Impact of transferring from “work from home” to office work on workers’ musculoskeletal disorder symptoms and mental health in Taiwan

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the impact of transitioning from work from home (WFH) to office work on workers’ musculoskeletal disorder symptoms (MSDs) and mental health among full-time Taiwanese employees who experienced both work modes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An anonymous self-report questionnaire was administered to 502 participants between June and November 2022. Participants’ characteristics, work-related behaviors, sitting posture, and changes in these factors during the transition from WFH to office work were collected. MSDs were assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and mental health was evaluated by a 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5). Participants’ ergonomic work environment was also assessed while WFH. Analyses were conducted using chi-square, McNemar, paired-t tests, and logistic regression. Results The transition from WHF to office work was associated with significant increases in MSDs (22.51% reported an increase in MSD scores) and mental health scores (7.02 to 8.75), indicating worsening in these areas. Participants who remained the same or increased BSRS-5 scores had a significantly higher risk of experiencing worsened MSDs compared to those in the Improved group (aORs = 15.666 and 8.596, respectively, both p < 0.001). Participants who shifted to a more tense sitting posture had a significantly higher likelihood of worsening MSD scores upon returning to the office compared with the Improved group (aOR = 7.914, p = 0.011). Furthermore, participants with poor ergonomic working environments during remote work had a significantly higher risk of worsening MSD scores rather than improvement after returning to the office (aORs = 2.750, p = 0.018). Conclusions This study found that workers’ musculoskeletal disorder status deteriorated when they transitioned from remote work back to office-based work. Our findings suggest that this worsening of MSDs is significantly linked to a decline in mental health during the transition.