WFH blurs boundaries between work and play, says WHO

Working from home leads to a “blurring of boundaries” between work and personal life, said the World Health Organisation in a report. 

“The pandemic has led to a surge of teleworking, effectively changing the nature of work practically overnight for many workers,” said Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organisation.

Working hours tend to creep up for workers when working from home as there are “changes in work routines and the blurring of the boundaries between paid work and personal life”, stated the report. 

Although some workers can differentiate their time at home, such as carving out a dedicated workspace, some people telework from trickier conditions where there may not be a transitional space to work and rest from. 

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The report also highlighted some positives from teleworking, which was found to have a positive effect on self-reported health. Workers preferred to have access to more nutritional food and had fewer complaints about arterial hypertension and an overall lower blood pressure. 

“In the nearly two years since the start of the pandemic, it’s become very clear that teleworking can as easily bring health benefits, [but] it can also have dire impact,” said Neira.