Chronic illnesses such as headaches and migraines, indigestion, and fatigue plague companies en masse across the country. It’s not genetic predisposition that’s causing this. The work environment you provide for them can actually play a role. Reduce the outbreaks of chronic illnesses at your workplace and productivity will rise.
Identify Problems Early
Employ OCCWELL to perform pre-employment physicals and physicals of existing staff on a regular basis to identify those suffering from chronic illnesses. Having a medical professional tell them that they have such an illness and offer tips for combating it will help staff members take their discomfort more seriously and work on ways to avoid symptoms during the work day. Offering these on-site physicals will make staff reluctant to see a doctor more likely to accept the medical examination.
Require Breaks
Staring at a computer screen for too long can cause frequent headaches. Sitting for too long can cause back pain and stomach issues. Regular breaks are key to combating both. Ask that employees get up from their desks and walk away for their break time, preferably to get fresh air if the weather is clement.
Encourage Healthy Habits
Provide healthy snacks in the vending machines or break room. Remind employees of the 20-20-20 rule when it comes to working on the computer: every 20 minutes, look away from the computer at a point about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Offer incentives for participating in physical activities individually or as a group. Encourage healthy habits and your employees will have more energy and will feel better.
At OCCWELL, we’re happy to provide both pre-employment physicals and on-site physicals at regular intervals for your staff to make sure you keep chronic illness outbreak rates low. While of course you should encourage staff to stay home when exhibiting contagious illnesses, it’s those non-contagious long-term conditions that actually disrupt the most work hours because staff will show up but be unable to focus.
