herBusiness blogger, Amanda MacLean recently provided an excellent checklist for reviewing the health and safety of your work environment. Taking that a step further, regardless of whether you work alone, from home or have an office and staff, it will be of benefit to you and your business to consider how your working environment affects your own physical and mental health, and that of your staff. Current research has shown that a healthy workplace results in less illness and absenteeism and encourages happier, more productive and loyal staff. Not only that, it just makes for a more pleasant working environment.
Here are some simple tips you can implement:
When followed, these are sure to improve the health of you and your staff.
• Provide a fresh fruit bowl of organic, if possible, fruit and remove the temptation to snack on biscuits, chocolates and lollies.
• Instead of morning teas and birthday celebrations where the cakes, slices and other calorie and sugar-laden treats are in abundance why not set a healthier example? Try fruit platters, dips with beautiful fresh crudités and veggie juices.
• Provide filtered water for drinking.
• Supply glasses and cups to drink out of (instead of plastic cups or bottles).
• Make available microwavable bowls (not plastic) for heating of food.
• Decorate the space with some living greenery. Besides absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen, plants can help to humidify the air, absorb chemicals in the atmosphere, reduce mould and bacteria and absorb radiation. The plants best known to do this are Boston ferns, Kentia palms and peace lilies.
• Schedule walking meetings whenever possible and encourage staff to get outdoors in the sunshine at some stage during the day.
• Let the fresh air in whenever possible and avoid air fresheners full of artificial fragrances (try baking soda to absorb unpleasant smells if necessary).
• Likewise, if you are burning candles, opt for good quality beeswax or soy candles infused with essential oils, not synthetic fragrances.
• Wash hands regularly, especially if using thermal paper (such as that used in EFTPOS machines).
• If you, or your staff, use mobile phones regularly, consider providing hands-free devices. Encourage staff to keep calls to a minimum, and use text or email whenever possible. If you are providing staff with a mobile device, consider one with a low SAR (specific absorption rate) to reduce exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
• When a staff member is not feeling well, please encourage them to go home and stay there until they are better. Being at work physically (but perhaps not mentally) when you are unwell, just delays recovery and increases the likelihood of the spread of infection. Surely we are smart enough now to know the days of “soldiering on” are behind us.
The effect of environmental issues on our health is a very complex issue and if you are really concerned about them, you could go a whole lot further than these simple tips. For now, these are a great place to start. Hopefully you are doing some of them already!
