keeping your WFH workforce healthy

August 15, 2024

More than a third of Americans have reported working from home more frequently since the pandemic began.¹ However, there are also some new health issues that employers and their employees may have never had to deal with before. As an employer, here are some things to keep in mind with your new WFH workforce.

The Work (from Home)-Life Balance Myth

While many think that working from home would enable employees a bit more control over their lives, often the exact opposite can happen. Many employees have discovered that when the place they live in also becomes the place they work, they end up losing the distinction between when they work and when they relax. Some of them have no set start or close of the day, so work can happen at any time, even early in the morning or late at night.

These simple tips can help you workforce get closer to a true work-from-home work-life balance:

• Identify a specific place to work in the home.
• Set office hours and stick to them.
• Follow a schedule, include set times for breaks and lunch.
• Limit the time spent multi-tasking between home chores and work.
• Shut the computer and work email down at the end of the day.

As an employer, you have the responsibility of leading by example, so sending late night or weekend emails creates a culture where your employees feel they must work the same way. Allow them the opportunity to avoid burnout and recharge after work by ending all email and phone communications – outside of emergencies – at an agreed upon hour. This can go a long way in helping your team members set healthy boundaries with their new work from home lifestyle.

Working from Home and Mental Health

While every person is different, many are still adjusting to working from home without face-to-face interactions and the social support that comes from working in an office or workspace. In the absence of this human interaction, some may experience mental health issues such as depression, stress and anxiety.

These issues may also lead to coping mechanisms such as overeating or excessive consumption of alcohol. It remains important to consistently check in with your workforce and offer them assistance and resources to get help if they need it. That may be more difficult when you no longer see them face to face, so perhaps scheduling regular check-ins may help.

If your company has an Employee Assistant Program (EAP), it can help to remind employees that they can always rely on this resource, no matter where they work.

Keep an Eye Out for Vision Issues

Eyestrain has always been a health concern for those staring at computer screens all day long. That issue has only increased as employees work from home since meetings, which once offered a visual break, are now being conducted on screens too.

The blue light emitted by our screens can strain our eyes and lead to headaches and blurred vision. There are solutions, however, including blue-light-blocking glasses. Another way that your employees can protect their eyes is by following the 20-20-20 Rule.

It’s easy: all they have to do is take a 20-second break from looking at their screen for every 20 minutes of work. During this break, they can relax their eye muscles by focusing on an object that’s 20 feet away. They may also close their eyes for 20 seconds, blinking every few seconds to increase tear production.

MedExpress Pro Tip: For employees who forget to follow the 20-20-20 Rule, they may either set an alarm to remind themselves or download an app to their phones that can help them to follow it.

Listen Up: Hearing Protection

As in-person meetings and seminars have been replaced with online video, phone calls and webinars, employees often are wearing headphones all day long. A simple step to remind them to protect their hearing is to ask them to ensure that the volume is always at a safe level. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend staying at a volume of 70 decibels and below to avoid noise-induced hearing damage². If you use your headphones through your smartphone, you may even monitor noise levels.

As an example of the decibel levels of common items, a refrigerator hums at 60 decibels, while a washing machine can reach 70 decibels, which is still within the safe limit. However, items and events that reach damaging levels include motorcycles (95 decibels), shouting (110 decibels) and fireworks (140-150 decibels).²

Our eardrums are very sensitive and loud noise being directed at them all day long may have a damaging effect. Continual exposure to loud noises may also cause permanent hearing damage.

The Physical Strain of Working in a Home Office

As employees transition to their new space at home, their office desk may be replaced with coffee tables, makeshift offices and even on their laps in a bedroom. In short, the traditional way that our bodies were used to looking at our screens and typing completely changed. After several weeks of eight-hour days working this way, our bodies typically begin to feel the wear and tear.

Unless your employees set up the proper desks and seating, as well as screen displays that follow optimal eye safety requirements (keeping the monitor 20 to 26 inches from their eyes and a screen position 10 to 20 degrees below eye level), they may be putting their physical wellbeing and ability to be productive at risk.

Proper sitting posture is incredibly important for those working jobs that require them to sit at a desk for long periods of time. Here are some simple posture rules³ to keep in mind:

• Feet should be flat on the floor.
• Legs and arms should be at a 90-degree bending angle. If not, a footrest or a sturdy flat-surfaced object like a box of printer paper will help.
• Elbows should also be at a 90-degree bend. If not, the keyboard should be brought closer to the body.
• When using a mouse, the motion should be from the elbow, not the shoulder, which may protect from muscle strain.
• There should be little to no pressure on the back of the knees.
• Arms and back should be well supported.
• Shoulders should feel relaxed. 

A great way to prevent tight and strained muscles is to stretch five to ten minutes for every hour spent at a workstation. Exercises such as seated neck stretches, wrist and forearm stretches, leg and ankle rolls and even simply standing and walking around the home for a few moments may keep muscles and joints limber and less susceptible to strains.

In fact, a study by the U.S. Department of the Interior learned that by taking a five-minute walk once an hour, neck and shoulder discomfort decreased. Research also found that eye strain was reduced and employees enjoyed better overall productivity.⁴

As always, discuss your fitness level with your provider before beginning any new exercise regimen.

Basic Tips for Staying Healthier when WFH

Plan Meal Times: By taking time to shut down a laptop and step away from work for 20-30 minutes to enjoy a nutritious meal, your employees aren’t just fueling their bodies, but giving themselves valuable time to relax, recharge and get ready for more focused work.

Schedule Workout Time: Physical activity may reduce stress levels and that’s a fact that hasn’t changed now that so many employees are working from home. Just like scheduling meetings and blocking them off on the calendar, setting up times to work out are just as essential.

Stay Hydrated: Without the office water cooler, so many employees may not be getting the hydration that they need. If you want to avoid dehydration, there are several ways to stay hydrated and a few of them don't involve drinking water.

Leave the House: We’re not suggesting that your workforce skips work. However, a ten-minute outside break away from the home office may lead to more productivity when they return to their desks. There are many benefits to a work from home or hybrid work model, such as the opportunity to spend more time with family, a more flexible work schedule and eliminating the expense of lunches out and commuting. By preparing your employees for the health risks they may face, you’ll have a hopefully healthier and happier workforce.

Originally published September 2022. Updated August 2024.

References:

1 United States Census Bureau. Working from Home During the Pandemic. Accessed June 20, 2022.

2 CDC. What Causes Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Last updated April 12, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2024.

3 Hospital for Special Surgery. 8 Tips for Better Posture When You Don’t Have a Desk. Accessed June 20, 2022.

4 U.S. Department of Industry. Supplementary breaks and stretching exercises for data entry operators: A follow-up field study. Accessed June 20, 2022.