Working a full-time job can be challenging sometimes, but most people have to do it. Usually, they are drowning in completing tons of daily tasks, ignoring their emotions and functioning on auto-pilot.
However, the real problem is when their career is marked by daily stress, anxiety and physical pain caused by workplace injuries. Many employers don’t value their worker’s well-being, and due to the lack of communication, employees are afraid of speaking up when they feel overwhelmed or sick. Apparently insignificant health problems can grow into serious diseases caused by improper working conditions.
In this article, we help you identify the warning signs that indicate that your workplace can threaten your health:
You can suffer from chronic stress
It’s almost inevitable to feel a little bit overwhelmed at work from time to time because you might encounter unexpected situations, new clients, an email that ruined your mood or some new tasks you don’t know how to handle yet. But if stress is something you experience on a daily basis at work, and you neglect to manage it, it can threaten your health. A deeply dissatisfying job can be a factor causing chronic stress, resulting in long-term symptoms like aches and pains, insomnia, low energy, burnout, muscular tension and emotional withdrawal and even serious diseases like hypertension, diabetes and arthritis. You spend most of your time at work, so it’s crucial to work in a place where you feel valued. Moreover, chronic stress can also appear because of the general behaviour of your colleagues and employer, due to the lack of communication, harassment, bullying and other attitudes that influence your mental well-being, which might also cause anxiety and depression.
🏆
Discover the Creative Retail Awards
The Creative Retail Awards are much more than a mere accolade; they represent the pinnacle of achievement in the retail industry. Garnering a nomination or winning one of these awards is a testament to innovation, excellence, and leadership.
www.creativeretailawards.com
It’s vital to identify the warning signs of chronic stress because it can lead to burnout which affects both your mental and physical health.
You might suffer a workplace accident
Workplace injuries are a common experience for employees working in unsafe and unorganised places. A clean office can prevent workplace accidents, as it is easier to recognise any hazards and limit them in restricted zones when it’s not possible to eliminate them completely. Make sure you report any situation that might result in an accident to your team leader so they can solve it. However, if you are a victim of a workplace, you should know that you can get in touch with personal injury experts who can get your case to court so that you can get compensated for your injuries. You don’t have to ignore the dangers that might occur in your workplace because of the fear of being judged or fired; it is your right to feel secure at work and your employer’s obligation to provide you with a hazard-free workplace.
You might have an excessive workload
If you find yourself in the situation of working extra hours because of the heavy workload, you should be aware of the impact this has on your health. First of all, an excessive amount of work can trigger mental illness; as we said before, chronic stress or burnout can cause long-term damage to your brain, making your daily work routine seem endless. Also, taking your work at home can lead to sleepless nights and anxious thoughts about the next day because you get yourself into a toxic routine where your only priority is working without a break. When you have many responsibilities and tasks that overcome your regular schedule, it gets harder to manage your time efficiently and having no work-life balance influences your personal life, as you don’t have time for your individual needs, which can impact your dedication to your job and decrease your productivity and overall performance.
Your job might imply exposing yourself to risk
As we said before, it is your employer’s obligation to provide you with a hazard-free workplace, but if you don’t have a typical office job and hazards are part of your daily work life, you can be exposed to many risks. Ergonomic hazards like the heavy lifting of machinery and equipment are repetitive actions that can affect your motion and are considered dangerous practices that put your health in danger. Furthermore, chemical hazards like toxic substances and flammable materials can also be factors that might lead to health issues like respiratory problems and allergies that, if not managed properly, can also lead to severe burns. The company you are working for should provide regular safety training to instruct you how to manage the various machines and substances efficiently and safely. Moreover, it’s crucial to have protective equipment like helmets, gloves, earplugs, goggles and face shields.
You are exposed to bacteria and viruses
Microorganisms like viruses and bacteria can cause health problems, the most common ones being infectious diseases. Regular housekeeping can minimise the contamination with germs of commonly used surfaces, but on the other hand, working in unhygienic conditions can foster the appearance of viruses because of the incubation of germs. Especially after the lockdown, many people became aware of the danger of an apparently superficial infection, so the best thing you can do is to clean your desk frequently and use hand sanitisers often, as soap and water are not enough to kill the bacteria.
You neglect your diet
Your might have such a workload that doesn’t allow you to take a lunch break because you try to complete as many tasks as possible before going home. Most probably, you don’t always have time to eat a healthy breakfast before heading to work or end up having fast food for lunch as a quick option to not pass out during the day. Still, not respecting a rich and healthy diet providing all the nutrients your body needs can result in improper body functioning. Studies demonstrate a strong link between nutrition and work performance as it impacts cognitive functions like decision-making and concentration. Diets high in fats and sugar decrease productivity as they create a “brain fog”, which affects mental abilities. On the other hand, a healthy diet rich in whole foods can boost your energy and improve focus.
The bottom line
We hope this article helps you identify the risks you might encounter daily at your workplace that can affect your overall health, both physically and mentally. It’s crucial to take preventive measures to minimise the danger and report the practices and situations that are non-compliant to safety policies.
