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Terrifying Model Has Been Created Of How Office Workers Could Look In 20 Years

Terrifying Model Has Been Created Of How Office Workers Could Look In 20 Years

People, meet Emma. Emma, meet people - *sits up immediately*

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Tired eyes from staring at your screen for a little too long? Achy back from sitting in the same position since you ate breakfast? Well, it pains us to tell you but you're on the way to becoming 'Emma' - the scientifically-created yet utterly horrifying life-size model of the future.

According to research, if work places and practices don't change soon, in 20 years our physical and emotional appearance will be dramatically different.

Dramatically meaning the introduction of a permanently hunched back, varicose veins and red, bloodshot eyes. *Googles 'how to write a letter of resignation'*.

Based on surveys of more than 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK, a team of experts from the fields of ergonomics, occupational health and professional well-being predicted how offices might change the human body.

Here she is - 'Emma' is what we could all look like in 20 years.
PA

William Higham, behavioural futurist and author of the report, said: "The Work Colleague Of The Future report shows that employers and workers really need to act now and address the problem of poor workplace health.

"Unless we make radical changes to our working lives, such as moving more, addressing our posture at our desks, taking regular walking breaks or considering improving our work station set up, our offices are going to make us very sick."

According to The Mirror, the study - which was commissioned by office equipment supplier Fellowes - suggested that 50 percent of UK workers interviewed are already suffering from sore eyes, 49 percent from sore backs and 48 percent from headaches as a direct result of their work space.

It also indicated that vision problems (32 percent), weight gain (30 percent), and persistent headaches and migraines (26 percent) were the top conditions those in the UK were worried about.

Offices far and wide could soon be filled with Emma-impersonators.
PA

The researchers discovered that office workers themselves spent on average of six hours sitting at the desk each and every day. Just six?

A list has been compiled reeling off our potential future health issues. They include: a permanently bent back due to sitting for hours, varicose veins thanks to poor blood flow, a rotund stomach caused by sedentary working.

We're not done yet either: dry, red eyes from staring at a computer screen, swollen wrists and ankles due to repetitive movements, sallow skin from years of being under artificial lights, red upper arms from laptop heat, eczema thanks to stress and hairy nose and ears (great) which is down to the poor air quality.

Well, if that's not enough to make us all take regular breaks from our desks, I don't know what is.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, Study, News, Weird