From today’s Computer Weekly:
Enterprises and governments should place clear limits on invasive workplace surveillance and support workers’ “right to disconnect” to reduce the negative physical and mental health impacts of digitally enabled remote working practices, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In their joint technical brief on healthy and safe teleworking, the WHO and ILO said that although the increasing use of various digital technologies to support remote working has the potential to improve the work-life balance, promote flexible working hours and reduce time spent commuting, the negative impacts can be significant without proper planning and implementation.
The briefing warned, for example, that digitally enabled remote work can lead to isolation, burnout, depression, musculoskeletal and other injuries, and eye strain as a result of prolonged screen time.
“Teleworking and particularly hybrid working are here to stay and will likely increase after the pandemic, as both companies and individuals alike have experienced its feasibility and benefits,” said Vera Paquete-Perdigão, director of the ILO Governance and Tripartism Department.
“As we move away from this ‘holding pattern’ to settle into a new normal, we have the opportunity to embed new supportive policies, practices and norms to ensure millions of teleworkers have healthy, happy, productive and decent work.”
To alleviate and reduce the negative impacts, the briefing makes a number of practical recommendations for how remote working can be organised to meet the needs of both workers and enterprises.
Read the complete story here.