Every employer wants to try and drive productivity increases, but one significant factor that can impact this is staff sickness. The Labour Force Survey estimates that 38.8 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injuries in 2019/2020. This equates to a vast amount of working time lost as well as a lot of employees having their health impacted by their jobs. To perform their role successfully, your employees need to feel at their best. So, creating a work environment that supports employee health rather than harms it is imperative.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
As such a large portion of your employee’s time is spent in the workplace, it is crucial to ensure the indoor air quality in your building is as good as it can be. Inside air can be even more polluted than outside, so it is crucial to be aware of this in order to keep your team healthy. A reduction in indoor air quality can have health consequences for everyone in the building, and you may find your employees are left feeling ill as a result. Keeping up with the maintenance of your business premises is essential to keep air quality high, and you may want to find out more about getting the air ducts routinely cleaned and the role this plays in indoor air quality.
Increase Natural Light
Increasing the amount of natural light in your workplace, if possible, can provide benefits to your employees. Some people are sensitive to the use of artificial light and may experience eye strain and headaches due to this. In contrast, introducing more natural light into the building can help to boost your employee’s wellbeing and make your office a more pleasant environment for work. As a bonus, it will also help you save money on the cost of powering your lights and help reduce your carbon footprint.
Provide the Best Equipment
Trying to work with equipment that is not up to the task is a frustrating experience for employees. Trying to do the best job and get it done quickly and efficiently is almost impossible when your team doesn’t have the right tools for the job. As well as harming their productivity levels, working with inferior quality tools and office equipment can result in discomfort for employees and even lead to workplace injuries. Creating the correct work setup for your team members is vital to prevent injuries. Choosing ergonomic desks and office chairs will help avoid some common workplace injuries such as back and neck strain.
Reduce Stress Levels
As well as supporting your team’s physical health, it is also crucial to consider their mental health. Setting your employees impossible deadlines and putting them under excessive pressure in the workplace can be detrimental to their mental health and could even result in them taking long term sick leave. Workplace stress is common, but that does not mean it is acceptable. So, taking care of your team’s mental health is also a crucial consideration.