The average American spends 2,080 hours per year at their work. Your health may not be the first thing you think of when considering how much time you spend at the office but you have to make sure you are in tip-top shape with your health, even at work. We have some advice for you that can help you stay healthy at work!
1. Clean Your Desk
So when is the last time you cleaned your workspace? Cleaning your desk helps you look more professional while also helping to combat sickness at your job. According to SmallBizTrends.com, the average employee misses 9 days of work a year to illness and a typical office keyboard carries up to 7,500 bacteria at any given time. Adding a regular routine of cleaning your desk can help you to stay ahead of the office sickness and help reduce the chances of you getting sick.
2. Take Breaks
Working hard strains your body and mind which causes fatigue and leaves you more vulnerable to sickness. Making sure to take a quick 15-minute break every few hours to refocus your mind and get your body moving can help keep your work productivity up as well as your happiness being raise. Decision making also slows the more you work so make sure to take that time to reset and allow yourself to keep on task more effectively.
3. Take Your Time Off
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 76% of private industry workers receive PTO so if your work gives you PTO, make sure you use it! Taking a vacation can help you with relaxing and rebalancing your mindset to come back to your job fully engaged and ready to be as productive as you can. Much like taking daily breaks, longer breaks like vacations or even a single day off can help bring new ideas and innovations to your life and career.
4. Wash your hands
An (unfortunately) often overlooked step you can take to improve your overall health beyond just work is a simple idea. Wash your hands after you go to the restroom. The CDC says researchers in London believe that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented. Also, hand washing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by 16 %. By washing your hands and using alcohol gel hand sanitizers in the office, you can reduce the chances of getting sick at the office (and reduce the opportunity to get other sick!).
5. Get Flu Shot
IntelliSource cares about their employee's health and offers insurance that enables them to have free Flu Shots! Many other companies offer similar benefits, which can help you. Roughly 9% of the U.S population was sick with the Flu from October 2017 through April 2018, and you can help prevent the spread of the flu by taking advantage of your company's insurance options available.
6. Drink Water
Drinking the amount of water recommended each day can be hard. Since the human body is made up of 60% water, making sure you are adequately hydrated is essential to being healthy. When dehydrated, you experience a decrease in energy and focus that can affect not only your attitude but others as well. Drinking water can help improve your brain function and improve your mood along with boosting your body's ability to work at 100%.
Since we are about one month away from the Flu/Sickness season, these tips should help you prepare for any changes needed to ensure you do not get sick this year.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) Hygiene Fast Facts
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) Summary of 2017-2018 Influenza Season