WORK / LIFE : WORK-FROM-HOME HEALTH

Working from home doesn ’ t have to mean sitting more and moving less when you incorporate these simple ideas .

by deborah lynn blumberg illustrations by masha foya

AFTER PIVOTING TO working from home , environmental scientist Jill Trescott of Randolph , Minnesota , was thrilled with the extra time she gained from dropping her commute . But soon she found herself missing the steps she took from the parking lot to her desk , coffee breaks , and walks to team meetings . She just wasn ’ t moving as much as she used to .

“ I realized I was often coming out of my home office at the end of the day having barely moved all day ,” she says . “ My new workdays had a lot less built-in walking .”

The lack of movement started to wear on her body . So Trescott , who still works remotely , found ways to prioritize wellness : She blocks off time on her calendar for a long walk each day and posts movement reminders in social media groups she ’ s a part of to encourage others to get moving , too .

While in many ways , working from home lends itself to wellness — you can cook a healthy lunch or easily stretch in your athletic pants — for

many workers , today ’ s new normal of remote work also means spending even more time sitting and staring at screens than before the pandemic .

Researchers have found that workers ’ sedentary time has increased , possibly contributing to sleep and mood problems and even to job performance issues on top of muscle aches and pains . One study shows adults who were considered active prior to COVID-19 saw their physical activity fall by 32 %, on average .

“ Over the course of the pandemic , HP , like many other employers , has seen increased employee needs related to stress , burnout , and work / life balance ,” says Elaine Beddome , Global Head of Compensation , Benefits , and Employee Mobility . “ We know working from home can make it more difficult to disconnect and find life balance , and it can also make it harder to form social connections with peers .”

That ’ s why HP recently expanded Well Beyond , its global wellbeing program , through various initiatives such as access to the Headspace mindfulness app and offering incentives for one of

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