Allergies and Asthma

Employees who suffer from allergies and asthma are often disadvantaged because their ability to concentrate and work efficiently can be easily disrupted by allergy or asthma symptoms. Allergies can range anywhere from a sensitivity to scented products to a severe food allergy. When paired with asthma, allergies can set off a number of different symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, sneezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, to name a few.

One of the best ways to control asthma is to minimize exposure to allergens. It’s important that employers take this into consideration because if an employee’s allergy and asthma symptoms get out of hand they could end up hospitalized. When a company does not make an effort to accommodate employees with asthma and allergies, the employees often need to seek medication and treatment from medical facilities. In addition to higher health care costs, the company will also experience less productivity and efficiency because of constant discomfort created by their symptoms.

Here are some of the ways a company may go about accommodating employees with asthma and allergies:

• Learn what allergies employees have and which employees are asthmatic, then take the necessary steps to accommodate them.
• Send a reminder to other employees not to wear strong perfumes, for people may have allergies or sensitivities to scents.
• Make sure any food product that contains nuts be labeled, to ensure people with severe nut allergies don’t mistakenly eat it.
• Do not allow animals in the work area, for people may have pet allergies.
• Make sure work spaces are cleaned regularly; dust and mold are common allergens and can be detrimental to anybody’s health.

In Response to Obesity

I completely agree with Mah-E’s post regarding obesity; work can have a large impact on a person’s health. Stress can lead to overeating and mental exhaustion can prevent a person from engaging in physical exercise. With all the health risks associated with obesity (as Mah-E mentioned) it’s important that companies make an effort in encouraging employees to be active.

Mah-E had some excellent suggestions for promoting a healthier lifestyle at work but it’s not always easy to motivate employees to follow these suggestions. From personal experience I have encountered some creative ideas for motivating employees to participate in healthy activities. One of the ideas was to motivate people to take the stairs by making a chart to record how many flights of stairs each employee climbed a day. The employees were also grouped into teams so that people who may not be motivated by competition may be motivated by pleasing the team instead.

Another idea is signing the company up to participate in an event such as Edmonton’s corporate challenge. Corporate challenge is an event that is held every year where employee’s of a company form teams and compete with teams from other companies in a number of different sports. The events are usually a lot of fun and teams receive ribbons and medals for winning. The sports range from high endurance sports such as basket ball to low endurance sports such as horseshoes, so anybody can participate.

Not all ideas are successful in motivating employees to be healthy so it’s important that companies come up with many different ways to promote healthy living.Making healthy activities fun and competitive is a good way to encourage people to participate.

http://www.corporatechallenge.ab.ca/dnn4/

Mental Health in the Workplace

Promoting physical health does help a great deal in reducing stress, but mental health claims are still responsible for a large portion of disability costs in organizations. Because stress related disabilities are becoming such a growing concern, organizations have to focus on finding ways to prevent stress. Stressed employees can develop depression, anxiety disorders and suffer from mental burnout resulting in more mental health claims, stress-related sickness absences, and added payroll costs for companies.

One reason for rising stress levels is that technology has advanced a lot over the past decade, allowing us to accomplish more in a day’s work; unfortunately expectations to do more also increases and the pressure to accomplish so many tasks in one day becomes overwhelming. Some ways that companies can promote mental health is by adopting psychiatric health benefit programs and provide employees with a predictable work schedule and plenty of guaranteed personal time. Psychiatric health benefit programs can help to detect symptoms of stress early so that serious stress related problems can be prevented. A predictable work schedule is ideal for employees because it makes it easier for employees to balance their personal life with work. Employees that visit with family and friends on a regular and predictable basis are much happier, and less likely to experience stress related illness.

By assuring that employees are healthy mentally and physically, companies are successful in reducing absenteeism and increasing overall productivity and efficiency. Because stress-related mental disabilities are not well understood, they are often overlooked. More companies are acknowledging that these disabilities are serious and are taking action to prevent them.

http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/facts/why_it_matters.asp

Stretching at Work

Coming in to work with sore achy muscles is never fun. Accomplishing a tedious task is even more difficult when distracted by muscle pain, and sitting all day in the same position can worsen sore muscles. Stretching is an easy way to prevent muscle aches, but people still underestimate its importance, often using the excuse that they don’t have enough time for stretching. The image above suggests otherwise, displaying stretching positions that can be performed easily while sitting at a desk. Stretching improves posture, reduces muscular tension, and increases blood and nutrient supply to muscles.

Healthy Workplace Month

Now that we all have learned a lot about a healthy work environment, it is now our turn to practice it. Healthy Workplace Month will take place from October 4th - October 31st 2010. This is what will be practiced in the four weeks (http://www.healthyworkplacemonth.ca/):

Week One - Feeling Great at Work

Kick off Healthy Workplace Month focusing on the workplace. Although we all have a job to do it's possible to incorporate healthy living and activities into our working hours.

Week Two - Feeling Great with Family & Friends

This week's focus is family and friends, and the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance

Week Three - Feeling Great at Play!

This week we focus on having fun! Participate in a group at your organization, or take part in individual activities on your own or with some colleagues. All activities focus on the three concepts of Healthy Mind; Healthy Body; and Healthy Work.

Week Four - Feeling Great Giving Back

Social responsibility is the focus for Week Four. Support corporate social responsibility; sponsor a day at Habitat for Humanity; promote the concept of volunteerism as a business learning opportunity (volunteer for a board of a community association, not for profit entity, food bank, etc.).

So now lets make every month a Healthy Workplace Month!!!

Workplace Influences Diet

A very important part of a healthy workplace is a healthy diet. I personally believe that the workplace has a very big influence on peoples diets. So I did some searching on Google to find out how exactly does the workplace influence the way we eat.

Does the workplace influence how people eat?

Yes. Always remember that the workplace environment influences the health of its employees. For example, if a healthy eating program is offered, remember to look at where the employees eat their lunch. A safe and clean eating area is a requirement under most occupational health and safety laws. Beyond this, it is important to look at what is offered at vending machines and staff cafeterias. If you don't look at the larger picture and see how the way the workplace itself influences the eating patterns of the employees, the program will often not work very well.

Be sure the workplace supports healthy eating programs by providing time for employees to go to information sessions, offering appropriate foods in the cafeteria and vending machines, or by having refrigerators and microwaves so that meals can be stored and prepared appropriately.

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/healthyeating.html

Excellent

Very well done people. I've learned a lot already by reading your blog, and it's set up very well.

Response to Government Support

I totally agree that the government must support a healthy work environment, a lot of Canadian companies already do. There are amny organizations out there who promote a physically heathy workplace for example the Toronto Halth Cnnection, there program is called Health Options at Work: Physical Activity. The Health Options at Work: Physical Activity program can help workplaces reach their business goals by creating a workplace that is supportive of regular physical activity. They also have a website http://www.toronto.ca/health/pdf/physical_activity.pdf check it out!

Obesity in the Workplace

We have discussed the importance of promoting a healthy and safe workplace, but this article I found on http://www.healthquotes.ca/blog/2009/03/10/Obesity+In+The+Workplace.aspx suggests that while obesity may be causing a problem in the workplace, the workplace may actually be the cause of some workers obesity problem. This study shows how some workers bad health may be becuase of their job.


"Statistics Canada has released a new study regarding obesity as it relates to job performance. The study shows that more Canadian workers are now obese, with the obesity rate climbing from 12.5% in the mid 1990's to 15.7% in 2005. Obesity is most prevalent among workers in the age range of 55 to 65; 21% of this workforce population was obese in 2005. Obesity is defined as any person whose body mass index (BMI) is over 30; 18.5 to 24.9 is defined as a normal weight range. Body mass index is calculated by a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.

The study found that those who were obese found it harder to get their job done; some needed to cut back on their work activities as well as had a higher risk of being injured and/or requiring more days absent from work. Young men are almost 4 more times likely to be absent from work if they are obese. Obesity is also cited as the cause for women aged 35 to 54 to require either reduced work activities and/or disability days. Obese workers also have an increased probability of being hurt on the job; partially due to fatigue as well as physical limitations. As well, personal protective equipment may not be worn (or worn correctly), i.e. gloves and goggles. Certain medications may also increase the risk of being injured at work. Obese employees were found to have higher job strain (this is defined as high psychological demands combined with low job control.) These workers also felt that they received low social support from their colleagues and/or supervisors.

While obesity may be causing a problem in the workplace, the workplace may actually be the cause of some workers obesity problem. Canadians who work shift work and/or excessive hours tended to be at higher risk for being obese. A higher proportion of 'blue-collar' workers were found to be obese compared to those who work in the 'white-collar' professions. Irregular working hours associated with shift work can make it hard for employees to maintain a healthy eating schedule. Men who work more than 40 hours per week were more likely to obese than those who work a full-time schedule of 30 to 40 hours per week. Men between the ages of 35 to 54 with higher incomes tended to be more obese than those with lower incomes; one possible reason given was a tendency to dine out more often. However, women in the same age bracket tended to be more obese when their personal incomes were lower; this was attributed to possible cultural differences. Men and women with low education levels had a significantly higher chance of obesity with the exception of younger workers aged 18 to 34."


So now we know why it is important for employers to promote health in the workplace, here are a few suggestions from a Canadian Health and Travel article:
• Talk to your co-workers as well as your employer about implementing a healthier workplace. Your employer may be willing to offer such initiatives such as partially reimbursing employees for such items as gym memberships, etc. in order to have a healthier, more productive staff.
• You can also talk to your co-workers about healthier snacks and lunches; substituting fresh fruit instead of donuts and other high-fat snacks for example.
• Organize a staff walk during the lunch break; this can help not only burn off calories, but help re-energize for the afternoon hours.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator if you can; walk instead of drive if possible.
• Packing a lunch gives you more control over the types and portions of food you eat instead of dining out. This also tends to be a less expensive alternative than eating out. You can pack snacks such as fresh fruit, vegetables, crackers, etc. for when you’re working that will satisfy the craving to eat, while not being high in fat and calories."

I am writing this in response to Chantels post and christiana's response to that post

I definetely understand what you are trying to say with this Christiana, because i to had to deal with one of those awkward “ergonomic” shovels. And i do believe that because it has become such a big thing recently, as you said already, manufacturers are taking advantage of this and making phony products.
Although, i do have an image i found online at http://www.hightech.fi/direct.aspx?area=htf&prm1=374&prm2=article and as far as i can see it does not look comfortable. Maybe for short periods of time, but you have no backrest to lean back on to relax, to me this product looks like it was designed with good intentions but is one of those things that looks as though it was not well thought out. But i have noticed chairs that have a similar set up, but with a backrest; the seat is adjustable like the one shown in the image and it also has an adjustable back support with lumbar support.
Perhaps that’s part of what ergonomics is, is that it is a personal preference; maybe some people find those shovels to be of great use haha.

Stress is a part of workplace health that is often overlooked, and can usually be reduced quite inexpensively. Stress is one of those things that people don’t often think hard on and never realize that they are having more stress than is healthy for them.
If employers were to offer more flexible work environment, that could very well promote better productivity and better health. A flexible work environment could be in regards to hours, vacation time, or more freedom on how employees are to do their work. Another good way to reduce stress would be for employers to have good communication with their employees, so that if there is ever an issue the employees feel comfortable enough to speak to a supervisor, or whoever it may be, about it.

Wow, you guys have some great ideas going on here. I believe that Christiana makes a valid point in saying that the employee must act if they want something done.
In my opinion, employees should act if they expect to ever see any changes; maybe the employer may not see the problem, or never saw it as a problem, and so it takes initiative on the behalf of the employees to bring up the issues to their employer for the wanted changes to come about.
Perhaps if work place health, and ergonomics were promoted more by government agencies or third party agencies work place health would be a lot more common.

Government Support

In my last blog, I forgot to mention that there are many resources in Canada that are willing to help companies (loosely translated employees) set up healthy workplace initiatives. For example, the National Quality Institute (NQI), whose Mission statement is to "Helping Canada live and work better". One of the product and tools that they offer is a "Healthy Workplace". There are of course government organizations like Health Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

You never realise how many resources are available to pursue your ideas until you start looking. In looking at some of the ideas these agencies have in mind like "active living at work", "walking the talk", "size doesn't matter", and many others, I have gotten some ideas that I know I will pursue at my next job and even now at NAIT. What's even better is the resources these agencies are willing to share in helping us become more healthy. So really, we don't need to go far to effectively contribute to a healthy workplace.

The Employee Must Act!

It was good to note that employers are taking an active role in promoting healthy eating (Mah-E's post) and ergonomically designed offices (Chantal's post). However, the reality is most employers do not want to spend more on infrastructure for employees than they really have to. Working in an office environment for a number of years, I've noticed that the farthest employers are willing to go is to provide some sort of money for a "Welness Account" or ergonomic desk set up. For anything more than that - it's really up to the employee.

If employers pay more attention to the organization's benefit cost, they will see that about 70% fall into about 6 categories: cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive, cancer, and stress. These categories represent the most commom types of illness and injury employees experience in the North American workplace. Indirect productivity costs due to premature death and disability, due to physical inactivity and obesity, costs in the hundreds of millions. In the long run it's the employer that suffers in lost productivity and revenues.

It's sad that employers don't realise that the workplace is better-positioned to influence a large segment of the population. Larger employers, like Google, have the infrastructure, human resources, and support networks to encourage participation. So for most employees, the optimun opportunites will exist within their peer groups. This is really the strongest way to affect change, rather than waiting on the employer to provide a healthy workplace. Even with infrastructure in place, nothing will happen unless the employee ACTS!

Why Promote A Healthy Workplace?

We all know it is very important to promote a healthy work environment, but the question is why do have to promote a healthy work environment, what are the benefits?
There are two main benefits a Company's Benefit- Productivity and Performance and an Employees Benefits- ones health. Take a look at this article I found on www.fruitdrop.co.uk

Company Benefits - productivity and performance

Apart from being lower in calories than the usual office snack, the benefits of eating more fruit at work impact positively on business performance.

* A study carried out by health and well being proved that a healthy employee is up to 20% more productive than an unhealthy employee. Healthy employees therefore equal a healthy bottom line.
* Employees who look after their weight report less sickness absence than those classed as obese which means lower costs associated with illness and absence from work.
* Providing free fruit shows you care about the health of your staff who in turn feel more appreciated and motivated.
* The natural sugars in fruit allows us to think faster and remain alert longer which means no more afternoon slumps in energy and fuzzy brains.


Employee benefits - your health

We spend up to 60% of our waking hours at work so need
to eat 3 of our 5 A day at work.

* Eating more fruit and veg is the second most important cancer prevention strategy after giving up smoking.
* For each portion of fruit eaten there is up to a 40% greater level of protection against having a stroke.
* Having fruit at work means we are more likely to reach for a banana than something unhealthy and fattening from the vending machine.

What is Ergonomics?

When discussing the promotion of a healthy work environment, ergonomics is a term that is frequently mentioned. What is ergonomics, and how does it relate to a healthy workplace?

Ergonomics is the study of a worker’s environment in relation to his/her work demands. The purpose of ergonomics is to optimize work performance and prevent injuries that could worsen over time. The benefits associated with introducing ergonomic programs in businesses far outweigh the costs; therefore, it has become an increasingly popular trend.

Introducing an ergonomic program into a business involves three steps: Conducting an ergonomic assessment, redesigning workspaces, and training employees. Every workspace must be specifically designed for the individual using it. Employees also require training in order to know how to properly use their newly designed workspace. Common work related injuries such as back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain disorders can be avoided if employees are informed about ways to reduce strain caused by repetitive activities; an ergonomic assessment is a perfect way to not only show employees that their good health is a priority of the employer’s, but to kick-start a health conscious attitude at the workplace.

Businesses with ergonomic programs are able to reduce absenteeism and lower their costs for healthcare. Employees gain a great sense of importance when their employers take the time to tend to their individual needs; Therefore, ergonomics also increases contentment in workers and as a result they are more efficient and productive.

The image above displays an ideally ergonomic workstation (image taken from Wikipedia).

Good Start!

You have chosen an interesting area to investigate. More and more companies are realizing that offering exercise facilities and incentives really pays off.

Response to Google video

That was an interesting video about Google's proactive approach to encouraging their employees to get and stay fit. I like the fact that employees can go whenever they want to the gym. I've noticed it's becoming a trend for employers to provide infrastructure to creating such a supportive environment.

My last employer did this to a limited degree in providing locker and shower facilites. They also provided a "Wellness Account" of $500 per year that could be used to pay for the cost of a gym membership of personal trainer. By means of this approach, organizations are not forcing employees to participate in diet or fitness related activites. Rather, they are structuring their benefits programs and work environments to be more conducive to making healthy lifestyle choices.

Ayt my office building, there was no gym in the building or anyplace nearby. However, we had the advantage of the Legislative Grounds with its numerous paths with a park-like setting, and other connections to the city's bike path and walking trails. We all walked on our breaks. But the disadvantage was that we did not have flex hours to extend our breaks to allow adequate time to exercise.

One thing that could be done if there are no nearby gym facilites is to use a spare room for exercise equiptment. Having access to the these tools in the workplace will help employees fit time to exercise into their daily routine, and provide an outlet for stress relief. It's certainly better to head to the treadmill to let off steam rather than having a junk food fix.

I hope that my next employer has some of these ideas in the work environment! Who knows maybe Google needs some HR people to read the thousands of applications they receive every day. :)

In response to the second post i would like to say that i agree with you. I also believe that lots of employers have already taken note that healthy work environments promote more worker productivity. And i believe that lots of employers these days are making a real effort to promote a healthier workplace. Many companys these now offer bonuses based on company or individual progress, or other kinds of benefits such as free gym memberships and company outings.
I believe that the leading cause of low productivity in the workplace is worker dissatisfaction due to unfavourable work conditions, such as to many hours or having too much of a work load or maybe poor working conditions. If an employer were to notice these things and really do something about it, worker productivity would improve.

A Healthy Workplace - Blog 1

Businesses realize that in order to be successful, it has to retain and maintain a satisfied, motivated workforce. While they acknowledge that compensation, recognition, and advancement opportunities contribute to employee satisfaction and retention, the quality of the work environment must factor in as well.

Most Canadian workers spend more than half of their waking day, during a typical week, working and commuting to and from their place of work. When we look at the competing demands of work, family and/or personal responsibilites, it often mean less time or energy to be engaged in preventative behaviours like physical activity. These pressures not only make it difficult for a person to be active but often increases stress levels that can also lead to other physical and emotional health issues such as unhealthy eating, tobacco use and substance abuse.

So how do most employers cope with this situation? They allow staff to take a lead role in redesigning their work space to ensure it reflects the needs and wishes of the staff in creating a healthy work environment. This may involve focusing on a number of aspects of physical design such as lighting, color and art, and ergonomics, but it also allows for more proactive measures, for example, increasing physical activity and healthy eating, decreasing tobacco use and managing stress in the employeee population.

Some important contributing factors are as follows. Increasing employee's awareness of benefits and directing them to information and resources that will help them make wise decisions. There is the need to develop healthy living skills and provide internal support to maintain those practices. When employers create a supporting environment for employees to make healthy choices, it creates a new culture. Employers also need to provide information to assist employees in setting up policies and programs for healthy choices.

Hey Blogger Buddies! Check out this video on youtube, its about Google, which is considered the best place to work for. Google’s headquarters includes a fitness centre with free trainers, a volleyball quart, lap pools for exercise and 5 free doctors on site! Not only does Google promote a healthy environment, it also gives its workforce many incentives, which all equals great profit for the company and extremely happy employees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6h-gm01Fb0&feature=related