Since remote working became mandatory for many of us back during the Covid-19 lockdowns, it’s something that seems to have stuck.
Sure, you might be ‘hybrid’ nowadays or you could be spending every morning angrily questioning why your manager is asking you to go in, but many of us are spending plenty of time sat at desks at home. Or you know, sat in our beds perfectly balancing our laptop amongst snacks with the TV on in the background.
And that’s as research previously revealed despite working from home being so key to so many, plenty of Brits are yet to bother setting up a dedicated work area.
So, researchers created a hunchbacked model to show what remote workers could look like at the end of the century – spoiler, it ain’t so pretty.
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Furniture at Work created Anna to demonstrate how we risk looking by 2100 and she doesn’t exactly look her best.
The model has a hunchback, dark, swollen eyes and her hands almost seem to look like claws.
Sure, we say 2100 but I bet many of you working from the sofa lot are showing some signs of this already.
Anna was created following research from the University of Leeds, which found that a third of people who work from home in the UK don’t have a dedicated workspace, which could lead to problems later down the line.
Furniture at Work explained: “Anna displays many physical effects because of consistent use of technology, screen exposure and poor posture, as well as highlighting potential mental health issues.
“To visualise the effects of not having a proper place to work at home, Furniture at Work used scientific research and worked with healthcare experts to reveal what the remote worker of the future could look like.”
Working from her comfy, cosy bed, Anna’s developed a hunchback while her eyes have gotten red and sore from spending the day staring at a screen.
The poor woman’s also ended up unhealthily gaining weight and has a weak immune system due to inefficient fresh air and exercise.
Experts are urging those who work from home to implement some measures to keep healthy and avoid turning out like Anna.
Brian Clark, Founder of United Medical Education, said: “Remote workers should take regular breaks to stretch and move their bodies to help avoid back and neck pain.”
He also advises setting up a proper workspace to use when working from home.
“Setting up a designated workspace with ergonomic furniture is also important for establishing clear boundaries between work and personal time,” he added.
Go on lads, get up and actually work on that desk you haggled for online.
Topics: Health, Technology
Jess Battison