Common health issues and how to deal with them in the workplace

Each type of business will face different challenges when it comes to employee health. However, there are certain strategies for certain issues that can be used in most scenarios. Because employee health is such a serious and impactful issue business owners should become familiar with these health issues and how they can deal with them. Knowing ahead of time as to how you can deal with these health issues will allow you to have an effective plan as to how to promote employee health. Here are some common health issues and how to deal with them in the workplace-

- Colds and flu-This is one of the biggest problems in the workplace due to the highly infectious nature of colds and flu. Business owners should set out hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes for commonly shared items, and even tissues to help cut down on the spread of germs. In addition, it is important to offer sick time so that employees that are sick can stay home and get well without infecting everyone else in the business. Finally, business owners should consider offering the flu vaccine to their employees in order to reduce the risk of having them contract it.
- Stress and anxiety disorders-Depending on the type of work that your business does the stress level may be higher or lower then usual. Business owners should do all they possibly can to mitigate the effects of the stress on their employees. This can be done by offering various schedules such as: flex time, tele-commuting, and other schedules that allow the employee to have some say as to when and how they work. It can also be helpful to provide an Employee Assistance Program(EAP) as part of your employee wellness program. This component of your employee wellness program will help your employees to find the mental health resources that may need to deal with stress either at work or in their personal lives.
- Neck,back, and eye strain-A large majority of workers now spend their day at a desk and in front of a computer. This has led to a steep rise in the number of neck, back, and eye strain injuries. In addition, the number of repetitive injuries has risen dramatically as well. One of the major things that any employer can do to prevent these types of injuries is to provide the correct ergonomics for their employees. Having the right type of keyboard, posture enforcing chairs, and computers that come with diffused light can help to prevent these types of workplace health issues.
- Accidents-When many business owners think of employee health they automatically think about preventing illness. However, accidents are just as serious a health threat to your employees as anything else. Putting the right safety measures in place will go a long way toward safeguarding employee health. One of the most important safety measures is training. If your employees don't know what to do to keep themselves safe and how to react should an accident occur then the end result will only be chaos and confusion if a problem does arise. Making sure that each and every employee receives the right amount of safety training is crucial. It should also be stressed that safety training needs to be ongoing to be effective since the best safety practices will change and you will hire new employees.In addition, every business owner should be familiar with the safety precautions that are required for his industry. This will vary widely from business to business. However, if your employees need some sort of protective gear to do their jobs it is usually the business owner's responsibility to make that happen.