No occupation is ever easy. In every job, huge piles of effort and time are required to execute your tasks and to achieve your goals. When you want to accomplish something, regardless of whether you are doing it only for yourself or for your employer, working hard is a must. Both field workers and office employees have that in common. Not only them but all the other natures of job out there are backbreaking.
It’s no secret to all that because of the demands of work, laborers get close to risks that challenge their well-being. Most of the time, whenever you grind and put your all into your duties, sacrifices come along with it. Since you are neither Superman nor Superwoman, and you are not limitless either, there are essential things you set aside or neglect to make way for work to pull through at all costs. That is one of the reasons why hardworking people, like you, get sick sometimes.
In this article, we will specifically talk about office employees. Some think that being inside an office building for the whole day is an autopass to a job that’s less taxing and less exhausting than those exposed under the sun. That’s just an immature thing to believe in. Staying in an enclosed establishment does not automatically imply ease of labor. Truth be told, office employees are also prone to a lot of illnesses because of the mode of their job.
If you still do not believe it, don’t stop here. If you are curious, keep reading. Here are 6 most common health issues that office employees experience.
1 – Severe neck and back pain
Sitting all day is not good. It’s a physical manifestation of what you have known as “resting”, but too much of it is no longer healthful. Rather, it becomes a gateway to unsoundness of the body. Eventually, it can affect how the body functions and moves.
Severe neck and back pain are very prevalent among office employees. They are deskbound all day, all night or day and night. Because they are too focused on their work, they don’t really get the chance to move a lot. Eyes on the PC screen, and hands on their keyboards. Eyes on their paper files, and hands on their pens. Even while they are seated, they are often stationary.
2 – Risk of obesity
Physical inactivity is one of the top outcomes of being an office employee. If you are an office employee, you know this well, but it’s like you cannot do anything much about it. Most of the time you have, you are at work. It’s difficult to find or make time to work out. You are physically inactive, and you are also at risk of obesity.
Exercising is essential to the human body. It allows you to burn unhealthy fats and calories, to eliminate unwanted body wastes, and to be able to fight disease-causing elements. When you are seated the whole day, you do not get the significant advantages of working out. Making it worse is your consumption of food that is not really healthy. Poor and bad eating habits just intensify the wrong.
All these put office employees in danger of becoming obese.
2 – Disrupted body posture
Related to point number one, a disrupted body posture is an apparent issue that arises in office employees. Since they are sitting down all the time while concentrating a lot on what they are doing, they fail to notice how their appearance is getting ruined.
This is totally common and existent in a company that disregards the impact of ergonomics in the workplace. You will know this when the office has desks, tables, chairs and other furniture and facilities that are improperly designed or that do not suit the comfort, convenience and safety of employees. For sure, workers are always complaining about back pains that are gradually affecting their body posture.
3 – Eyesight problems
Others assume that working in front of a computer is simple. To tell you, it is, unless you are doing it the entire day, every single day. It’s more tiring, draining and daunting than non-office employees know.
Eyesight problems are mutual among many office employees. Needless to say, the radiation that comes from computer screens affects the eyes negatively. Especially when computer screens in the office do not have proper screen protectors, office employees are not safe. Yet even when they do have, long exposure to screens lead to eye problems.
Poor eyesight is a long-term effect. Eye strains are common, too. Headaches usually accompany them.
4 – Appetite problems
Because of having to get their job done, it’s often hard to stand up from your office chair until you are totally done. Many office employees can relate to this; they feel like it’s a waste of time to take a break if they are not yet finished with work.
This is one of the reasons why many office busy bees skip meals or eat later than they should. As a result, they develop appetite problems. Besides being unable to eat properly, their attitudes and habits toward eating get distorted. They lose the right appetite. They tend to undereat but overeat later on. Stress eating is also another common health issue office workers carry.
5 – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
There is a correct way of using a personal computer and its components. As office employees, you should know how to safely use the keyboard and the mouse. There is a right position and posture for the hands and arms as well. Still and all, ergonomics will allow you to achieve this.
For workers who fail to do their work the right way or who have been doing their office job for years and years already, carpal tunnel syndrome is a health issue they are at risk of. This happens when the major nerve in the wrist, called the median nerve, experiences intense pressure. Numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain in the hands and forearms are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. This causes difficulty to work. It can disable you from working for some time, too, because your hands could not function normally.
6 – Depression
Last but the worst is depression. Office work mainly affects mental health. Employees get stressed out because of their duties’ weight, and at the same time, with so much work to do, they cannot make time to relax and unwind. Their social life gets affected, too; they spend little time with their family, friends and loved ones who can help them enjoy life. Not to mention, they have personal matters to attend to as well. When office work is tough, problems outside work make it more gruelling.
Depression is a common health issue of office workers. Mental wellness and emotional well-being work hand in hand. It influences everyone’s everything. It’s important that the company checks on their people, too. If you are an office worker, know that you should put your health first. Mental health breaks are a must!
WELLNESS WHILE WORKING
It might look comfortable to be sitting down in front of a computer while the air conditioning unit is perfectly functioning, however, it’s not as cozy as it appears. Office employees are susceptible to various ailments and diseases brought about by what seems to be a “comfortable” nature of work in the eyes of other people.
They are often seen busy with their computer screens, and they do not get to be outside, not receiving nutrients that can only be acquired outside, and not exercising their interpersonal skills. It’s possible that what they suffer from is not visible to the naked eye. Internally and externally, they are adversely affected.
Office employees’ health needs proper attention, too. Companies must be pro-employees. Before they establish their business, they must be aware that their employees’ wellness must be their top priority. They should provide them health benefits they deserve and let them rest and take breaks off from work. Giving them free membership to a nearby gym or to the company’s gym is a great idea! Let them hold and use exercise equipment, too, and not just their computer mouse. Companies have no right to abuse them just because they are paying employees. After all, the employees are working hard, so they deserve to receive the fruits of their labor.
You, office employees, are humans, not robots. Do not overwork yourself to the point that you forsake the importance of your health. Take pauses. Slow down. Be wise. Know your rights in the company. Do not forget yourself. Your life is and will always be more precious than your job. Prioritize your wellness while you are working.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. She finds quality and well-researched writing as a worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. For her, it’s restoring and fulfilling to the heart and a great way to clear the mind while loading it up with fresh learning. Film critiquing and filmmaking are among her interests too.
