Syona Roots spotlights ergonomics as long desk hours strain India’s IT workers

New research finds more than half of studied IT professionals reporting musculoskeletal pain, as Syona Roots highlights the role of ergonomic workstations in India’s hybrid work era. The findings point to long hours, not just where people work, as a growing workplace health issue for employers.

Why it matters: - More than half of the IT professionals studied reported musculoskeletal pain, signaling a growing health issue across India’s desk-based workforce. - The findings raise pressure on employers to address ergonomics, workstation setup and working hours in both office and home environments. - The issue matters beyond comfort: long-term pain can affect productivity, attendance and employee wellbeing.

What happened: - Syona Roots highlighted new research on musculoskeletal pain among India’s IT professionals as hybrid work becomes more common. - A September 2026 study in the Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma found that 54.2% of the IT professionals studied reported current musculoskeletal pain. - Among those with pain, 68.2% reported lower-back pain and 41.4% reported neck pain. - The study found that 52.3% of affected professionals had been in pain for more than a year. - The same research found that 40.2% said their symptoms had worsened since the pandemic. - NASSCOM’s Strategic Review 2024 said India’s tech sector employed about 5.43 million people in FY2024 and generated more than US$253.9 billion in annual revenue.

The details: - The research found that daily working hours were the only statistically significant predictor of musculoskeletal pain among the factors examined. - Prevalence was highest among professionals working 12 to 14 hours a day, at 63.3%. - Hybrid work has shifted millions of computer-based work hours between corporate offices and home setups with different seating, desk height and screen positioning. - Syona Roots said organizations should treat ergonomics as part of the wider hybrid-work conversation, not as a standalone furniture purchase. - The company pointed to seating, workstation setup, screen positioning, movement during the day and reasonable working hours as areas employers can address. - Syona Roots is an Indian office furniture manufacturer based in Coimbatore.

Between the lines: - The study does not prove that hybrid work causes musculoskeletal disorders. - Because the research was cross-sectional, it identifies prevalence and associations rather than cause and effect. - The findings still suggest that employers may be underestimating the physical demands of long desk-based work outside the corporate office. - Ergonomic equipment alone cannot offset exceptionally long working days. - Break reminders alone cannot fix workstations that are poorly suited to prolonged computer use. - The core challenge for employers is maintaining a consistent level of workplace support across multiple work settings.

What's next: - As hybrid work becomes a more permanent feature of India’s tech sector, employers are likely to face closer scrutiny of desk setup, hours and employee wellbeing. - Workplace policies may increasingly need to combine flexibility, technology and ergonomics rather than treating them as separate issues. - The next question for companies is shifting from where employees work to how well those environments support them. - Research referenced: Musculoskeletal Impact of Hybrid Work in Indian IT Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study, Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma, September 2026. - Industry data referenced: NASSCOM, Strategic Review 2024: Rewiring Growth in the Changing Tech Landscape.