Bet you didn’t expect a field trip to 2100 today, but that’s where we’ve gotta travel to meet Anna — who, by the way, you probably don’t want to meet.
The “future of remote working,” Anna is a new 3D model from the turn of the next century, designed to show the health impacts of working at home. She’s something of a tragic figure:
- Anna’s super hunchbacked: Her poor working posture threw her spine off balance. Her physique’s also strained by weight gain, wrecked skin, and swollen limbs.
- She’s got clawed hands: Too much device time has permanently curled her fingers. Look grotesque? Just imagine how it feels — cramping and muscle aches galore.
- Anna’s basically a racoon in the eye region: Her eyes are dark, red, and swollen from too much time spent squinting at devices.
- Her insides also hurt: Anna’s isolated lifestyle fuels poor mental health; she’s rife with anxiety and depression.
Damn, Anna. If only you gave up the remote dream and found a suitable office job.
Ah, but here’s the thing…
This whole thing was produced by Furniture At Work, a UK furniture supplier with a significant stake in people returning to the office; they outfit businesses, government offices, health care facilities, and schools.
Sure, Anna isn’t without some basis — Furniture At Work did pool scientific research and consult with health experts. And there are surely legitimate health concerns about the long-term impacts of our modern way of life.
But we’re dubious about putting too much stock into this cautionary tale. And we much prefer to put all of our chips into Furniture At Work’s other pioneering research — into the UK’s most “pawfessional” employee.
P.S. Want to know more about Anna? Tough. Furniture At Work’s blog post about her is no longer available, perhaps due to online ridicule that piled up over the weekend.