Ambientes de trabalho home office na Receita Federal do Brasil: um modelo de consultoria com foco na ergonomia do ambiente construído

Abstract

The goal of this study is to propose a consulting model for support and individualized guidance of the staff of the Receita Federal do Brasil (RFB) in Salvador/Bahia, in teleworking, regarding their home office workplaces, from the perspective of ergonomics of the built environment. A qualitative and quantitative study was carried out, consisting on: exploratory interview with an ergonomics specialist; documentary research; survey applied to 96 RFB Salvador public servants about their home office workplaces, including analysis of the environmental perception; and analysis of photographs sent by two participants, in which it was possible to analyze the behavior of these users in the performance of activities. The results regarding the characterization of the workplaces in their global conditioners initially reveal the great focus given to organizational results and delivery control, according to the analysis of the legislation that regulates telework in the RFB. In accordance with these findings, the survey shows that the great majority (90.6%) of participants feel productive. On the other hand, only 34.4% take regular breaks, which may indicate a work overload. The majority (68.7%) adjusted their workplace, but only 13.5% claim to have had access to ergonomic instructions, revealing concerns about how these adjustments were made. As for the physical environmental conditions, in the survey carried out, the lowest average is for furniture (3.45) and among the environmental comfort variables, the lowest average is thermal comfort (3.77). Regarding the frequency of use of equipment and furniture: 50% always use notebook and 44.8% always desktop; although the majority (57.3%) always work in office chair with armrests, 25% never use it and 11.5% claim to frequently use kitchen/dining chair, which can cause pain and discomfort; 50% always use external monitor, but 38.5% never; 43.8% always use the integrated screen of the notebook, which requires attention to its height, so as not to overstrain the back and neck; the majority (66.7%) always use an external keyboard and external mouse (83.3%), but 33.3% always use a built-in notebook keyboard and 12.5% always use the built-in mouse, a situation that requires attention so as not to overload the wrists; 56.2% always or almost always use a traditional desk, but 28.1% never use this furniture. Regarding user behavior when using their workstation, it was possible to observe that the use of ergonomic equipment does not necessarily guarantee the proper use of these items. The main problems detected are chairs with armrests with inappropriate height, monitor positioned at a sub-optimal height and inadequate work surface, conditions that can compromise the posture of these workers. Finally, the analysis of environmental perception, based on the constellation of attributes tool, had as main finding the perception of the participants that their home office workplaces are inadequate/need improvement. Based on these analyses and considering that in ergonomics there is no universal solution, and the individual characteristics of each worker must be respected, a consulting model was proposed for individualized guidance of teleworkers from RFB Salvador regarding their home office workplaces.