The last thing you want when trying to meet work deadlines, balance family, and have a social life, is to get sick. Unfortunately, workplaces can be breeding grounds for viruses, as people work closely, use shared surfaces, and work in environments with little ventilation.
According to the World Health Organisation, it is important to maintain a healthy, safe and resilient workplace to stay protected at work, but how do you go about it?
This article will be your guide on why workplace health and safety is so critical, and how to prevent illness at work. Let’s dive in.
How Do You Stay Healthy At Work?
If you don’t want to get sick or feel generally run down from work, you want to be as healthy as possible—physically and mentally. Let’s look at some tips that can help.
Drink water
Even if you’re spending eight hours a day at a desk and not engaging in physical work, you still need to make sure you’re drinking enough water. Everybody’s water intake needs are different, but generally, men should drink about 3.7 liters of fluid a day, and women should drink about 2.7 liters.
Eating oranges, apples, watermelon, grapes, and foods with high water content can also help with hydration, but plain water is always best.
Basic hygiene habits
Shared spaces can increase the risk of illness (especially during cold and flu season), so hand washing, and cleaning common areas—such as the workplace bathroom and kitchen—can reduce your likelihood of getting sick.
If your co-workers have put together a potluck for example, be mindful of how you serve, eat, and store food. It’s never a bad idea to keep hand sanitiser at your desk.
Stay in shape
It can be difficult to exercise when working a desk job, but it’s important to make time, even if it’s only a brief walk on your lunchbreak. Breaking up your day like this can also be helpful for stress relief and concentration.
Check your posture
Do you type on a laptop constantly for work? If your neck and shoulders are held in a fixed position for a long period of time, you could be feeling muscle tenderness and tightness—you might even develop tension neck syndrome.
Make sure your neck isn’t bent to the side for too long, use a shoulder cradle, a speaker phone instead of holding it to your ear, or a reliable headset when taking conference calls.
Reduce screen time
Eye strain can cause migraines, focus difficulty, headaches, and sensitivity to light, so you need to keep this in mind at work. You should be comfortable enough to read your screen at arms length without needing to squint.
Can’t read what’s on your desktop or laptop screen? Try increasing the font size.
Where and when you can, take a step away from your screens and work in other ways, like with pen and paper.
Why is workplace health and safety so important?
Full-time employees spend the majority of their week at work, so there’s more of a risk of sickness. Workplace health and safety is non-negotiable because:
- Poor health and safety at work can lead to injury, illness, or even death
- Employers can be prosecuted for breaching health and safety regulations (even loss of business)
- It is important for employees across all industries (for example, if there is an accident, an employee can be charged)
- Employees have responsibilities to sub contractors and freelancers, temps and casual staff, workers and direct employees, clients and partners, or visitors and the general public
How can your employer prevent sickness at work? Check that your sick leave policy is supportive. Your manager may have flexibility on working hours, allow more frequent breaks, or allow you to work from home. The U.S Department of Labour states that the FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for specific medical conditions for the employee.
Additionally, nurse practitioners trained through comprehensive NP programs can offer on-site health screenings, vaccinations, or educational workshops on maintaining workplace hygiene and wellness.
Stay Healthy and Happy at Work
Whether you work in corporate, education, trades, or the health sector, employers have a duty of care to protect anyone connected to their business (such as undertaking risk assessments) and you taking care of yourself.
Refrain from working excessive hours and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re feeling burnt out. At the end of the day, you’ll always feel more productive when your health is at its best.
