  The 20-20-20 Rule – Taking a 20-minute break from your monitor and concentrating on an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes.

If you try these techniques but still have eye strain and headaches, it may be time to visit an optometrist and see if glasses can help.

Mental Health

Headaches and associated symptoms can be caused by a poor work-from-home environment and poor ergonomic workstations. People are socializing less because there is less physical interaction as a result of the lack of regular job hours, which is a major risk factor for mental health problems. Isolation and a sedentary lifestyle, in addition to their negative impacts on mental health, also lead to weight gain and obesity.

How To Avoid These Issues Through Ergonomics

The health risks and dangers of working from home can be avoided by considering ergonomics for your workstation and setting up an ergonomic home office. Workplace injury prevention is a vital aspect of every office setup.  It is no help to any employee or manager if you get injured, so measures must be taken to prevent this from happening. Here are five workplace injury prevention tips to help you stay productive and healthy through the working day:

1. Ergonomic standing desks

2. Ergonomic office chairs

3. Posture

4. Eliminate Blue Light

5. Stretch Breaks

Ergonomic Standing Desks

A ergonomic standing desk is going to help you function more efficiently during the day while still improving your long-term wellbeing and health. A standing desk such as the Autonomous SmartDesk 2 boosts your efficiency and energy levels, as well as provides a host of different advantages.

Ergonomic Office Chairs

You are not going to be disappointed with any of Autonomous' high-quality ergonomic office chairs, from the ErgoChair Recline to the ErgoChair Pro to the cutting-edge ErgoChair Plus. These are your partners, making you comfortable and active during the day by checking all the boxes for adaptability, reliability, high-quality fabrics, and, of course, customizability for every workplace.

Posture

Self-esteem, positive thinking, and general morale are all influenced by good posture. It is no surprise that people delivering presentations need to maintain the best posture to deliver them effectively. The same is true for you as you perform at your workstation, and with an ergonomic office set up, good posture is guaranteed 

Eliminate Blue Light

Blue light is a form of light that is in the LED lights on your tablet, camera, or other devices.

This kind of light is harmful to your eyes, causes fatigue, and reduces efficiency. It is so bad, in reality, that many systems can switch off blue light altogether.

Stretch Breaks

When you are at work, take daily stretching breaks. If you are sitting at a desk, get up and walk around now and then. If you work from home, make it a point to get up and take a short stroll every hour or so. It helps you stay concentrated and prevent your body from being rigid and your bones from being crunchy. Stretch breaks are one of the best workplace injury management tips we can provide.

The Bottom Line

Remote work or hybrid work models have begun to replace the conventional work model of going to an office every day and doing work. More workers are operating from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working at home, though, has health risks and other health problems that employees and managers may not be aware of. 

Management of the dangers of working at home is imperative to maintain productivity, output, and efficiency. With workplace injury prevention tips and considering ergonomics for your home office, employees and managers do not have to worry about the dangers of working from home or ergonomic injuries.