Suffering from pain? Do you sit at a desk all day?
In 2015 there were over 31 million work days lost in the UK by employees / staff taking time off due to neck and back related pain.
In today’s world, we spend more and more time sat at our desks working harder and getting stressed. Although this affects you as an individual, when you multiply this over an entire workforce, businesses are losing millions if not billions in lost time every year.
There are some small wins that can be put in place. Not only can employers instigate a benefits scheme that helps their staff with subsidised massage and fitness but they can also look at work stations, chairs, posture and other very simple things. This proactive approach has been shown in the US to reduce these types of sick days by nearly 60%.
So what can we do?
From the individual’s perspective to reduce pain…
- Concentrate on your posture; this is probably the most important thing to do. Sit up straight!
- Keep moving – little and often, even if it is just some shoulder rolls on the way to the coffee machine.
- Stress plays havoc with our bodies, especially our upper bodies, so do some light exercise 3 times a week and you will see your stress levels reduce!
- Food, diet – yes we talk about it all the time. New diets get released daily and everyone is an expert. All we say is eat a healthy balanced diet with a few cheat meals and maybe even a few glasses of wine/beer a week to keep you fighting fit and happy!
From a company’s perspective in reducing pain…
- Install the correct desks and chairs. Yes, it’s an expense but a few hundred pounds is better as a one-off investment than thousands of days being lost every year for eternity surely?
- Treat your staff. A happy workforce is a healthy one! Lower their stress levels and help them towards the cost of their health with subsidised massage at home or in the workplace. Why not some personal training sessions or maybe even a workplace nutrition advisor?
- Put on some lunches, take your staff out for team building days; all of these things help with stress which is also one of the leading reasons for sick days in the UK!
A final thought to you the employer: if you look after your staff and help them to look after their health, you will not only save millions in the long run but you will have a happy work force!
