Virtual office intervention effectiveness: A systems approach.

BACKGROUND: Virtual office work, or telework/remote work, has existed since the 1970s due to the widespread availability of new technologies. Despite a dramatic increase in remote office work, few studies have examined its long-term effects on work environments and worker well-being. OBJECTIVE: A prospective field intervention study was undertaken to examine the effects of a Virtual Office program on office workers' psychosocial perceptions, mental and physical well-being, workplace satisfaction, and performance. METHOD: A large public service organization undertook a 12-month Virtual Office (VO) pilot program using a systems approach. The study included 137 VO employees (intervention condition), and 85 Conventional Office (CO) employees (control condition). The VO intervention used a work system approach consisting of establishing a steering committee, training programs, and VO resource website. Employee survey measures and follow-up focus group observations were used to examine the impact of the VO intervention. RESULTS: Virtual office participants reported higher job control, group interactions and cohesiveness, and quality of supervision than the CO participants. VO participants reported lower upper body musculoskeletal symptoms and physical/mental stress than CO participants. VO participants reported higher performance (customer satisfaction) than the CO participants. CONCLUSION: The study findings were sufficiently positive to provide a basis for work organizations to undertake similar pilot programs. Consideration of work system factors when designing an effective VO program can benefit employee's well-being and performance. The rationale for implementing VO programs is underscored by the current COVID-19 pandemic. VO work will continue to some degree for the foreseeable future.

Flexible workspace design and ergonomics training: impacts on the psychosocial work environment, musculoskeletal health, and work effectiveness among knowledge workers.

A macroergonomics intervention consisting of flexible workspace design and ergonomics training was conducted to examine the effects on psychosocial work environment, musculoskeletal health, and work effectiveness in a computer-based office setting. Knowledge workers were assigned to one of four conditions: flexible workspace (n=121), ergonomics training (n=92), flexible workspace+ergonomics training (n=31), and a no-intervention control (n=45). Outcome measures were collected 2 months prior to the intervention and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Overall, the study results indicated positive, significant effects on the outcome variables for the two intervention groups compared to the control group, including work-related musculoskeletal discomfort, job control, environmental satisfaction, sense of community, ergonomic climate, communication and collaboration, and business process efficiency (time and costs). However, attrition of workers in the ergonomics training condition precluded an evaluation of the effects of this intervention. This study suggests that a macroergonomics intervention is effective among knowledge workers in office settings.

Examining the macroergonomics and safety factors among teleworkers: development of a conceptual model.

With the rising number of teleworkers who are working in non-traditional work locations, health and safety issues are even more critical. While telework offers attractive alternatives to traditional work locations, it is not without challenges for employers and workers. A macroergonomics approach or work system design for telework programs is proposed to address these new challenges. This approach explains the impact of organizational, psychosocial and workplace risk factors on teleworker's health and safety. A process for managing the health and safety of teleworkers is presented along with preventive strategies to provide an injury-free working environment.

Mental stress and trapezius muscle activation under psychomotor challenge: a focus on EMG gaps during computer work.

Momentary reductions in the electrical activity of working muscles (EMG gaps) contribute to the explanation for the relationship between psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal problems in computer work. EMG activity and gaps in the left and right trapezii were monitored in 23 participants under low and high mental workload (LMW and HMW) demands during computer data entry. Increases in EMG activity and decreases in EMG-gap frequencies in both left and right trapezius muscles were greater during HMW than LMW. In addition, heart period and end-tidal CO2 were lower during HMW, whereas self-reported mood states were higher during HMW. The correspondence between lower end-tidal CO2 and lower EMG-gap frequencies suggests that hyperventilation (overbreathing) may mediate trapezius muscle activation. The reduction of EMG gaps suggests that the salutary benefits of momentary rest from musculoskeletal work are diminished during mental stress.

Supplementary breaks and stretching exercises for data entry operators: a follow-up field study.

BACKGROUND: This study expanded previous NIOSH-IRS research examining the effects of rest breaks and stretching exercises on symptoms and performance in data-entry workers. METHODS: All workers spent 4 weeks with conventional breaks (two 15 min breaks per day) and 4 weeks with supplementary breaks (two 15 min breaks plus four 5 min breaks per day). One-half were assigned at random to a group instructed to perform brief stretching exercises during breaks. The remainder comprised the "no stretching" (control) group. RESULTS: 51 workers (stretch group n = 21; no stretch group n = 30) completed the study symptom questionnaires. Discomfort and eyestrain were significantly lower with supplementary breaks, and supplementary breaks attenuated accumulation of discomfort and eyestrain during work sessions. Data-entry speed was significantly faster with supplementary breaks so that work output was maintained, despite replacing 20 min of work time with break time. In the stretch group, workers reported stretching during only 25% of conventional breaks and 39% of supplementary breaks, and no significant effects of stretching on discomfort or performance were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further converging evidence that supplementary breaks reliably minimize discomfort and eyestrain without impairing productivity. Low compliance in performing stretches prevented valid assessment of stretching effects. Further research on stretching exercises and exercise compliance is warranted.

A hyperventilation theory of job stress and musculoskeletal disorders.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of a link between job stress and upper extremity work-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, the biobehavioral mechanisms by which psychosocial stress factors contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders are uncertain. METHODS: Based on established principles of breathing and job stress and the relevant empirical literatures, a hyperventilation theory of job stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders was developed. RESULTS: Hyperventilation (overbreathing) refers to a drop in arterial CO2 caused by ventilation that exceeds metabolic demands for O2. Excessive loss of CO2 (increase in rate of flow of CO2 from cells to longs) that results from hyperventilation produces a rise in blood pH (i.e., respiratory alkalosis). This disruption in the acid-base equilibrium triggers a chain of systemic physiological reactions that have adverse implications for musculoskeletal health, including increased muscle tension, muscle spasm, amplified response to catecholamines, and muscle ischemia and hypoxia. Hyperventilation is often characterized by a shift from a diaphragmatic to a thoracic breathing pattern, which imposes biomechanical stress on the neck/shoulder region due to the ancillary recruitment of sternocelidomastoid, scalene, and trapezius muscles in support of thoraci breathing. CONCLUSIONS: A hyperventilation theory provides an innovative framework for understanding how job stress contributes to pathophysiological processes that increase the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. With respect to the control of these disorders, a hyperventilation theory has important implications for establishing effective work organization interventions and individual stress-management methods. In this regard, breathing is a biobehavioral metric for assessing whether psychosocial aspects of work organization are in balance with a worker's needs and resources. A hyperventilation theory also provides a unique rationale for coping with job stress and musculoskeletal discomfort through breathing training, light physical exercise, and rest breaks.