Shiftwork

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 »

You are probably always looking for ways to perk up your workers and help them stay awake and alert. Try zeitgebers. Zeitgebers, is a German word for the cues that trigger our bodies to fall sleep or to stay awake. You can harness some of these cues to “trick” the body and mind into … Continue Reading »

What can helping your employees get more sleep do for you? Well-rested employees are safer, more productive, more alert and focused. But more than 60% of adults have sleep troubles a few nights a week, according to the National Sleep Foundation. And shiftworkers may be even more sleep deprived. Chances are, one of your employees … Continue Reading »

Shift work can be hard on a body. Night shift workers have a higher risk of heart disease, obesity, and cancer. Higher rates of miscarriage, pre-term birth and low birth-weight babies have been noted in women night-shift workers.
Messing with ingrained circadian rhythms can disrupt insulin production and other hormones that are important to weight control. … Continue Reading »