Research

Working WELL?

For many, working from home has been both a blessing and a curse. OPI takes a look at recent research that reveals the impact homeworking has had on employee physical and mental well-being – by Michelle Sturman

For most, a first anniversary is something to celebrate. The milestone we’re talking about here, however, may not be. March/ April 2020 signified the mandate issued by governments worldwide to ‘work from home if possible’, and many employees have not returned to the office since.

Plenty has changed for many during the past year in terms of setting up a more conducive working environment and figuring out a homeworking routine in lieu of the daily commute. But the strain is showing, and recent research reveals that for a substantial number of people, the drawn-out work-from-home (WFH) situation is exacting a toll, both physically and mentally.

THE HAZARDS OF WFH

Following on from its groundbreaking report The Work Colleague of the Future (see Spotlight, OPI December/January 2020, page 32), Fellowes Brands has released a new study on the effects of working from home.

The company’s New Way of Working survey highlights the detrimental effects of the enforced move to WFH. Based on feedback from 7,000 office workers across Europe – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK – the results show that, overall, 35% have experienced stress and anxiety, 37% have suffered a sore or aching back, and 71% have bought home office equipment with their own money.

Tellingly, just over half of respondents (52%) said their home workstation caused more aches, pains and strains than their traditional workplace setup – with the greatest percentage in Spain (61%).

Those based in Poland were most likely to suffer from strained eyes – 61% compared to a global

52%

Percentage of office workers who said their home workstation caused more aches, pains and strains than their workplace setup

average of 41%. A substantial proportion of Polish homeworkers reported dealing with a sore and aching back (56%). Headaches were also a frequent complaint. Once more, Polish workers suffer the most (51%), followed closely by those in Spain (49%) and Italy (48%).

These results are hardly surprising. The interest in physical well-being in the workplace had already gathered momentum and created a demand for ergonomic furniture and accessories. However, the sudden decampment to homeworking meant employees abandoning their ergonomic workstations in the office for whatever space and makeshift ‘desk’ was available at home.

A Totaljobs survey undertaken in the UK of 2,000 workers from 24-27 March 2020 suggests the impact of forced homeworking on their physical well-being was instantaneous – 48%, for example, said their sleep was suffering and they were less active than before lockdown, which officially started on 23 March. An additional survey conducted six weeks later revealed that 40% were still experiencing some discomfort from their work setup, a decrease of just 5%.

Wildgoose Event’s 2020 Remote Working Employee study from June last year found similar results. The firm asked employees from 133 companies how WFH had impacted them and discovered that 45% felt less productive because of an uncomfortable work setup. Interestingly, those employed by large companies (over 1,000 staff) experienced the greatest dissatisfaction with their remote working configuration, pointing to an absence of allocated resources.

SLOW PACE OF CHANGE

Not a lot seems to have changed in a year. The Disparity Begins at Home report from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) was published in February 2021. Its snapshot survey revealed the most common WFH health or health-related issues included social isolation, less exercise, disrupted sleep and musculoskeletal problems.

Indeed, a paltry 28% of respondents worked from a dedicated home office, while 48% of those operating from a bedroom or sofa said they had developed physical issues.

Alarmingly, RSPH found just 1% of respondents were offered a screen protector to prevent eye strain by their employers. A woeful 5% were supplied with a keyboard and mouse gel mats, 7% with a desk and 8% a laptop cradle stand. Only 17% were provided with a fully-adjustable office chair.

1%

Percentage of UK employees offered a screen protector to prevent eye strain by their employers

TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH

But this is only half the story. In the workplace, well-being has been heavily skewed towards physical ailments and to a far lesser extent towards mental health. Figures from the United Nations – even before the onset of COVID-19 – estimate the world economy loses over $1 trillion a year because of depression and anxiety.

The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development states that mental health issues exist along a continuum. As explained in a UN Policy Brief: COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health (13 May 2020), the pandemic has influenced where individuals are on that spectrum: “Many people who previously coped well are now less able to cope because of the multiple stressors generated by the pandemic,” it said.

“Those who previously had few experiences of anxiety and distress may experience an increase in number and intensity of these, and some have developed a mental health condition. And those who previously had a mental health condition may experience a worsening of their condition and reduced functioning.”

The abrupt switch to homeworking has brought mental wellness to the fore. This is unsurprising when considering numerous factors such as juggling work and homeschooling; small, cramped spaces in which to work; extended ‘office’ hours; and little separation between work and home life. Plus, having to deal with all this through a pandemic that has so far claimed the lives of over 2.5 million worldwide.

According to Fellowes’ aforementioned research, Spaniards are the most likely to suffer from stress and anxiety while working from home (52% vs a global average of 35%), followed by Italy (45%), the UK (34%) and France (33%). Moreover, 65% of Spanish respondents were likely to agree to working longer hours at home, followed by Italy and the Netherlands (49%), and Germany (46%). Only 24% of those based in the UK agreed.

The Brits (25% vs a global average of 19%) were also most likely to say their employers encouraged them to take breaks and time away from their desks during working hours. On the flipside, Germans said employers never encouraged them to take breaks (29% vs a global average of 20%).

The prevailing common mental strains included feeling tired or a lack of energy (43%), being lonely or isolated (36%), and getting stressed and anxious (35%).

An interesting report, The Global Employee Health Study, by Aetna International and published last November, investigated gaps between employer and staff perceptions of wellness.

Conducted across the UAE, the UK, the US, and Singapore, the top employee health concern when working from home was gaining weight (43%). Next came mental health issues (33%), followed closely by stress (31%) and musculoskeletal conditions (31%).

Over two-thirds (68%) indicated that mental health care provision from their employer is now

TAKING CHARGE OF WELL-BEING

It’s not all doom and gloom. Studies also highlight that, generally, people feel happier and healthier in the current WFH culture. However, this is often offset by the harm working longer hours with the ‘always-on’ expectation is causing.

According to Microsoft’s Work Smarter to Live Better report, as a result of these pressures, 36% of employees said mental health and resilience resources were the most popular option to develop remote working skills.

The urgency of dealing with mental wellness was indicated in May 2020, when Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, commented: “It is now crystal clear that mental health needs must be treated as a core element of our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a collective responsibility of governments and civil society, with the support of the whole UN System. A failure to take people’s emotional well-being seriously will lead to long-term social and economic costs to society.”

Microsoft found that only 29% of organisations have introduced additional benefits and services to support employees’ physical and mental wellness. This is corroborated by Fellowes’ research, which discovered one commonality between respondents was the belief that employers care more about productivity, results, making money and operating well as a team than employee well-being.

With WFH expected to continue in the form of hybrid working post-COVID (see Research, OPI January/February 2021, page 46), it is clear employers must do much more to ensure the future physical and mental well-being of their staff.

For more details on Fellowes’ New Way of Working survey, hybrid working and the impact on health and well-being for remote workers, listen to the OPI Talk podcast series with Louise Shipley. Visit opi.net/podcast

It is now crystal clear that mental health needs must be treated as a core element of our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic