Improper work stations at home causing neck, shoulder issues, trade union warns

According to trade union CNV, improper work stations at home are causing a shocking increase in the number of physical complaints among its members. 41 percent of CNV members report more problems with their neck, shoulders, or arms since they started working from home, the union found in a survey of 2,500 of its members, NOS reports.

45 percent said that they do not have a workplace that meets the health and safety requirements. "The laptop is on the kitchen table, the chair is too low, the laptop is flat," CNV chairman Piet Fortuin said to the broadcaster. "At work the screen is at the right height, you often don't have that at home."

The union wants employers to do more to guide their employees in working from home safely and efficiently. "For example, hire a fit coach and vouchers for a physiotherapist," Fortuin suggested. These costs will be recouped by lower absenteeism, he said. "We have seen an increase in absenteeism in recent weeks. This is partly due to physical complaints"

The CNV survey also showed that only 23 percent of its members receive work-from-home allowances from their employers. 61 percent said they incur costs by working from home that are not reimbursed.