A armadilha do home office: um recorte dos impactos da improvisação ergonômica na saúde física e mental do trabalhador

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work, shifting labor activities to the domestic environment on an emergency basis and, frequently, without adequate ergonomic support. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of the lack of ergonomic and organizational adaptation in the home office regime on the physical and mental health of professionals, identifying how the improvisation of the workstation affects employee well-being. The methodology is characterized as a descriptive research of a quantitative nature, conducted through a data survey with 62 professionals working in remote or hybrid models. The results revealed a critical lack of infrastructure: most respondents use improvised furniture, such as chairs without lumbar support and inadequate desks, which correlates directly with the high rates of reported lower back pain (68.94%) and cervical pain (75.85%). Within the organizational scope, it was identified that hyperconnectivity and attention fragmentation caused by digital notifications are vectors of exhaustion. It was observed that the “flexibility trap” and the lack of boundaries between personal and professional life aggravate stress, while the lack of instruction provided by companies (87.9%) highlights corporate negligence regarding occupational health in telework. It is concluded that the sustainability of remote work requires organizations to transcend technological support and implement improvements in mental workload management and the physical ergonomics of home-based workstations, aiming to mitigate employee illness and ensure long-term productive efficiency.