Design of Workstation for Remote Workers with Work Environment Consideration

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 has caused various phenomena in some fields of work, especially the phenomenon of remote working. The phenomenon of remote working is possible through the advancement of information and communication technology (ICT). The good impact on the environment, especially air pollution decreasing due to the lack of commuting, makes the phenomenon of remote working need to be enhanced so that the positive impact on the environment increases. This exploratory research found that the work environment factors in the workstation design, including physical ergonomics, lighting, noise, etc., greatly affect the productivity of remote workers. This workstation design is a solution for remote workers during and post-pandemic.

"It's Been a Game Changer": Examining Treadmill Desk Use When Working from Home.

Previous research has established the physical and mental benefits of using active workstations like treadmill desks in the workplace, such as reducing sedentary behavior and improving mood. However, treadmill desk use when working at home has not been examined despite significant increases in working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to be the first to describe how treadmill desks are used when working from home and (2) to describe perceived benefits, motivators, and barriers for treadmill desk use when working from home. Twenty participants who worked from home and used a treadmill desk were interviewed between February 2022 and April 2022. Participants reported using their treadmill desks while completing a variety of work and non-work tasks and experienced physical, mental, social, and work-related perceived benefits. Motivators for use included desires to reduce prolonged sitting and be more active, wanting to be healthier and fitter, tracking and reaching goals like daily step counts, feeling good during use, and to overcome increased sedentary behavior due to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barriers to use included the type of work being done, physical limitations, accessibility issues, social concerns, and mental barriers. Future research should investigate ways to increase treadmill desk use at home by capitalizing on motivating factors and reducing barriers to use. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41542-023-00144-0.

Prediction of Work from Home and Musculoskeletal Discomfort: An Investigation of Ergonomic Factors in Work Arrangements and Home Workstation Setups Using the COVID-19 Experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for office workers to experience work from home (WFH). The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and the work conditions of homeworkers during WFH as well as to evaluate the association and predicted risk of ergonomic factors and MSD. A total of 232 homeworkers completed questionnaires. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the association and prediction of work arrangements and home workstation setups and musculoskeletal outcomes. The result showed that 61.2% of homeworkers reported MSD while WFH. Because of the small living spaces in Hong Kong, 51% and 24.6% of homeworkers worked in living/dining areas and bedrooms, respectively, potentially affecting their work and personal life. Additionally, homeworkers adopted a flexible work style, but prolonged computer use while WFH. Homeworkers who used a chair without a backrest or a sofa could predict a significantly higher risk of MSD. The use of a laptop monitor posed about a 2 to 3 times higher risk of suffering from neck, upper back, and lower back discomfort than the use of a desktop monitor. These results provide valuable information to help regulators, employers, homeworkers, and designers create better WFH guidelines, work arrangements, and home settings.

Connected yet Distant: An Experimental Study into the Visual Needs of the Interpreter in Remote Simultaneous Interpreting

Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) draws on Information and Communication Technologies to facilitate multilingual communication by connecting conference interpreters to in-presence, virtual or hybrid events. Early solutions for RSI involved interpreters working in interpreting booths with ISO-standardised equipment. However, in recent years, cloud-based solutions for RSI have emerged, with innovative Simultaneous Interpreting Delivery Platforms (SIDPs) at their core, enabling RSI delivery from anywhere. SIDPs recreate the interpreter’s console and work environment (Braun 2019) as a bespoke software/videoconferencing platform with interpretation-focused features. Although initial evaluations of SIDPs were conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., DG SCIC 2019), research on RSI (booth-based and software-based) remains limited. Pre-pandemic research shows that RSI is demanding in terms of information processing and mental modelling (Braun 2007;Moser-Mercer 2005), and suggests that the limited visual input available in RSI constitutes a particular problem (Mouzourakis 2006;Seeber et al. 2019). Besides, initial explorations of the cloud-based solutions suggest that there is room for improving the interfaces of widely used SIDPs (Buján and Collard 2021;DG SCIC 2019). The experimental project presented in this paper investigates two aspects of SIDPs: the design of the interpreter interface and the integration of supporting technologies. Drawing on concepts and methods from user experience research and human-computer interaction, we explore what visual information is best suited to support the interpreting process and the interpreter-machine interaction, how this information is best presented in the interface, and how automatic speech recognition can be integrated into an RSI platform to aid/augment the interpreter’s source-text comprehension. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Musculoskeletal Discomfort Faced by Interior Design Students During Online Learning

Musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent in young adults in the present times. A major section of this age group are the students pursuing higher education. In the current pandemic situation due to COVID-19, the students have been forced into attending classes through online mode and so the infrastructure available at home may not be optimal ergonomically, leading to musculoskeletal discomfort amongst the students. In Interior Design course, the students are required to do practical work in a sitting position using the furniture available at home. They are also required to attend classes through computers, tablets and smartphones, which can also lead to musculoskeletal discomfort. As these students are exposed to the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders, the present study was conducted with objectives (a) to gain insight into working methods and home workspace of the students, (b) to identify incidence of musculoskeletal discomfort experienced by interior design students during online learning and (c) to find out the perceived causes of musculoskeletal discomfort by the students. The sample of the study was 77 under-graduate students pursuing Interior Design course and data was collected using questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that these students are in need of proper workspace and work environment at home, they need guidance in optimizing there working methods and developing proper work schedules and lastly, they need awareness regarding maintaining correct postures during sit-down work as well as corrective measures for optimizing their current work-station at home. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A new audio mixing paradigm: evaluation from professional practitioners’ perspectives

Commercial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged the creative industries to transform service delivery from inter-personal to online operations. Existing online music and audio production collaboration platforms and cloud storage cannot replicate intrinsic in-studio interactions between an audio engineer and clients in a professional post-production audio mixing environment. We developed the DAW Collaboration Framework that transitions audio practitioners to a real-time, internet-linked mixing environment. This paper documents our evaluation of the framework’s performance through real-world practitioners’ perspectives, having participated in professional audio mixing scenarios. Our evaluation attests to the facilitation of a new audio mixing paradigm, where remote participants work synchronously in a collaborative, professional, DAW-based mixing environment, similar to traditional in-studio settings. Every participant monitors high-resolution audio files while accessing complete synchronised mixing control of the shared DAW project. Identified benefits include time savings, increased productivity, and engaging, collaborative audio mixing. This paradigm empowers remote participants to contribute to audio mixing projects, promoting new global reach and business opportunities for audio engineers. We identify impediments to widespread adoption of this new paradigm, thereby posing future research directions. Ultimately, in a pandemic-impacted era of disruptions and travel restrictions, our framework presents a viable alternative to in-person, studio-based mixing. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Ableton Live professional learning development for secondary school music teachers

There is a gap between secondary school music teacher’s knowledge of digital audio workstations (DAWs) and the phenomena of the digital musician. A digital musician is a student who uses a computer as their primary instrument for composing and performing music. This case study of in-service professional learning development (PLD) was based on the DAW Ableton Live and its integrated hardware controller, the Push. A review of professional learning literature informed the blended learning design (BLD) approach of the study. The analysis used a six-phase inductive approach for interpretive analysis of the themes. Results of this pre-COVID-19 study revealed that time, BLD, facilitation and videos impacted on the learning of the participants. Additionally, the participants underwent two linked paradigm shifts: first to include a computer and DAW in their conception of what music-making could be, and second that Ableton Live and the Push were musical instruments. Findings suggest that future PLD could increase learner readiness for using videos and a BLD in addition to preparing them for a paradigm shift. © 2022 Intellect Ltd Article. English language.

Musculoskeletal pain trajectories of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid public health response which included mandatory working from home (WFH) for many employees. This study aimed to identify different trajectories of multisite musculoskeletal pain (MSP) amongst employees WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the influence of work and non-work factors. METHODS: Data from 488 participants (113 males, 372 females and 3 other) involved in the Employees Working from Home (EWFH) study, collected in October 2020, April and November 2021 were analysed. Age was categorised as 18-35 years (n = 121), 36-55 years (n = 289) and 56 years and over (n = 78). Growth Mixture Modelling (GMM) was used to identify latent classes with different growth trajectories of MSP. Age, gender, working hours, domestic living arrangements, workstation comfort and location, and psychosocial working conditions were considered predictors of MSP. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to identify work and non-work variables associated with group membership. RESULTS: Four trajectories of MSP emerged: high stable (36.5%), mid-decrease (29.7%), low stable (22.3%) and rapid increase (11.5%). Decreased workstation comfort (OR 1.98, CI 1.02, 3.85), quantitative demands (OR 1.68, CI 1.09, 2.58), and influence over work (OR 0.78, CI 0.54, 0.98) was associated with being in the high stable trajectory group compared to low stable. Workstation location (OR 3.86, CI 1.19, 12.52) and quantitative work demands (OR 1.44, CI 1.01, 2.47) was associated with the rapid increase group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study offer insights into considerations for reducing MSP in employees WFH. Key considerations include the need for a dedicated workstation, attention to workstation comfort, quantitative work demands, and ensuring employees have influence over their work.

Air Shield: Pandemic Response for Enhanced Indoor Air Quality in the Workplace

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a design team considered how to maintain the safety of workers in office environments with a product that could have useful life after the threat of the pandemic subsided. Due to high real estate costs and desire for collaboration, dense open offices will continue to be a reality. The goal was for workers to remain visibly connected while maintaining safety in existing workplace layouts. Considering the office environment holistically, the team developed a solution that respected air quality in interior environments. The solution was developed early in the pandemic, prior to a full understanding of the virus and how it spreads. The process resulted in a workstation and fan attachment system to contain viral spread and purify the air, effectively responding to the obscured risk. In this article we describe the design process and critique of early, hasty, responses which were framed by material and technical solutions and compare our ideas to worker desires through ex post facto surveys sent to workers after vaccine availability and offices began to reopen. Surveys showed a general desire for the product and indicate continued concern for workplace safety. © Common Ground Research Networks, Barbara Young, Jung Joo Sohn, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Utilization of a Mobile Multifunctional Workstation for Coronavirus Nasopharyngeal/Oropharyngeal Specimen Collection.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the utilization of a mobile multifunctional workstation for COVID-19 sample collection. Methods: Twenty-four nurses and 150 individuals who took nucleic acid tests using mobile multifunctional workstations in Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from September to November 2020, were enrolled in the study as the observation group. As the control group, we included 36 nurses and 150 individuals who did not use the workstations from June to September 2020. We compared the two groups on (1) comfort of working environment, self-perceived security, the convenience of information system, operational process flexibility, pharyngeal acquisition visibility, and effectiveness of communication among nurses; and (2) self-perceived safety, waiting time, and overall satisfaction among individuals who took nucleic acid tests. Results: The satisfaction score of nurses in the observation group of nurses were significantly higher than those of the control group (OR = 17.297 95% CI:4.294, 69.673), as well as the convenience of the information system (OR = 6.250 95% CI: 1.775, 22.008), and communication effectiveness (OR = 5.588 95% CI: 1.590, 19.646). Among individuals who took nucleic acid tests, the overall satisfaction (P < 0.05) and self-perceived security (P < 0.05) had statistical differences between the observation group and the control group. Conclusions: The mobile multifunctional workstation for specimen collection could improve the comfort of the working environment, the convenience of information systems, and the effectiveness of communication among nurses.It can improve satisfaction and self-perceived security among people who took nucleic acid tests.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of treadmill desks on energy expenditure, sitting time and cardiometabolic health in adults.

BACKGROUND: As the health risks of sedentary working environments become more clear, greater emphasis on the implementation of walking interventions to reduce sitting time is needed. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigate the role of treadmill-desk interventions on energy expenditure, sitting time, and cardiometabolic health in adults with sedentary occupations. METHODS: Relevant studies published in English were identified using CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases up to December 2020. Random effects meta-analysis models were used to pool study results. RESULTS: Thirteen relevant studies (six workplaces and seven laboratories) were found with a total of 351 participants. Pooled analysis of laboratory studies showed a significant increase in energy expenditure (105.23 kcal per hour, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 90.41 to 120.4), as well as metabolic rate (5.0 mL/kg/min, 95% CI: 3.35 to 6.64), among treadmill desk users compared to sitting conditions. No evidence of significant differences in blood pressure were found. In workplace studies, we observed a significant reduction in sitting time over a 24-h period (- 1.73 min per hour, 95% CI: - 3.3 to - 0.17) among users of treadmill desks, compared to a conventional desk. However, there were no evidence of statistically significant changes in other metabolic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Treadmill desks offer a feasible and effective intervention to increase energy expenditure and metabolic rate and reduce sitting time while performing work-related tasks. Future studies are needed to increase generalizability to different workplace settings and further evaluate their impact on cardiometabolic health.

Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on office worker productivity and work experience.

BACKGROUND: With the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations embraced Work From Home (WFH). An important component of transitioning to WFH is the effect on workers, particularly related to their productivity and work experience. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine how worker-, workspace-, and work-related factors affected productivity and time spent at a workstation on a typical WFH day during the pandemic. METHODS: An online questionnaire was designed and administered to collect the necessary information. Data from 988 respondents were included in the analyses. RESULTS: Overall perception of productivity level among workers did not change relative to their in-office productivity before the pandemic. Female, older, and high-income workers were likely to report increased productivity. Productivity was positively influenced by better mental and physical health statuses, having a teenager, increased communication with coworkers and having a dedicated room for work. Number of hours spent at a workstation increased by approximately 1.5 hours during a typical WFH day. Longer hours were reported by individuals who had school age children, owned an office desk or an adjustable chair, and had adjusted their work hours. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight key factors for employers and employees to consider for improving the WFH experience.

Barriers and facilitators of productivity while working from home during pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to characterize the working environment, stress levels, and psychological detachment of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines and investigate their relationship to productivity and musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct effect of workstation characteristics, stress, and musculoskeletal symptoms to productivity and the indirect effect of psychological detachment to productivity. Data were gathered from a survey of employees working from home during the pandemic from different industries (n = 352). Multigroup analysis was also conducted to determine the effect of age, having a spouse, and having children less than 18 years old, to the model. RESULTS: Ergonomic suitability of the workstation (WES) has a significant effect on musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) (ß = -0.31, SE = 0.06; p < .001). Both workstation suitability (ß = -0.24, SE = 0.03; p < .001) and workstation ergonomic suitability (ß = -0.18, SE = 0.01; p < .01) inversely affect STR. Psychological detachment has a significant inverse effect on stress (ß = -0.31, SE = 0.07; p < .001) and stress has a significant negative effect on productivity (ß = -0.13, SE = 0.09; p = .03). Multigroup analyses showed that stress significantly affected the productivity of those without spouses and young employees. CONCLUSION: Workstation suitability helps improve the productivity of people working from home while stress negatively affects it. Workstation ergonomic suitability and musculoskeletal symptoms have no significant effect.

Computer workstation ergonomics: Current evidence for evaluation, corrections, and recommendations for remote evaluation.

STUDY DESIGN: Literature Review INTRODUCTION: Computer use in the workplace has increased substantially since the start of the information age in the mid-1980s through 2020. Desktops, laptops, and tablets are essential tools for communication and project management. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers have transitioned to work from home (WFH) to sustain public health emergency guidelines, and it is anticipated that many WFH jobs will be maintained post-pandemic. The transition to WFH occurred rapidly without time to establish ideal workstations. Ergonomic assessments that were typically performed in person needed to be performed using virtual technology. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this review is (1) to describe the components of a computer workstation evaluation; (2) to offer suggestions for identifying computer workstation problems that may be contributing to the client's musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and symptoms; (3) to provide suggestions that may improve the safety and comfort at the computer workstation, and (4) to suggest a method of completing the workstation analysis virtually, without onsite in-person evaluation. METHODS AND RESULTS: There is a paucity of peer-reviewed literature regarding computer workstation evaluations to be performed in person, let alone using a virtual method. The components of computer workstation evaluations have been recommended by regulatory agencies that survey injuries in the workplace. Prior to 2020, these evaluations were done in person at the office workstation. Modifications in data collection were needed to transition the analysis to a reliable virtual format. The remote method described provides a consistent approach that engages the client in the process.

[Health-promoting work design for telework in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Gesundheitsfördernde Arbeitsgestaltung im Homeoffice im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie.

BACKGROUND: The contact restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have led many companies to allow their employees to work from home for infection control reasons. OBJECTIVE: This literature review explores the question in what way health-promoting work from home can be excercised. RESULTS: Working from home requires consideration of the same guidelines just like those for office and computer workstations. To prevent negative mental and physical stress reactions, an ergonomic workstation design is recommended. Furthermore, the organization of working time (structuring the working day, adhering to breaks and regeneration units, and avoiding disturbances and interruptions) is of great importance for a health-promoting work design at home. CONCLUSION: Important components of a health-promoting work design are temporal, spatial and mental separation of work and private life. Employees and their individual needs must be taken into account when designing a health-promoting workplace at home; however, the responsibility for implementing health-promoting work design mostly lies solely with the employees due to the ad hoc change of workplace.

Reconfiguring and ramping-up ventilator production in the face of COVID-19: Can robots help?

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands, the shortening of medical equipment is swelling. A key piece of equipment getting far-out attention has been ventilators. The difference between supply and demand is substantial to be handled with normal production techniques, especially under social distancing measures in place. The study explores the rationale of human-robot teams to ramp up production using advantages of both the ease of integration and maintaining social distancing. The paper presents a model for faster integration of collaborative robots and design guidelines for workstations. The scenario is evaluated for an open source ventilator through continuous human-robot simulation and amplification of results in a discrete event simulation.

Radiology Education in the Time of COVID-19: A Novel Distance Learning Workstation Experience for Residents.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged the educational missions of academic radiology departments nationwide. We describe a novel cloud-based HIPAA compliant and accessible education platform which simulates a live radiology workstation for continued education of first year radiology (R1) residents, with an emphasis on call preparation and peer to peer resident learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three tools were used in our education model: Pacsbin (Orion Medical Technologies, Baltimore, MD, pacsbin.com), Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, San Jose, CA, zoom.us), and Google Classroom (Google, Mountain View, CA, classroom.google.com). A senior radiology resident (R2-R4) (n = 7) driven workflow was established to provide scrollable Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) based case collections to the R1 residents (n = 9) via Pacsbin. A centralized classroom was created using Google Classroom for assignments, reports, and discussion where attending radiologists could review content for accuracy. Daily case collections over an 8-week period from March to May were reviewed via Zoom video conference readout in small groups consisting of a R2-R4 teacher and R1 residents. Surveys were administered to R1 residents, R2-4 residents, and attending radiologist participants. RESULTS: Hundred percent of R1 residents felt this model improved their confidence and knowledge to take independent call. Seventy-eight percent of the R1 residents (n = 7/9) demonstrated strong interest in continuing the project after pandemic related restrictions are lifted. Based on a Likert "helpfulness" scale of 1-5 with 5 being most helpful, the project earned an overall average rating of 4.9. Two R2-R4 teachers demonstrated increased interest in pursuing academic radiology. CONCLUSION: In response to unique pandemic circumstances, our institution implemented a novel cloud-based distance learning solution to simulate the radiology workstation. This platform helped continue the program's educational mission, offered first year residents increased call preparation, and promoted peer to peer learning. This approach to case-based learning could be used at other institutions to educate residents.