Work load factors of mobile work

Introduction
In mobile work, an employee works more than ten hours per week away from his primary workplace and uses ICT for collaboration. The research argues that there are mobile work specific workload factors. However, it is not known enough, what factors stress employees in the way that evokes the symptoms of illness. This paper presents experiences and the heart rate variability (HRV) of the mobile employees suffering symptoms assumed to be due to mobile work. The information is needed for enhancing mobile employees' well-being.

Methods
32 mobile employees who visited the occupational health centre were interviewed. The interviewed kept a preceding diary of their duties and symptoms. The diary was discussed in detail during the interview. In addition 7 of these employees were followed during their business trip with the HRV measurement procedure.

Results
Sleeping disorders was the most common problem. The workers explained them with the complex demands of their work, travelling reasons (too many travelling days, travelling hours and time zone crossings) and with diffi-culties in time management. Secondly they addressed musculoskeletal disorders generated from bad ergonomics of the multiple places they encountered. The third bunch of symptoms was a collection of negative emotions. Too much too demanding tasks combined with long travelling days arouse the feelings of irritability, nervousness, anxiety and derealisation. The HRV measurement showed that during business trips, the working days were long, the sympathetic activa-tion was dominant and parasympathetic activation phases remained relatively short.

Discussion
Extensive amount of business travelling with large area of operation should be considered as the work load factors of mobile work. Due to the long days almost without rest periods, the recovery phases with adequate parasympathetic activation remained short during business trips. Not having enough time for recovery is a concern for those mobile workers whose job requires constant business trips.