Shiftwork

As difficult as it is for anyone who works full time to strike a good work-life balance, it can be exponentially harder for shiftworkers.

Night shifts, rotating shifts, and other irregular schedules present challenges beyond those faced by 9-to-5ers. Health and safety risks are among them.

Shift-work sleep disorder is just one potential problem, as fatigue and … Continue Reading »

Your employees (and you) stand to lose more than just a good night’s sleep if they don’t mind their circadian rhythms.

This mechanism, commonly referred to as the body’s internal clock, is responsible for sleep/wake cycles. Research indicates that out-of-sync circadian rhythms are linked to increased risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, … Continue Reading »

When you work late hours or irregular shifts, the daytime world doesn’t stop turning.

Even more than people who work the standard 9-to-5, shiftworkers often struggle to balance work and life obligations.

For someone who works the graveyard shift, daytime is sleep time.

While the majority of people are slaving away at their own jobs, running errands, … Continue Reading »

What goes on in your employees’ bedroom might actually be your business.

We’re talking about sleep, of course, that often-elusive but vital component of a healthy lifestyle.

And if your employees are like almost a third of American workers, according to the National Sleep Foundation, excessive sleepiness interferes with their daily activities at least a few times … Continue Reading »

New research offers surprising good news about caffeine: It may help shiftworkers stay alert and do a better job.

Caffeine, a stimulant, is often vilified for its tendency to interfere with sleep, cause jitteriness, raise heart rate, and intensify anxiety in some people.

However, according to WebMD, recent research on the effects of caffeine … Continue Reading »

Two for one sounds like a good deal, right? Not if you’re talking about sleeplessness and depression.

The two conditions tend to go hand in hand, and, like the chicken or the egg, it can be hard to tell which one came first.

Are those long, frustrating wakeful hours to blame for your listlessness and unshakable … Continue Reading »

According to the 2009 edition of the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts, U.S. workers are actually safer on the job than in their homes or communities.
Take the time to remind employees that accidents do happen outside of work. And accidents can lead to injury, rising healthcare costs, and even death.
Last year, employers lost 75 million … Continue Reading »

The average employee spends around 40 hours a week at work, but do you know how much time is spent on non-work related distractions?
Research on “interruption science” found that when employees are involved in a task and interrupted (an e-mail, instant message, etc.) only 40% of the time will they go back to doing … Continue Reading »

Do your employees know about computer vision syndrome (CVS)?
If you notice workers straining to see the computer screen—or rubbing their eyes with irritation—it could be happening to them.
CVS encompasses a slew of eyestrain and pain problems from staring at the computer for too long.
Why does this happen? The muscles in the eye … Continue Reading »

What do employees want?
According to a recent survey by MetLife, help with work-life balance is at the top of the list.
As many as 32% of the survey participants saw work-life balance as an important issue employers and wellness professionals should tackle in the workplace. And employers agree: In the 2009/2010 Staying@Work report, 68% of employers … Continue Reading »