Does your job make you sick?

You work all day from a desk, that can’t be dangerous, right? According to data from OCC Mundial , even office work can cause serious health problems.

According to the online job bank survey, 30% of Mexican professionals consider that their work affects their physical or mental health. The survey revealed that seven out of 10 people say their health is or has been at risk due to their employment.

Most of the problems listed by the study are not related to hazardous work or outdoors. Rather, they are directly linked to the hours spent in a single position per hour.

The most commonly reported conditions were:

Purely physical

• Headache – 36%
• Back pain – 31%
• Vision problems – 24%
• Respiratory problems, asthma and / or allergy – 23%
• Stomach problems – 15%

Emotional – bodily

• Stress – 62%
• Tiredness – 42%
• Tension – 39%
• Depletion – 36%
• Sleep problems and insomnia – 25%
• Anxiety – 24%
• Low mood – 23%

According to those surveyed, these conditions arise from:

• Staying in the same position for a long time – 55%
• Perform repetitive, jerky or painful movements – 35%
• Lifting or moving heavy objects and / or people – 30%
• Standing for a long time – 29%
• Breathing smoke, gases or dust – 32%
• Excessive noise – 30%
• High temperatures– 26%
• Operation of machinery or parts that can cause serious injuries – 23%

How to improve the health conditions of your company

Despite these alarming figures, 30% of those surveyed said they did not have access to medical services in the workplace, while only five out of 10 professionals assured that there are health and safety promotion campaigns in their jobs.

If you want to change this situation in your business, specialist Spencer Blackman recommends some relatively cheap actions to improve the health of your employees:

1. Make healthy foods like fresh fruits and granola bars available to everyone.
2. Once or twice a month ask a member of your team to prepare a nutritional dish for everyone to eat as a group.
3. Bring a yoga instructor who can teach a class each week. This will help reduce the stress levels of your collaborators.
4. Have meetings on foot! If possible, have meetings walking through the park or in green areas in the area.
5. Invest in some standing desks for employees who get tired of sitting all day. Launch vaccination drives and wellness weeks.
6. Organize weekly exercise groups.
7. Ask about group promotions at your nearest gym.
8. Bring a nutritionist to give basic eating advice to your colleagues.
9. Incentivize breaks between your employees. This will improve the mental performance of your teammates.

^{With information from OCC Mundial.}