According to a Logitech study, 58% of people currently working from home have to sit in an uncomfortable position to be in front of the camera during video conferences, and 69% experience recurring physical discomfort.
The office space should require a design that does not compromise a person’s health. Chairs, desks, keyboards, monitor height and lighting conditions are necessary investments to prevent lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, fatigue, stress, decreased productivity and even disabilities.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world shifted from the office to remote work, most people took their equipment home and set them up improvised, creating workspaces in dining rooms, bedrooms and sofas.
This reality has led to research on the physical well-being issues that remote employees are experiencing while working from their homes in spontaneous domestic spaces.
A recent study by Logitech, which gathered information from more than 3,000 people working from home with standard equipment, reveals that 58% of employees have to sit in an uncomfortable position to be in front of the camera during video conferences, while 69% experience physical discomfort, including visual fatigue, after sitting for long periods on calls and video conferences.
Furthermore, a clinical study conducted by researchers from Queen’s University in Canada and Oakland University in the US found that 24% of respondents reported new discomfort while working from home that they did not experience when working in their office.
Fifty-one per cent reported an increase in the severity of their preexisting work-related pain since transitioning to their remote work environment, and over a third of employees reported worsening discomfort in the neck and back.
Although when we talk about ergonomics, the first things that come to mind are office chairs and desks, there is also enterprise-level technology specifically designed to help reduce neck and back discomfort and other musculoskeletal and bone conditions.
Mónica Bravo, Channel Manager, Logitech Colombia, explained: “Ergonomics is good economics. Employers can directly impact the quality of work performed by their employees by providing elements that preserve their health.”
In this regard, workers can benefit from external monitors and web cameras that allow them to lift their gaze and adopt an optimal posture, as well as ergonomic mice and keyboards that enable a more natural position of the wrists, hands and forearms, thus reducing muscle strain. Similarly, comfortable headphones and speakers can help alleviate the strain of listening during calls.
As mentioned earlier, these are the ways Logitech has been designing technological products in recent years that not only help companies thrive but also contribute to the health of their employees, which undoubtedly directly affects productivity and the quality of work performed.
Logitech’s Ergo mouse line offers alternatives that improve the user’s posture and relieve discomfort without compromising performance. Its position reduces pressure on the wrist and allows the person to relax their forearm. Compared to conventional mice, the Ergo mouse is more considerate of left-handed users and its 57° angle reduces muscular activity by 10%.
Likewise, the Ergo keyboard line includes advanced ergonomic devices that promote a more relaxed typing posture, as its keys are in a curved and split format that reduces wrist bending by 25% and provides 54% more support with a cushioned wrist rest, making employees’ daily tasks more comfortable and less harmful to their health.
“While most workers say they prefer the option of remote work, the challenges it entails have inadvertently overloaded employees and their managers to handle it in an easy arrangement, with better communication between employees and employers on how to make the hybrid work environment more efficient and effective. Part of that dialogue should focus on the technology that employers could provide to their employees if they were aware of these issues,” said Bravo.
About Logitech
Logitech helps people pursue their passions and is committed to doing so in a good way for both people and the planet. The company design hardware and software solutions that help businesses thrive and bring people together while they work, create, play, or stream.
Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).
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