Advertisement

'Office worker of the future' has a permanent hunchback

A disturbing life-size doll with a hunched back and red eyes shows what the ‘office worker of the future’ could look like.

The doll, named “Emma”, was created as a warning to highlight the problems with current work environments.

Emma was developed as part of a report dubbed The Work Colleague Of The Future, which revealed over 90% of UK office workers suffer from work-related health issues have more difficulty doing their job.

The doll has a permanently bent back from sitting down for hours with bad posture, varicose veins caused by poor blood flow, and dry, red eyes from staring at a computer screen for hours on end.

READ MORE: Working long hours may 'double the risk of baldness'

She also has a large, rounded stomach as a result of her sitting position.

A life-sized model named "Emma" has been created by Fellowes and Behavioural Futurist William Higham, to illustrate how office workers may look in 20 year's time. [Photo: PA]
A life-sized model named "Emma" has been created by Fellowes and Behavioural Futurist William Higham, to illustrate how office workers may look in 20 year's time. [Photo: PA]

William Higham, behavioural futurist and author of the report, said it highlights the need to “act now” and make “radical changes” to the way we work.

He 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.”

"Emma" suffers the effects of sitting for hours with bad posture. [Photo: PA]
"Emma" suffers the effects of sitting for hours with bad posture. [Photo: PA]
Behavioural Futurist William Higham poses with the life-size "Emma" model, a warning of how office workers might look in the future. [Photo: PA]
Behavioural Futurist William Higham poses with the life-size "Emma" model, a warning of how office workers might look in the future. [Photo: PA]

The study, which was commissioned by office equipment supplier Fellowes, included 3,003 participants from France (1,001), Germany (1,001) and the United Kingdom (1,001).

READ MORE: Exercising before breakfast burns twice as much fat

The findings suggest 50% of UK workers interviewed are already suffering from sore eyes, 49% from sore backs and 48% from headaches as a direct result of their work space.

Workers in the UK are also said to worry about vision problems (32%), weight gain (30%), and persistent headaches and migraines (26%).

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Lifestyle