WORK has become smart but perhaps not quite so smart. Working from home connected to a computer with a malfunctioning mouse and a precarious workstation, the connection jumping, a child in the other room in Dad, the husband or wife on a videoconference may not be the best solution. The intercom and landline phone rings with the operator of an unknown call center offering an unlikely product. Already at 9.15 the concentration that should accompany the whole day has disappeared. In the long run between nervousness and back pain because the chair in the office was much more comfortable, in smartworking you might regret the nervousness about the traffic or the search for a parking space. Also in our apartment there is the risk of work-related stress, a condition of imbalance that occurs when the employee does not feel able to meet the job demands. A problem that can have effects on the health and behavior of the individual if it is intense and prolonged over time.
“To understand the potential conditions of work related stress it is necessary to focus attention on the factors of design, content and organization of work and the related social contexts – defined as psychosocial risk factors – which, if badly managed, can lead to the emergence of stress in the worker and cause physical and psychological damage. Some examples – he explains Sergio Iaicoli, director of the Inail Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at work and member of the CTS – it can be the inadequate management of the organization and the working environment, the high workload, the shortcomings in communication – especially in times of change and uncertainty – lack of support from the boss or colleagues, and conflicting relationships in one’s work context “.
Smartworking che stress
Communication problems in times of smartworking can be many. But first we must clearly distinguish between agile ordinary and emergency work. The first allows to carry out the work performance partly inside the company and partly outside without time and space lanes. One way of working was not widespread nationwide before the Covid emergency. According to an Inail-NSuLa2 study, carried out before the pandemic, less than 11% of the 8,000 workers interviewed stated that smart working has been implemented in their company. Everything changed with the Covid.
The use of the agile work during the emergency it made it possible to avoid the suspension of services by public administrations, employing in phase 1 over 70% of workers, with peaks of 90% in central administrations, and guaranteeing the continuity of work also in the private sector. “In this case, however – adds Iavicoli – it is a way of working remotely for the whole or almost a week, with complexities that can have an impact on stress and health. As highlighted by the International Labor Organization (ILO ) in the report ‘Managing work-related psychosocial risks during the Covid-19 pandemic’, people who are working from home are exposed to specific psychosocial risks, such as narrowing of the boundaries between private and working life, social isolation, the increased risk of domestic violence, but also the risk of trespassing of work in the hours traditionally dedicated to family or rest, which recalls the need to regulate and protect availability and working hours “.
In general, it is mainly women who suffer from work-related stress. During the INSuLa2 survey, female workers complained of a greater lack of decision-making autonomy in their work than their male colleagues and in general of being more affected by conflicting relationships in the office. But the same research has seen female workers promote smartworking more. The survey reveals that 70% of smart working workers before the emergency declared that this mode improves the balance between working life and private life. An aspect particularly appreciated by women who have declared themselves more in favor of agile work.
These data, however, should be confirmed because other research highlights the limits of this type of choice. “The results of our study to be published on Occupational medicine, show that smart working women in the public administration perceive greater interference between work and family than men, especially in very demanding jobs. This data makes us reflect in the light of the current situation, in which smart working takes place mainly remotely and the burden of family commitments has increased due to the containment measures adopted over time to combat Covid-19 “, adds the expert .
At home, the worker must in fact live with a series of family requests while carrying out his professional activity. A problem that has worsened with the closure of schools. “Smart working for emergencies, while allowing work to be continued in compliance with the virus containment measures, has led to an increase in family and care tasks, exacerbated by the obligatory sharing of spaces and tools. But it must be said that this does not detract from the advantage of flexibility, typical of the ordinary agile way of working, on the balance between work and private life, which can be exploited once the emergency is over “.
Conflicts with colleagues
Many have no shortage of conflicts in the office, which often persist at a distance with an increase in misunderstandings between emails and text messages, but the absence of relations with colleagues and confrontation weighs heavily. “The current smart working mode for emergencies could bring with it an increased risk of isolation and a decrease in involvement in corporate life. But today, technological tools and social sharing platforms are a useful support for maintaining daily contact. and work and social relationships. There are platforms that have made it possible to carry out daily meetings and favored teamwork, but also maintained opportunities for sharing such as conferences, events, training and updating even at a distance “, adds Iavicoli.
Online meetings and phone calls can, however, make up for the lack of sociality that affects the worker. “The employer and executives – explains the expert – can promote accessibility, ensuring the maintenance of organizational flows and providing moments dedicated to remote contact, enhancing the tools for remote team management and optimizing digital channels. Obviously it will not be possible to completely make up for the absence, in many cases, of contact in presence. And this reinforces the advantage of mixed working modes even more. A mixed model with days in smartworking and others in the office, avoiding exposing everyone to the risk of the virus, could be useful from a psychological point of view “.
A mix between smartworking and office
Among the problems of agile work at home, there is also that of the absence of a clear separation between the home environment and the one where you work. “This is why a mixed work model, with days in smart working and others in presence, is characterized as more suitable for limiting the narrowing of the boundaries between private and working life. In working completely from home, some critical issues related to the environment must be considered. which work activity lends itself to that can have psychological impacts. Just think of those who work in a small environment shared with other people, in which it is complex to have a quiet work space. Furthermore, always staying in the same environment can consequently lead to a feeling of continuity between working life and private life, which reduces the division between moments dedicated to work and moments dedicated to the care of the person and one’s family “.
Station and lighting
Among the issues involving this revolution, there is also a problem of workplace safety.
Pauses, lights, distance: how to protect your eyesight during smartworking and online school
At home, uncomfortable seats, inadequate chairs are often used and problems such as back pain can increase. “Precautions are needed, such as, for example, choosing well-ventilated and illuminated environments, avoiding sources of lighting behind. One of the most critical points – concludes Iavicoli – certainly remains the ergonomic workstation, which for prolonged periods of time should at least include the use of monitors and mice. In this regard, in fact, for teleworking – which is defined as remote work performed electronically by the worker from his home or from a location other than the central one – there is a regulation that also provides guidelines on the use of the workstation. . We cannot forget that currently we find ourselves in a temporary and emergency-motivated remote working mode, which differs from ordinary smartworking, and also from teleworking, as it is characterized and characterized by unpredictability “.
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