Headaches often fall low on the list of health priorities in the office. After all, headaches can happen for a variety of reasons. Most employees carry painkillers in their bags, so they can rapidly find relief. However, while headaches can be triggered by many factors, there’s one thing they are not: Idiopathic. A headache is always caused by something. That something could be an underlying illness that’s irrelevant to the office environment. But it could also be the product of the workplace. As headaches can affect productivity, motivation, business costs, and even the business reputation, it would be foolish not to investigate the potential office-related triggers.
Maintain your indoor air quality
Indoor air pollution is invisible to the naked eye. However, just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Poor indoor air quality is often linked with headaches, respiratory discomfort, loss of mental focus, and a drop in productivity. When frequent members of the team complain about a headache, it might be worth investigating your air quality. More often than not, the HVAC system is the main source of problems. Expert Design Mechanical, Inc recommends regular maintenance and cleaning to keep your HVAC system in tip-top condition. This will ensure the unit can capture dust and dirt safely and keep it in the filter. Additionally, it will also prevent the introduction of unfiltered outdoor city air, which can contain car fumes and industrial particles.
Reduce unnecessary steps
Smooth business processes can improve the performance of your team. More often than not, businesses are quick to spot a performance issue but fail to realize that their complex processes could be the cause for it. It can be helpful to evaluate performance at a business level to cut out unnecessary steps. Long, strenuous, and time-demanding processes are stressful. They can trigger stress-related headaches, as employees get frustrated with the lack of progress. As headaches can affect the ability to make decisions and analyze a situation, your team can become significantly slower as a consequence.
Avoid stressful colors
Your office decor sets the mood. While there’s no denying that neutral offices can feel dull, you want to be careful with your choice of colors. Some colors can have an adverse effect on the team. Red, for instance, is an energetic shade that encourages stimulation. However, it could increase anxiety levels in the workplace. Similarly, highly saturated colors inject a burst of energy and creativity. However, you need to tone them down with other shades, as alone they can promote stress headaches.
Ineffective communication
If communication isn’t your forte, you might want to brush up on your skills. Dysfunctional communication doesn’t only cost you time and effort, but it is also a major stress trigger for your team. Poor internal communication affects your staff. Teams are left demotivated, stressed out, and dissatisfied. What is ineffective communication? This could be related to the lack of instruction clarity on projects or the excessive use of impersonal communication styles such as internal posters.
Are you unknowingly causing headaches? Work-related headaches are one of the underlying causes of a high turnover. Employees who physically feel sick in the workplace actively look for other alternatives. Ultimately, when you give your employees a headache, you are encouraging talent loss without realizing it. Your staff’s wellbeing is a priority for business growth.
