Consider Your Desk An Extension Of Your Body.

In light of back-care awareness and eye-injury prevention month, exploring the benefits of a healthy environment at work seems fitting. With nearly eight million days of work lost to back pain alone, we must become more aware of our desk environment. 

The following article will show how your work setup significantly impacts your health and employee productivity. 

Common Issues

Some of the main issues of a poor desk setup are back and neck pain and eye strain. Slouching can negatively affect mood and simultaneously make you feel less motivated. Additionally, these issues can lead to poor mental health and physical health. Leaving these issues untreated will only cause knock-on effects, making employees more likely to take a day off. Simply put, ensure your desk keeps your body in correct alignment and doesn’t leave you straining. Poor posture is considered similar to smoking and poor diet as a chronic factor for disease. Therefore, looking after your workspace is vital. Likewise, a healthy environment can avoid such issues and boost employee wellbeing.

Easy Healthy Environment Fixes

Several simple changes will transform your desk into a healthy environment. Thinking about your environment as an extension of your own body will help. As with your body, maintaining and looking after your workspace is critical.

Be aware of the angles your space puts your body in. As a good rule, make sure that your limbs are at nearly 90 degrees, with your back and neck upright. Avoiding curved or uneven limb position is another area to be aware of. Other factors to consider are light and air. Avoid screen glare and ensure there is a supply of fresh air to improve workplace wellbeing. Equally, taking regular breaks from looking at the screen can help with eye strain. For every 20 minutes of screen time, you should take 20 seconds to look at something 20 metres away. Whilst keeping necessary items within a reasonable reaching distance to avoid strain can help with healthy environment habits. 

Invest in Your Healthy Environment

Thinking about how much time you spend at work, it only makes sense to invest in it—taking time to improve and optimise your workspace. A toxic workplace makes employees less productive, but they may also be less likely to stay with the company long-term. 93% of tech employees stated they would remain at a company longer if the office offered a healthy environment. Equally, implementing a rewards and recognition scheme can help show that employees are appreciated. As an employer, creating a healthy environment will benefit you and your team and your business in general. Remember, considering your desk area as an extension of your body will help remind you how important it is to create a healthy environment at work.

Why not consider looking at our epoints shop in the office section for inspiration on how to improve your workspace.

Additionally, check out Each Person for advice on wellbeing at work and implementing rewards and recognition. Visit our Wellbeing Hub for more information on wellbeing practices. Equally, contact us at info@eachperson.com or visit us at www.eachperson.com.

Follow us on social media to keep up to date with our latest wellbeing and employee reward scheme ideas. 

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