Working in an office environment can be harmful to your health.
Striking the correct work life balance in the 21st century can be a constant battle, and never more so than with the development of mobile technology that means that we are constantly accessible twenty four hours a day. Technological advances mean that we can be part of a company conference call or access vital work emails from almost anywhere in the world, yet despite the freedom in business travel and operation, many business men and women still spend a great deal of their working day sitting down.
The way that our office environments are frequently configured nowadays can pose a very real health risks to employees, and recent office environment surveys show that open offices could be making workers less productive and increasingly unhappy.
In depth studies have revealed shocking risks for those who sit down for 15 hours or more a day, including the development of Type 2 Diabetes. This can be attributed to elevated stress levels and high sugar dietary intake, amongst other factors.
Obesity is another common risk for office workers and those who travel a great deal with work due may suffer from this. Offices are rarely equipped with healthy vending machines to curb hunger pangs, but sometimes there is the odd snack cart that does the rounds.
Gaps in the Market
See an obvious gap in the market? So did other people. Several savvy fruit delivery companies have stepped in to provide fresh, healthy snacking alternatives to hungry office workers. Take for instance the guys over at Fruitfuloffice.co.uk. The hope is that providing fresh fruit that is easy to eat on the go will help prevent excessive eating and raise awareness of healthy eating in the office environment. But could other companies step up too? How about a smoothie truck instead of an ice cream van? A salad bar instead of a fish and chip delivery? There is still a lot of potential for companies to seize an opportunity here and help office workers who are stuck at their PCs all day.
the Type of Office You Work in and Your Stress Levels
A review completed in 2011 gave surprising results when workers admitted to actually preferring private, smaller working spaces over the more common open plan styles favored in today’s office buildings. Although it has been proven that open offices can dramatically help to increase communication and collaboration between members of staff, many individuals have found that open plan offices can actually hamper their productivity due to greater distractions and higher stress levels. For example – phones that are always ringing, computers that are constantly pinging.
how Technology Affects Your Mood… and More
Of course, increased stress levels can result in a person’s mental and physical well-being being compromised, with stressed workers being far more likely to suffer with low self-esteem, confidence issues and even depression.
Computers that won’t do what you want them to and new software which you can’t wrap your head around, coupled with stressful situations and minimal physical exercise, is a recipe for disaster- especially for the employee who indulges in empty calories to boost their mood.
Adopting a sitting position at your PC for large periods of time, especially when consuming a high calorie diet, will undoubtedly lead to weight gain. This puts greater pressure on all you major organs. Your heart can be forced to double its workload as it strains to pump blood through clogged up arteries and the liver struggles to metabolize the high fat content in the blood stream which could result in organ failure.
Another health hazard in the office environment is the ability for coughs and colds to be so easily transferred due to shared air space and recycled air through air conditioning systems. AÂ study carried out in Denmark in 2011 found that those employees who worked in a shared office space had over 60% more sick days than those who work in individual offices.
Nutrition plays an important part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle which is why many companies are taking the step to promote healthy eating in the workplace by introducing fresh fruit for all staff members. The availability of a variety of fruits not only prevents employees from reaching for the biscuit tin, but it also has many health benefits thanks to the vitamins and minerals they contain. If you are leading a team of people in an office, why not consider leading the way in promoting a healthier lifestyle by providing fresh fruit for your office?