The world is changing rapidly and vertiginously, with the new forms of work and economy, companies found ways to take advantage of human talent from a distance and for professionals in all areas a whole new universe of possibilities opened., teleworking.
However, not everything is an advantage, as everything has its negative counterpart that must be evaluated and considered, indeed a recent instigation yielded very interesting results. The objective of the research was focused on knowing what the impact has been telework in the health of the worker population and for this, data from a total of 15 countries were analyzed.
The ILO, that is, the International Labor Organization, which was in charge of leading the investigation; where, among other results, he discovered that workers were much more productive when they performed their tasks outside of an office as a more important fact, but the researchers also discovered that there are certain risks for the worker.
In this sense, the study revealed a very interesting fact and that is that employees who worked from home had much longer working hours, a much more intense work and also interrupted the work to perform domestic tasks.
On the other hand, the research also distinguished between employees in three categories, the first for those employees who regularly worked from home, a second category for those who constantly moved to work at different points and places; and a last category of those workers who divided their time between an office and another place.
The interesting thing about all this is that although teleworking is a way of producing that also provides new options that transcend the physical space even to other countries through companies that require human talent without the need for presence, it will be important that as The worker must be established with a certain discipline, the routines necessary to establish a balance between work and the rest of the activities in a harmony that is entirely favorable for the well-being and health of the remote worker.
The Findings
Regarding concrete results, the most important critical factors showed that the groups of people who usually worked in the office, reported much lower levels of stress and insomnia than the workers remotely or from home. And to be even more exact, 42% of the latter had significantly higher levels of stress, compared to 29% of the workers under study who carried out their tasks in an office.
According to the authors of the study in question, these results clearly indicate that there is an important need to be in contact with other co-workers, although, of the total population under study, a significant majority recognize that “there are times when the Physical isolation offers the best scenario to successfully complete a task ”, quoted verbatim from the study.
Rest routine
It has been a fundamental element that this modality of telecommuting from home has severely affected daily routines, habits and schedules for essential activities such as eating and break. So, faced with this new reality, it will be essential to maintain order and comply with routines effectively, which means that even from home you have to clearly establish the hours for the working day.
So, the objective being to be able to live from this experience, it will be essential to devise a schedule where a schedule is defined for each and every one of the daily activities that you want to develop, including the schedule for the telecommuting and of course, respect it.
In the same way, allocate that specific area to develop remote employment activities where everything necessary is available. In fact, many companies that work under this modality, require compliance with a certain amount of hours with very precise internal controls, however, there will always be the need to specify a task after hours, which invades spaces for other essential activities such as a good nights rest.
The fact of not having a well-established schedule, the same setting to live and work, that is to say in the same physical space, if not with the same alternatives to rest in the usual work from an office outside the home, are some of the factors that can alter the lives of workers according to the opinions of leading experts in the field.
It is a fact that before the pandemic caused by the recent health emergency, telework it seemed to many companies like a kind of bonus that provided a certain quality of life for employees. Now it has become, for many workers, quite an experience that can be very difficult to handle.
Concluding then that many people are suffering from stress and anxiety, which includes a very good number of associated physical symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, generalized upset stomach, irritability, as well as sudden changes in mood.
Boundaries Between Office and Home
Statements by specialists such as the psychiatrist Ana Millán explain that, since the beginning of the telecommuting, “The use of anxiolytics and hypnotics skyrocketed, especially as a measure to be able to fall asleep.
This is explained from the simple fact that the living space to work was invaded. Although before it was even tedious and counterproductive to bring work into the house, this is now a need that must be managed.
This is how it will be essential to separate the work schedule from the personal life. The initial idea of making a schedule and respecting it returns; on the other hand, sedentary lifestyle also affects mental health, because workers do not receive the benefit of physical activity and exercise.
Respect the Hours Dedicated to Sleep
For a large majority of employees, some companies coordinate meetings at noon, which severely affect family lunchtime. Others are also summoned at 8:00 or 9:00 at night because many leaders consider that, by having them available in their homes, they have an availability they can work at any time of the day. Not having the established hours for eating or working, or to sleep, It generates fatigue and stress, it is a whole picture of exhaustion due to the lack of limits between private life and work.
Therefore, disconnect and put pajamasIt will be the first step to internalize that it is time to rest. Hence, the use of a good pajamas, is part of that habit that allows regularizing the night rest and avoid health disorders associated with stress that can seriously affect the physical and emotional state.
Workout routines
Psychiatric professionals mostly explain that a good way to apply certain palliative measures to the problems that the telecommuting It is starting the day with a small exercise routine at home before starting work, changing and avoiding staying in comfortable clothes or working from bed, in addition to trying to keep the eating routines in their usual hours avoid missing the usual schedule for lunch and for breakfast.