Albury businesses say working from home can come with some added costs to health

Business figures contacted by The Border Mail said they were in favour of a full return to the work office environment for the social cohesion this encouraged.

But others pointed out the benefits to working families of maintaining at least some degree of the staying-at-home approach.

Hays recruitment agency Wodonga manager Sarah Hanlon said often the best rule-of-thumb was what people preferred.

"Sometimes I get people who love being at home and are far more productive from home," she said.

"And then you'll have the total opposite type of people who hate it and love being in the office and love being around people and kind of thrive off other people's energy.

"It's almost like that introvert-extrovert type of difference. But everybody's really different with this, which is what makes it so interesting."

Business Wodonga's Graham Jenkin said his organisation would love to see everyone back in their workplaces.

Mr Jenkin said that was because of "that social cohesion" in workplaces and teams.

In turn, he said, this supported the coffee shops and cafes where workers bought their lunches, as well as there being the simple benefits "of people interacting with each other".

"I think that's something that is missing from working from home."

Commercial real estate agent Andrew Dixon said unlike Sydney and Melbourne, many workers who had operated from home during the COVID-19 pandemic were "now looking to get back" to the office.

"There is a low office vacancy rate, and that's because people are wanting to operate their business out of an office instead of out of home," he said.

"There's a good take-up (of office space) in both Albury and Wodonga."

Another impact of the working-from-home approach has been the impact of workers' physical well being.

Back on Track Physiotherapy director and physiotherapist Carly Carr said the practice was seeing people with incorrect or home ergonomic setups.

Ms Carr said that then contributed to neck and back pain and headaches.

"(And people) tend to work longer than what they would do in the office, so they're actually sitting for a lot longer than they would," she said.

Ms Carr said it was vital to educate people about postural correctness.

"We've actually recently had a few more inquiries of people asking us to go and assess their home setups and give them some help improving their home ergonomics with their desk," she said.

Greg Bowers from the not-for-profit business advisory group Enterprise Plus said some businesses did not want the cost of "a fully blown large office" given the rental costs and lease rates.

Mr Bowers said that meant a shared service or business hub-type arrangement was attractive to them.

"And then there are some that definitely want to get out of the house for lots of different reasons, and they use either hot desks or small offices," he said.

Mr Bowers said getting back into the officer certainly was "very important" from a mental health perspective.

"It's up to the individual to work out their productivity levels at home or in the office," he said.

"But I think that interaction and that engagement with other people is healthy from a mental health perspective."

Chiropractor Dr Dan Manson from Complete Care Chiropractic said the shift to working from home had brought attention to the significant of ergonomics and its impact on spinal health.

"It is crucial to encourage individuals to create a workspace that supports good posture and reduces strain," Dr Manson said.

Dr Manson said it was important to educate people about postural correctness, especially given most workers aren't always using a desk, they could be using a table, bed or sofa.

He said it would be vital for companies to "offer virtual ergonomic assessments for their employees".

"These assessments can provide personalised recommendations on how to set up a conducive workspace at home," he said.

"Furthermore, promoting simple exercises and stretching routines to alleviate tension and promote flexibility can also contribute to maintaining a healthy spine while working remotely."

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