7 Remote Working Health Threats You Should Know About
Photo courtesy: Kelly Sikkema
People working from home work longer hours than their onsite counterparts, creating potential serious work-related health concerns. That’s why prevention is key.
Part I of II
According to Global Workplace Analytics, working from home is a work style that continues to grow at an alarming rate. Not only is the number of companies that allow remote work increasing, but more new companies are using remote workers from the start. In fact, “remote work” is practically a household phrase. People everywhere now work remotely or at least know someone who does. As with any popular phenomenon, there are always a few downsides. For those working from home, in exchange for a 5-second-commute, they may unintentionally be hurting their health.
It’s well documented that remote workers work longer hours than their onsite counterparts. Whether the cause is an inability to shut down, concern about a boss’s “productivity paranoia,” or a combination of several factors, there are unhealthy behaviors remote professionals should be aware of, and replace.
Constant sitting
According to James A. Levine, M.D., Ph.D., answering questions for www.mayoclinic.org, excessive sitting “seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.” While the obvious remedy to extensive sitting might be to head to the gym for an hour each morning, Dr. Levine says that this won’t help much. Instead, frequent movement breaks, such as walking around or even standing during work times, will be more beneficial. The point is to avoid long periods of sitting altogether.
Posture
Poor posture is about more than looking poised. According to the Kansas Chiropractic Foundation, “the long-term effects of poor posture can affect bodily systems (such as digestion, elimination, breathing, muscles, joints and ligaments).” One of the chief causes of poor posture is sitting for extended periods of time. Those who work remotely often have desk jobs, so in addition to constant sitting, long hours can make them tired causing their postures to suffer.
Lack of exercise
It’s no secret that exercising is physically beneficial, whether to aid in weight loss, or to increase heart rate. What isn’t as well-known are the psychological benefits of exercise. This is particularly important because even the most independent and well-adjusted remote worker risks suffering from the effects of isolation and lack of stimuli. And this can bring on depression.
According to journalist Cathy Johnson, producer of ABC Health Online (www.abc.net/au), citing a 2011 Dutch study on mood and exercise, “doing exercise reduced the risk of developing a mood or anxiety disorder… even when controlling for socioeconomic factors and physical illnesses.” That’s pretty impressive evidence to encourage home based workers to start walking or bike riding several times a week.
Poor eating habits
It can be argued that onsite workers have pretty bad eating habits, rushing to snack stands or fast food joints during their lunch hours. However, remote workers don’t fare much better, despite the selection control they have at home. In fact, being at home with an entire kitchen at one’s disposal often makes the eating habits of remote workers worse.
Furthermore, remote workers tend to feel guilty for taking breaks, so they mix their work and lunch times. Eating while working not only deprives workers the breaks they need, but it also creates mindless eating. Although there are many psychological concerns involved with mindless eating, the risk for telecommuters who eat at their desks are poor digestion, poor food choices, and not getting mental breaks. Health experts advise, “It is important to get away from the desk. This allows yourself to unwind, revamp and get some fresh air, but also prevents you from eating mindlessly.” (Fun fact: eating over a keyboard is most unsanitary. “The University of Arizona found that the average office keyboard harbours over 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.” The National Center for Health Research)
Sleep habits
While some may assume that remote workers sleep until noon since there’s no traffic to fight with, this is rarely the case. In fact, because of the blur between work and home it is more realistic to expect remote workers to rise earlier than ever to get a start on their days, yet work late into the night to recoup any time they might have lost throughout the day because of family obligations or other interruptions. And, because some remote workers are perpetually networked to their companies makes it all the easier to ignore their bodies’ signals for sleep and to keep plugging away with work.
In fact, Dr. Carolyn Axtell (Institute of Work Psychology and Management, The University of Sheffield, UK), and Barbara Nelson, (former CTO of iPass), referred to teleworkers as “remote over-workers”. In a study conducted by Dr. Axtell, it was found that “more than a quarter of respondents said they worked 15 to 20 hours extra a week,” which contributed to impaired work-life balance and well-being. According to Matthew Wall, reporting for BBC News, “Dr Axtell’s work suggests productivity actually levels off among those working the longest hours, and even drops over time, as tiredness and stress eventually impair performance.” Clearly a danger sign for teleworkers!
Being able to shut down when tired is a common problem for remote workers.
Social Deprivation
Humans are social creatures. Remote workers are humans. So, it stands to reason, that teleworkers are also social creatures, doesn’t it? But how do we support remote workers’ primal needs when the very nature of working from home suggests working away from other people? The truth is, a solution to this issue, and whose responsibility it is, are up for debate. Companies have only recently begun to take this aspect into consideration and to realize that socialization of remote workers goes beyond conference calls, Zoom-ing, and yearly meet-ups.
Eye Strain
Most jobs performed by remote workers are technical or intellectual. Performing those jobs generally requires the constant use of computers. This means non-stop staring and squinting at computer screens, whether to enter information or to research and read. This can cause Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Combine a constant staring at computer monitors, along with poor home lighting, topped off with working late into the night, and remote workers risk doing serious damage to their eyes.
According to the American Optometric Association, preventing or reducing CVS “involves taking steps to control lighting and glare on the computer screen, establishing proper working distances and posture for computer viewing, and assuring that even minor vision problems are properly corrected.”
Next:
No one wants their desire to improve their work-life balance to result in damaged health. Fortunately, most of these risks can be minimized with a few changes in the way work is done. In part two of this article, Simple Ways to Protect Your Health When You Work Remotely, I offers several tips to specifically address the health risks we discussed.
Your Turn: What unhealthy behaviors have you noticed in yourself or other remote workers that need to be addressed?
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Category: Healthy Living, Telecommuting
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