THE HIDDEN COST OF FLEXIBILITY: MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS, TECHNOSTRESS, AND SOCIAL ISOLATION IN THE ERA OF REMOTE WORK
Abstract
The global shift to remote and hybrid work models from 2021 to 2025, comparable to the Industrial Revolution in scale, has entrenched flexibility while introducing unintended physiological, psychological, and sociological costs. This narrative review synthesizes data from the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, Eurofound, and peer-reviewed literature (2020-2025) to analyze these externalities among college-educated workers.
Drawing on the Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA), work-from-home stabilized at 1.27 days/week globally (27% of U.S. workdays), with regional disparities (e.g., 1.5-1.9 days in English-speaking economies vs. 0.5-1.0 in Asia) influencing exposure. The "Infinite Workday" (Microsoft, 2025) - characterized by 117 emails, 153 Teams messages, and 275 daily interruptions - exacerbates issues like Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs, prevalence 61.2%-72%, e.g., neck pain 50.4%-58.9%) and Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS, pooled 69.0%, 95% CI 62.3-75.3).
Psychologically, technostress (50-70% prevalence for techno-overload) and Zoom fatigue (40-70%) blur boundaries, while sedentary isolation elevates inflammation (CRP/IL-6) and depression risk (20-43%). Sociologically, women face double burdens (promotion gap 37% vs. 49% for men), Gen Z reports 27% loneliness, and individualism explains 29% WFH variance.
Economically, costs include $380.9 billion U.S. MSK healthcare and $9.6 trillion global disengagement opportunity (Gallup, 2025). Without ergonomic (e.g., TuMeke's 42% injury reduction), policy ("Right to Disconnect" reducing stress 10-30%), and cultural interventions, flexibility's dividends risk erosion by chronic morbidity.
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