Wake-up call

The pandemic lockdowns not only forced students and teachers to study and teach from home for safety. Work-from-home (WFH) became more widespread as many offices adhered to the social distancing protocol to avoid catching the coronavirus.

In turn, the WFH phenomenon has spawned a new normal subculture as white collar workers hold virtual meetings in half suits. But the trend is not just appearing in video conferences in office attire with the off-camera portion of the body in pajamas or shorts. WFH workers are also working from bed (WFB).

The WFB reality was enforced by the recent virtual interview of ex-Playboy model Pamela Anderson and her husband Dan Hayhurst. The couple appeared on British talk show Loose Women last 19 February in bed at her home in Vancouver, Canada. More than the popularity of the former Baywatch star, it was the unusual under-the-blanket interview that elicited many reactions from netizens who found it quirky.

Meanwhile, WFB has raised concerns from health experts as more remote workers, particularly those under 40, type on their laptops while in bed instead of in a workstation.

Susan Hallbeck, director of health care system engineering at the Mayo Clinic, one of the largest medical research institutions in the United States, has warned of neck, back and hip strains after hours of slumping or sprawling. Such bad posture may cause ailments like headaches, back stiffness, arthritis and pain in the bones, ligaments and neck muscles.

Rachel Salas, associate professor of neurology and sleep expert at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, also warned that using one’s bed for work rather than resting can cause one to disassociate it from sleeping. Salas said the habit has become a global trend amid the pandemic and led to a rise in insomnia sufferers.

There were suggestions to mitigate the harmful side effects of WFB. One is putting a pillow on the lower back for spinal support and under the knees.

And if WFB is really necessary to earn good money, maybe one should try the latest trick of vlogger Asian Andy of Los Angeles, California.

Andy recently earned a cool $16,000 by simply livestreaming himself sleeping on Twitch, which is popular among gamers and lifestylecasters.

In his fundraising stunt, Andy dared viewers to wake him up using text-to-speech recognition that converts typed words to sound and noise. Each attempt had a corresponding amount of donation.

Viewers played loud music, sounded alarm clocks and imitated dog barks. Andy earned more than the $16 per hour wage in his previous job as a ride-hailing firm driver, but the trade-off for the bed-induced money was lack of sleep.