Our recent blog explored why co-working is good for your mental health, and here we highlight how it can also be beneficial for your physical health.
A recent survey by the Office of National Statistics has identified a rise in the number of people being unfit for work due to long-term sickness, with one of the main causes of this cited as back or neck pain.
The amount of people identified as economically inactive because of long-term sickness has increased from 2 million to 2.5 million in the three years from 2019, with more than 70% of the rise – 363,000 – occurring after the arrival of Covid in early 2020. A breakdown of the total showed that the number leaving the labour force because of neck and back problems rose by 62,000.
Experts have attributed some of this to an un-ergonomic working environment when working from home – indeed my own Osteopath commented only the other day, that he has seen a huge rise in the number of clients, who are now home workers, suffering with back pain as a result of trying to work hunched over the kitchen worktop or table, perched on the end of the bed or sitting in the wrong type of seat for hours on end.
In a related story released by The Guardian last week, various health officials were quoted as saying they have seen an improvement in patients’ health when they return to some hybrid working instead of purely working from home, where the office environment is better set up to encourage better posture, with specially designed chairs, desks and equipment.
Even the commute, which is often seen as a chore, gets people up and moving and has shown to increase people’s conditions both physically and mentally, particularly those who use public transport or walk.
The Best of Both Worlds
Co-working can offer you the best of both worlds because you have a semi-formal, relaxed environment to work from, but with the correct furniture and in an environment with other human interaction. In addition, you can pick and choose how often you come along, with no long-term contracts.
Why not book a tour or arrange free trial day at Unity Co-working and take a look for yourself.
