[gtranslate]
News

Meet ‘Emma’, the horrifying future of office workers in 20 years

Life-sized doll Emma is a 20-year projection of our future appearance, IF we continue to operate at inadequate workstations.

The Work Colleague of the Future report, commissioned by Fellowes, found that the office is the main facilitator of poor health.

Emma was created in 2019 as a result of this, with the objective of revealing the consequences that a poor work set-up will have on our bodies over time, physically and visually.

emma-doll-future-employee
Image: Ladders

The report identified “danger areas around the office“, which include increased time sitting down – a simple act that will be responsible for changing our entire appearance.

Emma’s back is “permanently bent” due to a poor workstation set-up, her leg muscles are incredibly weak, she sports varicose veins due to the impact that sitting down has on her blood flow.

Furthermore, her eyes are “redder” and she has “sallow” skin due to the poor office air quality and continuous artificial lighting.

Fast-paced lifestyles have also come hand in hand with increased consumer culture and access to online goods.

The value and demand placed on instant gratification within our current cultural landscape have also been considered, as Emma has stress-related eczema.

The side effects of inadequate workstation set-ups include strained eyes, stiff neck, aching back and headaches.

Solutions to prolong or prevent this from being our future reality involve cutting down on screen time, taking regular breaks and exercising our legs by walking around.

Emma, as the future manifestation of our current habits and daily practices, has us questioning how work environments can be ergonomically designed to improve our quality of life at work and outside of work.

Despite the very real warning signs Emma posits, not everyone can take her seriously, with some struggling to see past her Nicholas Cage-like appearance.

At the end of the day, if employees do not look at Emma and thoughtfully consider the fact that a significant amount of the human population could look like her in the future, then we are all doomed.

After all,

emma doll future meme
Image: Twitter