Nora’s Independence at the Cost of Emma’s Varicose Veins

Often in documentaries about traditional handicrafts, the narrator, to highlight the intricacy of the task, will point out that the attention to detail affects the workers’ eyesight. There would be several shots of the worker bent over their paraphernalia in utter concentration, oblivious to the filmmakers’ presence. This observation incites both admiration for the craft and concern as to its sustainability. It grounds the need for support and solutions for the artisans and the art.

The same does not occur in case of people stressing over ppts and spreadsheets, similarly becoming afflicted with poor eyesight. An attention to detail is a mandatory requirement listed under nearly every job I am qualified for. But there is no admiration for my craft or for those others engaged in similar forms of labour. No one calls the tracker sheets and documents art or makes documentaries about them.

In fact not just eyesight, but working in a corporate space can be the cause of many ailments, including extensive amounts of stress, which in turn can adversely affect health further. I have begun to experience eczema on my hands due to the constant distress I experience at work. For the longest time, I wasn’t even aware what was causing painful blisters on my fingers until I carefully read the symptoms exhibited by ‘Emma’. Emma “is a life-sized prediction of what office workers’ bodies will look like in 20 years thanks to the long-term negative physical and mental impact of increased screen time, longer hours and too much sitting.” Based on a 2019 report written by William Higham, a behavioral futurist, this ‘life-sized’ model represents the long-term consequences of desk work. So, although a futuristic model of what our bodies may appear like in 2039, mere 13 years from now, that reality has begun to materialise already. It is often in the news, on the desk next to us, in our team, among our juniors, or within our own bodies.

If we were to take the time to think, white collar jobs can be increasingly hazardous to health (mental and physical), unfair, and exploitative. To the extent that they should come with a warning. To the extent that they should not be people’s aspirations. To the extent that they should be far more highly regulated than they are currently so that no one can exploit loopholes and escape responsibility.

So what are we doing about it?

The Indian Government introduced new labour codes in November 2025, which widen the ambit of protection offered to workers. But the rules stated under it are formative to say the least and a chasmic gap still exists. The focus is on provisioning the bare minimum when it comes to employee welfare and benefits rather than centering care. Responsibility is still individualised and means of checks and balances are second to none. And loopholes are plenty.

Not to mention that the laws only cover a fraction of the workforce. The rising health risk of corporate labour has been well documented. However, it has not culminated into urgent action.

Over a century ago, a story ended with Nora leaving home in search of independence, with work as a means to her desired end, albeit full of hardship. But that is precisely where another story begins in the modern day. In big cities, in labyrinthine offices, at odd combination of hours through the day.