Studies Show Home Workers Suffer Higher Rates of Back Pain
An independent study of over a thousand workers shows that the rate of chronic sufferers of back pain is highest among those working from home full-time. Conducted by...
Read Full ArticleAJ Products UK and ukactive have teamed up on a report to examine the impact of working practices on employee health and wellbeing.
“Tackling Sedentary Behaviour in the Workforce” is a comprehensive study into the state of workplace health that looks at the risks associated with long hours spent in sedentary positions at work, whether that work is office-based or remote, and what can be done to improve activity levels among the working population.
The report investigates how office spaces must change as well as what companies can do to support remote workers and ensure wellbeing practices are sustained away from the physical workplace. It also examines real-world solutions based on case studies from businesses running successful wellbeing programmes to provide a “best practice” guide for other companies to follow.
"Workplaces must play a proactive role in reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing activity among UK adults. This report demonstrates that it is possible; there are businesses out there that have made a difference to the lives of their staff and who have been able to adapt these ideas to current working circumstances."
–Anna Davison
Head of Workplace Wellbeing, ukactive
The reports states that work stress and negative health outcomes associated with sedentary behaviour have reached substantial proportions within western industrialised societies at great cost to businesses as well as employees. “Tackling Sedentary Behaviour in the Workforce” demonstrates how simple measures such as equipping offices and homes with better furniture and encouraging employees to increase their physical activity levels can mitigate the negative health effects associated with sedentary behaviour during the workday.
It looks at how interventions around workplace design have been shown to reduce sitting time by as much as 40 minutes over an eight-hour work day while other evidence shows taking multiple standing breaks or engaging in some physical movement throughout the day can be more beneficial than having moderate to vigorous activity for a singular set amount of time.
The report also features case studies from businesses of all sizes that highlight health and wellbeing strategies that have worked effectively as well as how these programmes have been adapted in light of COVID-19 to provide the same level of care to employees working from home.
Whether interventions are centred around fitness challenges, online wellbeing workshops or in-house workout classes, the case studies highlight the need for each business to consider what types of interventions would be most effective based on employee preferences and demographics. It also calls attention to the need for companies to promote flexibility, permissibility and a positive working environment to ensure that employees feel comfortable to take part in these interventions and prioritise their health.
David English, Managing Director of AJ Products, a supplier of workplace furniture and interior solutions that focuses on ways to solve the problem of a sedentary workday, commented: “Working on this report with ukactive has really highlighted the struggle that many businesses face in order to fully support the mental and physical wellbeing of all their staff. Not only did we look at the risks of sedentary workplace behaviour, we also considered the reality for many businesses in order to put forward practical suggestions that they could adopt. 2020 has, of course, presented its own unique set of challenges and underlined the importance of strategies that work for both office-based and remote workers.”
Anna Davison, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at ukactive, a not-for-profit organisation that supports organisations in getting their employees more active, added, "Now, more than ever, prioritising the health and wellbeing of the workforce is hugely important. The right working environment, both physically and culturally, is critical to creating a healthier, happier and more productive society.
“This report shows that there is little disagreement that workplace wellbeing programmes work and are needed; this is unchanged by recent events, but we can also learn from those events. Workplaces must play a proactive role in reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing activity among UK adults. This report demonstrates that it is possible; there are businesses out there that have made a difference to the lives of their staff and who have been able to adapt these ideas to current working circumstances."
The report can be downloaded for free here.
Picture: a photograph showing two people working at active desks in an office area
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 06 October 2020
An independent study of over a thousand workers shows that the rate of chronic sufferers of back pain is highest among those working from home full-time. Conducted by...
Read Full ArticleMost of us have probably been guilty of working in unusual places over the last eighteen months, but is your sofa desk contributing to your back pain? In 2019-20...
Read Full ArticleAn overall fall in workplace energy consumption as a result of UK lockdowns in 2020 was largely cancelled out by an increase in personal usage, as the government’s...
Read Full Article20 per cent of UK office workers feel their work is at risk of going unnoticed because of working from home. Working remotely has increased productivity and the number...
Read Full ArticleThe most recent Morgan Stanley AlphaWise report, one of a succession researching the trends throughout lockdown for offices, shows that UK estimates for returning to...
Read Full ArticleA new study from tado° has found that UK homes had their daytime heating on 14 per cent more this winter in comparison to the previous winter. Despite financial...
Read Full ArticleWorking from beds and dining tables is contributing to a rise in work-related musculoskeletal cases. In 2020, there were 37.7 per cent work-related musculoskeletal...
Read Full ArticleIt’s been almost a whole year of working from home for many of us, and some are predicting when offices will reopen. 54 per cent of us are apparently happy to...
Read Full ArticleLeesman has released details on what they consider to be the “acute factors” impacting employees’ ability to work remotely. A major study...
Read Full ArticleNew data has revealed that UK employees could be missing out on £4,785.30 a year due to working extra hours at home. According to a survey carried out by...
Read Full Article