A team of 5 researchers from the Ergonomic Center in Houston, Texas, worked with a large energy company to monitor the ergonomic data of 264 employees annually. During the study period, however, the company was forced to close its offices due to the arrival of Hurricane Harvey, and required employees to switch to remote work.
The researchers took advantage of the unexpected situation to compare employee technology data before, during and after the hurricane.
And do you know what they found?
During the hurricane, employees' work behaviors did not change much, other than a slight decline in computer use. During the seven months of remote work, employee productivity levels remained the same as before the hurricane. Which means, in a nutshell, that productivity for the same amount of time is even higher.
This study, published in IOS Press (I'll put it here), offers important ideas to different categories of workers, first and foremost those in the IT sector, who are increasingly interested in working remotely after the arrival of Covid and its social consequences among Yolo Economy e Great resignation.
“In the future, more and more tech workers will perform their jobs remotely,” he says Mark Benden, the director of the Ergonomics Center. “This study is a huge message for employers, and it should make them think very hard about whether employees should work remotely or on a hybrid schedule.”
Information Technology, otherwise wearing
This research is part of a larger project by the Center for Ergonomics to examine the health of IT workers. While computer work may seem less strenuous than blue-collar work, it is just as dangerous. “The research says that if you work a certain way at a certain pace for a certain duration, you're more likely to have major problems with remote work, too,” Benden says. Carpal tunnel syndrome, for example: deadly.
Managing your time better is good for the mind and body: Those who have been able to virtuously seize the opportunity of remote working know this well. In this study, researchers observed that breaks do not hinder the quality of employees' work.
People who have been able to take the right breaks have been more productive overall. They did more. We must make it clear to those in charge, and help more and more workers to do the same.
Remote work: It's not all plain sailing, of course
Virtuous remote work, it was said, improves life and work itself. And the “non-virtuous” one? The damage also ceases for remote workers, between depression and the risk of abuse (food and alcohol above all).
The Ergonomic Center also addressed this question: “We could help workers. Instead of letting them get lost in bad posture or bad habits, we could give them a healthy nudge, to remind them that it's time for a walk or a break,” Benden said. “As humans we tend to lose track of time when we are very focused. To keep us from wearing ourselves out too much we need to have pushes and reminders. They work, and people respond well."
Is there an ulterior intent? I don't know, for example to track actual remote work (which would make workers prisoners in their own homes)? I don't know, I can't know, I don't want to know. I'll think about it.
