Allergies Affect Your Business

Irritation abounds at the average office, and we don’t mean the chatty coworker in the cubicle next door.

We’re talking about irritation of the physical kind, caused by common occupational allergens.

And we do mean common: The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America states that an estimated 50 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy. That’s one in five people!

Of course, certain lines of work, such as carpentry, construction, or factory work, naturally force more in-your-face exposure to potential irritants (protective gear should be used religiously).

But allergens are everywhere. They come from many different sources and are almost impossible to weed out completely.

So even if you work in a nice, clean, well-maintained office, you can bet it’s filled with its own brand of allergy and asthma triggers.

Some people are susceptible to them and others aren’t, but whether you have one employee or ten struggling with the problem, it deserves your attention.

Allergies and asthma can take an ordinarily conscientious, productive employee and turn him into a sneezing, wheezing, miserable desk-chair warmer.

His job performance suffers almost as much as he does, and his problem swiftly becomes yours: He is allergic to work (or, rather, the workplace).

And because employees have little or no control over the office environment, it’s up to you to do what you can to help them feel better.

Before you can start removing any and all potential triggers from the office, you should know what you could be up against.

A few common occupational allergy offenders: