A modern office may seem like a relatively safe workplace, as long as you’re not washing windows on the 44th floor. However, it’s not entirely the case. Working in an office exposes your health to significant risks every day.
A sedentary work mode takes away years of your life
Spending entire days in a seated position is harmful to the body. The resulting aches are the least of the problems. Too much sitting leads to a shorter life, causing musculoskeletal disorders, obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart diseases, and many more. Not even regular exercise can fully protect you from these issues.
If your job requires long hours of sitting, make an effort to take a few minutes every hour to, for example, walk around the office or take a short stroll outside the building.
Slouching in the chair causes back and head pain
Take a look at how you are currently sitting. Are you slouching or sitting up straight? According to experts from the USA, when we slouch or lean forward, our muscles and ligaments tense up to maintain balance. This leads to back and head pain, as well as other problems.
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Based on the opinions of experts from the Cleveland Clinic, we recommend finding the healthiest position for your desk. How to do it? First, sit on the edge of your chair without touching the backrest. Let your body slouch. Then try to straighten up, pushing your buttocks as hard as you can. Maintain this position for a few seconds. After a while, relax a bit, but only allow a slight bend in your back.
Treadmill desks can harm you
Desks equipped with treadmills were supposed to help office workers fight obesity and heart diseases. For a while, they were very popular, especially in the USA. However, as early as 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported that users often experienced falls while using such desks.
Moreover, working at a desk with a treadmill negatively affects productivity. A 2015 study shows that users have limited cognitive abilities and make more typos while working.
Long commutes cause sleep problems, increase cholesterol, and raise the risk of depression
American scientists report that if your daily commute is longer than 16 km, you are at risk of elevated levels of sugar and cholesterol. It also causes anxiety and increases the risk of depression.
However, public transportation is not a walk in the park either. According to data from the UK Office for National Statistics, people who commute by bus for more than half an hour daily experience less life satisfaction. The detrimental effects of long commutes also affect cyclists.
Furthermore, research indicates that most of us are unaware of how much commuting to and from work makes us unhappy. This is a factor worth considering before accepting another job offer.
Motivational meetings are demoralizing
Maria Konnikova from The New Yorker investigated the effects of forcing employees to maintain optimism at work. It turned out that the results were not the best.
One corporate psychologist told her that when employers try to force happiness with motivational slogans, people perceive these efforts as fake, and the result is exactly the opposite. Instead of a group of optimists, they have negatively oriented employees.
Stale air causes illnesses and reduces productivity
Experts use the term “Sick Building Syndrome” to describe the phenomenon of worsened health and well-being of employees due to staying in a particular office building.
There are studies confirming that people working in so-called “green” buildings—with better ventilation and lower CO2 emissions—achieve higher results in cognitive tests than employees in traditional office buildings.
Working more than 55 hours a week increases the risk of a heart attack
A study at a London university in 2015 showed that people working more than 55 hours a week have a 33% increased risk of a heart attack.
Furthermore, it has been proven that working long hours does not necessarily yield better results. Researchers claim that working 60 hours a week for three consecutive weeks makes us perform our tasks more slowly.
Subordinates of a bad boss may have heart problems
The Washington Post quoted a Swedish study showing that chronic stress caused by a toxic relationship with a boss can lead to heart diseases. The longer this situation lasts, the more significant health problems the employee may face.
This is just the beginning. Another study shows that working with a bad boss can lead to depression, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, and overweight.
Working odd hours leads to weight gain and higher stress hormone levels
People who work mainly in the evenings, such as programmers, are at an increased risk of developing type II diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases.
Harvard researchers discovered in 2009 that people who wake up late have lower levels of leptin, the hormone responsible for appetite suppression, and higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
Constantly staring at a monitor damages eyesight
Computer Vision Syndrome manifests itself, among other things, as irritated eye area. To avoid its occurrence, the 20-20-20 rule should be followed. This rule involves taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes of staring at a computer, during which you look into the distance.
Kevin Loria, a reporter for American Business Insider, explains: “Your eyes have muscles that allow them to focus on a particular object. If we stare at one object, in this case, a computer, for a very long time, and after many hours suddenly shift our gaze to something else, the eye muscles will be strained.
Lack of sufficient sunlight complicates falling asleep and reduces concentration
Artificial light not only gives your skin an unpleasant, greenish color but also deceives your internal clock, making you feel sleepy and weak.
One of the American newspapers conducted a study that showed employees who had no contact with natural light slept 46 minutes less at night than those with windows in their rooms. Moreover, the quality of sleep for the former was much lower.
Boredom can lead to a heart attack
It’s not a metaphor; you can actually be bored to death. London scientists argue that people who complain about boredom die younger. The most common causes of death for those who get bored a lot are diseases and heart attacks.
Offices and computer keyboards are breeding grounds for bacteria
If offices are not properly cleaned, they become an ideal environment for the growth of dangerous bacteria.
Researchers at the University of Arizona observed the behavior of a virus strain (non-harmful to humans) that colonized a certain office building. A journalist from The Wall Street Journal, who observed the study, wrote:
“In just two hours, the virus managed to take over the entire office lounge—coffee maker, buttons on the microwave, refrigerator handle. It quickly began to move to the bathrooms, other rooms, and conference rooms. There, scientists observed that it rapidly covered phones, desks, and computers. After four hours, the virus was on 50% of the surfaces and bodies of half of the office employees.”
Scientists warn that antibacterial gels are not entirely effective and may even be harmful because they also destroy good bacteria.
Open space is trendy but harmful
Most offices implement open spaces for integration and communication, but at the same time, it promotes the spread of diseases.
Studies confirm that people working in open office spaces take more sick days than those working in closed rooms.
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