Do you want to lose a few kilos? Well, working from home might not be for you.
Thousands of Australians continue to enjoy flexible working arrangements after lockdowns, spending time previously dedicated to commuting with family, exercising or running errands.
But developing research has found that the trend could be affecting our physical health.
La Trobe University research has found that working from home increases the likelihood of weight gain, musculoskeletal pain, exhaustion and burnout, with regular routines falling apart.
Director of La Trobe University’s Center for Ergonomics and Human Factors, Associate Professor Jodi Oakman, said working from home has disrupted our exercise routines and eating habits.
“When you’re at home, your incidental exercise, the amount of walking you’re doing, is less … and you’re closer to the pantry,” I guess. Professor Oakman said.
“People have also suffered neck and back pain from working from home.”
The original survey was sent to 1,000 Australians across the country and was followed up by a series of focus groups, with data collected over the past two years.
While our guts and backs might not thank us, the associate professor said she’s a big fan of the combination of working from home and the office, suggesting that spending a few days at a desk every week could motivate you more at home.
Following calls for Melburnians to return to work from home, Assoc. Professor Oakman said the messages from the Victorian Government had been “very vague”.
While she said “no one is ready to say everybody goes home or everybody stays at work” Assoc. Professor Oakman acknowledged that “one rule doesn’t work for everyone”.
“The message is not clear because it is difficult,” he said.
But the government “has made it very difficult for organizations and individuals,” he reported.
“They expect organizations to take the lead.”
If you’re heeding calls to continue working from home five days a week, the senior academic says working out a schedule and setting boundaries between work and home is essential to maintaining healthy routines.
“We absolutely have two years of learning under our belts,” he said.
“People have gotten better at adapting … they’ve put strategies in place so we recognize what happens when you don’t.”