How Does Telework Affect Health?
In this time of confinement, there have been many people who have stopped working in their usual place and have changed it for teleworking. It is about working from home, through computers and the Internet.
Teleworking is a new situation for most and it has both advantages and disadvantages. Next we will talk about how teleworking can affect health.
What is teleworking?
Although it is an option that is not possible for all types of trades, teleworking consists of performing your function in the company in a place far from the headquarters of the same; that is, without having to go to the offices.
This is done through communication technologies, whether through video conferencing, email or other digital tools.
What are the advantages?
Of course, in the current situation we are going through, the main advantage of teleworking is that it allows you to continue doing your work without leaving home, so it is compatible with confinement.
Furthermore, regardless of its role in this exceptional situation, teleworking has many other advantages, some of which are the following:
- It allows the worker to save the trip to the workplace. Thus, people save time on a daily basis, as well as economically, since they do not have to pay the cost of public transport or gasoline.
- It allows you to spend more time at home, with what that entails: more time with your children or to do household chores.
- It makes some self-management possible on the part of each employee. Although in some companies the working hours are predetermined even in teleworking, in others it is not like that and some deadlines will simply be required to finish the corresponding tasks. In this case, each person will be free to distribute the working hours.
How does telework affect health?
Although, as we have already seen, it has many advantages, not everything is good when it comes to teleworking. We must bear in mind that we are social beings. With teleworking, we lose the habit of going to the office with colleagues.
This, most of the time, provides us with well-being and relaxes us, by allowing us to interact with other people. Lonely work days at home can increase our anxiety.
Another disadvantage comes from the use of technology. On the one hand, sitting for a long time in front of the computer can generate frustration and anxiety. In addition to that, it can cause us other discomforts such as the following:
- Irritation to the eyes.
- Cervical tension
- Back and neck muscle pain.
- Headaches.
Likewise, by not having a routine of travel, we spend less energy. Teleworking often means getting out of bed and sitting in front of the computer screen in a few minutes, without much more physical activity throughout the working day.
This can mean that we do not expend as much energy as we are used to consuming and that we arrive at bedtime nervous and without sleep. This can lead to problems with insomnia and disturbed schedules.
Another consequence derived from the lack of physical activity is digestive problems. Lack of movement makes our digestive system not work as it should. Digestions become heavier, we can find ourselves with problems of constipation, a feeling of satiety, gas or heartburn.
It is also possible that the opposite happens and that, due to accumulated anxiety, we are constantly hungry.
Manage telework to take care of our health
Although, without a doubt, teleworking has many advantages for everyone, we must bear in mind that there are also disadvantages. It is also true that many of these problems have a solution.
Maintaining healthy habits, with fixed schedules and good postural hygiene, are some of the measures that can make it more bearable. In addition to this, it is important that we control our meals on these days of little physical activity.
Another tip is that we establish a daily exercise routine that we can do at home to keep fit, release tension and expend energy. With all these guidelines, it will be easier for all of us to work from home and we will be able to take advantage of its good things.
