The hidden enemy of the office

Jane Cowan-Harris

Head of WorkSpace IQ
www.workspaceiq.co.nz
 
 
Want a healthier economy? Then let’s aim for healthier people.
We often talk in business circles about the benefits of creating a healthy economy, and why not?
As both a business owner and someone who enjoys being part of a thriving community, I am certainly supportive of such thinking. However, talk is well and good, but the reality is that healthy economies require a healthy workforce.
You might think that an office isn’t a very dangerous place to work and compared to a construction site, it would be fair to say that you’re right.
However, I can attest to a large range of injuries and conditions, which while not all life threatening, definitely affect people’s wellbeing and workplace performance.
The scary thing is that it’s not just annoying aches and niggles such as low back pain, sore neck, shoulders or wrists, which are the issue.
It’s the longer term health conditions due to long periods of staying in one position – usually sitting all day at a desk– that are significantly increasing the risk of chronic health problems such as Type II diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancers such as colon and rectal cancer. In other words, office work and our increased use of technology are creating a public health issue.
Individual responsibility or team effort?
If you’re an employee you have to take some responsibility for your own health. It makes sense to take time away from your desk when you can, even if only at lunch time. Stretch during the day, drink water and take micro-breaks.
But depending on your workplace culture, looking after yourself at work can be difficult.
Fortunately there is an increasing awareness of the benefits of healthier workplaces. There’s a growing body of evidence to prove that not only is a healthy workplace good for people, but with reduced time off work, increased productivity and, better staff retention figures, a healthy workplace is also good for the bottom line. Give your business a health check Encouraging a healthy lifestyle and healthy ways to work is an essential element in creating a healthy workplace. If you invest in a healthy business culture, well done, keep it up. If you know you could do better, but lack time or budget, take little steps. Encourage people to get away from their desks at lunchtime, introduce ‘Fruit on Fridays’ have a bike to work day once a month; get creative. It may cost less than you think to build a healthy economy and you’ll feel so much better for it. Here’s to our good health!