Workplace Fatigue: Causes, Symptoms, and Effects
Meanwhile, anytime you notice you easily get overwhelmed or worn out at work, that's probably fatigue setting in. No thanks to your workplace. But how can you be dead sure that you're dealing with fatigue? After all, you're not a physician.
We have compiled possible causes, symptoms, and effects of workplace-related fatigue in this piece. However, that doesn't mean you should beat yourself over it. You need to read through the lines with your attention undivided. Since we're talking about work-related fatigue here, let's focus on lifestyle - how you spend your normal day.
Do you prioritize your health when planning for the next day? Or you're more of "let's spend it whichever way it comes?" That's exactly where many people get it wrong. So the earlier you examine yourself, the better it is. A recent study by Harvard University shows that many employees use antidepressants to feel good while at work, but they eventually affect their physical health. Moreover, how much caffeine do you consume? Some erroneously believe that taking caffeinated products shields them from easily getting bored. Only if they know that all these "little" acts can wreck a great deal of havoc on one's health.
Other causes of fatigue include:
- Excessive intake of alcoholic substances
- Not eating good food
- Grief or emotional stress
- Congestive heart failure
- Kidney disease
- Boredom
Although symptoms of fatigue vary from one person to another, a major symptom you can be on the lookout for is when you experience shortness of breath. When you can't breathe easily, fatigue winking at you is most likely fatigue.
Some folks can even be suddenly aggressive with their co-workers or family members at home. So when you notice that what you used to see as "no big deal" suddenly starts to vex or frustrate you, that's probably fatigue knocking at your door.
Other symptoms include:
- Serious headache
- Severe pain in your chest area, back, pelvic, or your abdominal region
- Blood vomiting
- Loss of concentration
- Suicide tendency
- Irregular heartbeat and others
Be that as it may, never allow fatigue to weigh you down fully, or it'll make you a victim of chronic fatigue syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). So it would help if you prioritized your health. It can even make you feel like a log of wood - leaving you with no vibe to be productive or even work. It drains your energy, but guesses what? You can now bid farewell to fatigue if you follow the tips discussed below.
Tips for Managing Employee Fatigue in the Workplace
Even if you're already suffering from fatigue due to the hectic running of your workplace, our team has carefully crafted some tips that'll help you manage this threat. And the good news here is that since it's not chronic fatigue yet, you can get yourself rid of it. We guarantee that it'll go the same way it sneaked in, but that's only when you know what to do and what not to do. This explains why they always say information is currency. Going further, these tips will help you manage fatigue so that you'll have no spillover effect on other areas of your personal life.
Encourage Healthy Sleeping Habits
One of the best ways to relax and enjoy the moment is to give yourself a good sleep. However, we are not unaware of the problem that many people suffering from fatigue usually battle with sleeping disorders, so outrightly recommending sleeping for them might not be the best option. And anytime they eventually get some sleep, they'll end up more worn-out than when they slept off. Isn't that weird?
But that's a problem already envisaged and solved by Flexispot - so we recommend you get our anti-fatigue floor mat. The floor mat will relieve your body joints from all the pressure accumulated all day from standing. It also works perfectly for workers sitting all through the day. You can get yourself or your spouse this floor mat even at home. As you clean or cook in the kitchen, standing on the mat gives your feet cushioned support and relief; it also suspends your whole bodyweight off your feet. That's interesting.
No doubt, Flexispot had you in mind when building this ergonomic product.
So you don't have to worry about what to do before you experience that good sleep you've always wanted. Ta-da! You can now enjoy quality sleep.
As an employer, you can make your workers more productive by giving them a full-day rest per week. You can adopt a rotating shift to do this, and that idea even comes in handy in this post-pandemic era. You're saving your workplace from unnecessary congestion while also giving your workers time to rest, feel great, and come back to work fully revived.
Build an Interactive Workplace
Not only for your employees, but you also need to spice up your workplace to make it more appealing and inspiring to your customers. And that's where the idea of a flexible and smart workstation pops up.
Folks suffering from fatigue can easily be freed from that shackles when they have people they can talk to within their reach. Imagine when you lock yourself up all day in your office glued to your seat, working on your PC, there's almost no way you won't feel bored or tired.
But such can't happen when your workplace is transformed into a modern office that allows hot desking. What's hot-desking? It's a fast-rising trend in the corporate world that affords you the freedom to be mobile as you work in the office. Depending on your immediate need, there's a free space where you can link up with your colleagues to discuss. Probably ahead of a group presentation. That's exactly an interactive workplace right there.
And if you need some privacy to execute a particular task or meditate, there are secluded spaces you can also use. So this idea puts you in an atmosphere where you receive positive energy as you engage other people.
Anti-fatigue Mats
Getting yourself our anti-fatigue mats will save you from the cold hands of fatigue and protect you from workplace-related injuries. A recent study by Loughborough University has also been vocal in underscoring the importance of anti-fatigue mats in the workplace. The study further shows that one-third of workplace-related accidents like falls, slips, and trips can be prevented when you use an anti-fatigue mat.
Do you even know that standing for too long on a hard surface causes muscle pain and lower limb disorder? That won't be your concern when you get an anti-fatigue mat to work on. That's your ticket to productivity at work.
Introduce Active Ergonomic Furniture
Revamping your workplace is not complete until you add some ergonomic office chairs. Forget the aesthetics; these ergo furniture guarantee your physical wellness, unlike those unbefitting traditional office furniture. Working for too long on this traditional office furniture leaves you grumpy, like bidding for fatigue to come in. To avoid that, Flexispot is here at your service. You won't hear from back, hip, and neck pain with our ergo office supplies anymore. Other products we recommend you should check out is desk bike chairs, height-adjustable standing desks, and lots more.
Social Support Groups
Human beings are social animals. So it's understandable that we need support from our colleagues to thrive. In a nutshell, nobody's an island. In a generation where workers spend more time at work with their colleagues than with their family and friends, they'll need social support to maintain physical and mental wellness.
As an employer, you can introduce a package where you give your workers some financial support. It can be in the form of a loan to ease their burden. It can also be emotional - showing them you care and love them. Show empathy and sympathy when they're not feeling good.
There's no way they won't want to show their appreciation by being more productive. Voilá, that's a win-win situation for everybody.
Revise Work Shift Schedules
You can create a flexible schedule for your workers to spend more time with their spouses, kids, and friends. All you need to do is shorten their daily work schedules. Nah, this won't affect your business output. You have to be prudent by creating a rotating shift. As you introduce this mixed working pattern, it'll also save you from costs since the number of people in the office at a time will also reduce. That's another win-win situation we recommend you explore. Follow the trend and see how beautiful life will be not for only you but also for your workers.
Create Leisure Rooms
Are you of the opinion that is creating leisure rooms at your workplace conflicts with the gospel of productivity we've been preaching from the beginning of this piece? Well, that's an understandable sentiment. But do you know that a man is programmed to be more productive when working in an environment that allows him to relax and unwind? This can come in the form of a break room where your workers can relax, chat and laugh during their lunch break or recess. To give it a more magical touch, you can fill the leisure room with ergonomic office products like treadmills, standing desk converters, mats, and other ergo products.
Conclusion
Many employees suffering from fatigue wouldn't have been victims of such health conditions if their employers had provided them with a flexible and smart office. That means you need to flow with the latest trends for your workplace to remain relevant in the industry.
With Flexispot, you can be assured that our ergonomic office products are here to complement the efforts you put into the brand. So walk through our catalog to create a modern office for yourself and your employees - an office that makes you bid farewell to fatigue or any workplace-related issue.
