The pandemics caused companies to shift to remote work. As the pandemics come to an end or have already ended, some companies are returning to in-person work in the office, while others are continuing to work remotely.
The choice between working in the office or remotely should be rational.
This study investigates various factors that can negatively affect work performance and employee well-being in a remote setting. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the impact of these factors.
Work conditions have a significant impact on employees’ productivity and well-being.
Investing in ergonomic office setups is a common practice for many companies. Some companies even use the design of their offices as a public relations message.
Many countries also have workplace standards that regulate factors such as the amount of space per person, humidity, and lighting.
According to the 2022 systematic review of working conditions and occupational health in home office, home offices often lack proper ergonomic conditions. There’s also no governmental regulations or standards for home office conditions. Companies often fail to invest in or educate employees on the importance of proper home office design and ergonomics.
This study reviews several important work conditions that can influence performance and well-being, including lighting, CO2 levels, temperature, furniture, and noise and distraction levels.
A lack of properly designed lighting in home offices is a common issue that can negatively impact overall performance.
Research has shown that exposure to bright light with a high proportion of short blue wavelengths during the day can increase alertness, concentration, reaction time, and task accuracy, while also decreasing fatigue and promoting better sleep and regulating the body's internal clock. In contrast, darker and blue-depleted light can have the opposite effect.
Office settings typically have ventilation systems designed to provide a sufficient amount of oxygen and to maintain CO2 levels at a tolerable level. Many countries have workplace standards for CO2 levels.
Research indicates that high CO2 levels in indoor air can negatively impact employee performance by causing physiological effects that decrease the worker's functional ability.
Home offices are often not equipped with ventilation systems that are of the same quality as those in office settings. As a result, employees often do not have control over CO2 levels, which can negatively impact their performance.
The study examines the effects of suboptimal temperature and illumination on health and performance. It finds that indoor room temperature and lighting have a significant impact on the performance of workers, with temperature being a greater influence (38.56%) than lighting (19.91%). The study suggests that maintaining optimal temperature (21°C) and lighting (1000lux) can improve the work performance, health, and productivity of office workers.
However, it is not possible for the company to establish a unified temperature level for home office workers. Similarly, home office lighting may not provide sufficient illumination.
Prolonged sitting can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, such as those in the neck, back, and upper extremities, caused by poor posture. A study conducted by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries found that this issue is prevalent, with 392,925 State Fund accepted claims for non-traumatic soft tissue musculoskeletal disorders between 1990-1998, resulting in $2.6 billion in direct costs and 20.5 million lost workdays.
Additionally, research has shown that these disorders can be caused by a misalignment of chair dimensions.
While many companies provide ergonomic chairs for their office-based employees, they often do not extend this benefit or provide education about the negative impact of poor posture on health and performance to their home office employees.
An increasing number of companies have introduced sit-stand desks in the office to help with employee's health and productivity. A meta-study has found that using sit-stand desks does not decrease productivity and another research revealed that using sit-stand desks had positive impact on health, particularly reducing sedentary time during working hours and improving health markers such as FMD, triglycerides, and insulin resistance.
However, home office workers may face limitations in the type of desks they can use due to space constraints.
Elevated noise levels have a detrimental effect on employee performance.
A study conducted in France discovered that noise is a major source of discomfort for employees engaged in intellectual work.
Another experimental study showed that severe noise exposure and poor sound conditions trigger physiological changes that can increase stress and impair task performance.
A different research revealed the negative effects of noise on children's learning performance.
Typically, office environments have higher noise levels than those of home, due to open-plan layout of many offices. However, even if a company has made efforts to reduce noise levels in the office, home-based workers may be exposed to louder and more continuous noise from various sources within the home.
A study on effective remote work identified four main challenges: interference between work and home life, poor communication, procrastination, and loneliness.
While companies may not have much control over the design of their employees' homes, those who work from home and share an apartment with a partner or family may be more likely to experience disruptions from their loved ones.
Companies have little influence on the employees apartments design. Home office workers who share apartments with the partner or family might be more exposed to interruptions by the partner or the family.
The negative impacts on ergonomics resulting from working from home can generally be addressed through employee education and the reimbursement of expenses.
Some companies, such as GitLab, handle employee education on the topic of ergonomics efficiently. However, the issue of expenses arises, specifically the question of who should cover these costs and to what extent. This question is viewed from three perspectives: ethical, practical, and regulatory.
Remote work results in substantial savings for the employer in terms of office rent and other expenses. It is left to the management to determine if these savings should be shared with the employees.
The studies indicate that healthier employees are more productive and engaged employees are more loyal and have longer tenure with the company.
The AON study highlights that an increasing number of companies are looking into covering expenses related to remote work setup. Companies such as Shopify and Basecamp offer $1000 for home office equipment while GitLab offers even more reimbursement. It is the decision of management to determine the level of investment they want to make in enhancing employee loyalty, productivity, and reducing employee turnover.
It is up to the management to decide how much money they want to invest in increasing loyalty and productivity, and reducing turnover.
Certain countries and states have specific reimbursement regulations in place. For example, California requires employers to reimburse reasonable business expenses according to Labor code section 2802.
According to CDF, California employers can anticipate being responsible for covering the "basic costs" such as internet, personal cell phone and laptop usage, and certain utilities for remote workers. Moreover, lawyers are currently challenging these regulations by seeking reimbursement for furniture, potential rent, and other unconventional expenses. The interpretation of the law in this regard by California courts is yet to be determined.
Therefore, it is crucial for management to seek legal advice to minimize the risk of lawsuits.
At Qase, we furnish our employees with the latest MacBook Pro laptops and provide coverage for any additional furniture expenses as needed.
References:
- Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck, Back, and Upper Extremity in Washington State, 1990-1998
- A systematic review of working conditions and occupational health in home office
- Should We Re-think Regulations and Standards for Lighting at Workplaces? A Practice Review on Existing Lighting Recommendations
- High indoor CO2 concentrations in an office environment increases the transcutaneous CO2 level and sleepiness during cognitive work
- The effect of indoor office environment on the work performance, health and well-being of office workers
- The effectiveness of a chair intervention in the workplace to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms. A systematic review
- Healthy and Happy Working from Home? Effects of Working from Home on Employee Health and Job Satisfaction
- California Labor Code § 2802: Employee Reimbursement for Business Expenses in 2021