Just read this article at employersjobs.com about BT and wondered what it must be like to have so many emplyees that one dies every two weeks: [quote:[b:Telecomms staff urged to Work Fit[/b] One of the UK's biggest employers is set to launch one the UK's biggest ever workplace health programmes in an attempt to curb high rates of heart disease. The BT Work Fit campaign kicks off in two weeks with the aim of getting the company's 100,000-strong workforce to start thinking about their wellbeing by giving them advice on how to avoid heart problems and live a fitter, healthier lifestyle. The campaign was devised after BT discovered that every fortnight one of its employees died from a heart-related illness. The UK's biggest workplace health programme is set to be launched by BT after the company discovered that every fortnight one of its employees dies from a heart-related illness. "We're endorsing this proactive campaign to tackle the issues affecting the health and well-being of our members because too many people unnecessarily suffer bad health, a poor quality of life and die too young from preventable causes," said Dave Joyce, national health and safety officer at the Communications Workers' Union. Other British employers are waking up to the importance of workforce health also. CBI figures recently released showed that 'sick days' cost UK employers around £12 billion each year.[/quote:aa8ada42e5] Then started to wonder about all the other unhealthy jobs out there; the web design part of my work isn't too healthy, sitting at a computer for hours. But I also work with young people, which sort of ballances things out, and I go to the gym quite a bit so I hopefully wont be having a heart attack any time soon, fingers crossed.
If all they are doing is 'giving them advice' on how to live a healthier lifestyle, that isn't much. More important is a smoke-free environment, ergonomic work stations, not forcing workers to breathe recirculated air, not treating a worker like he is disloyal if he decides to take a day off from work when he's sick rather than spreading his germs all over the office, allowing workers to get enough sleep by not requiring too much overtime, providing healthy snacks in vending machines instead of chips and chocolate bars, allowing workers who sit at computers all day breaks to rest their eyes and stretch, etc.
Are there any workplaces like the one you describe, Marcia??? If so, point me at it and I'll pick up an application form!
My old job had an ergonomics expert who used to come around all the time and check that your workstation was set up just right for you, and they paid for health club memberships and had Weight Watchers meetings in the building, but I don't know of any that provide all of the things I mentioned. I just get annoyed at companies that say they are going to help employees with something, and their help consists of publishing a pamphlet with information that you could get yourself if you did some research.
Marcia, workplace health is a specialty in itself. I am glad you had the experience of such an attentive employer and I fervently hope that all workplaces become, sonner rather than later, like the one you are describing. As for my profession, I was told that a good surgeon has a bad back, sore neck, varicose veins and haemorrhoids. *whimpers*
Ha, try working shifts, I share my PC/chair and Desk with 7 others. Every time I come in I spend 5 minutes trying to put my horrible chair right, put my screen resolution like I want it, tilt the screen back to where it's supposed to and clean the mouse out. Combine that with stupid working hours and Tephlon becomes a walking corpse... ***braaaaiiiins***
OK, let's look at it from a somewhat less nanny-state point of view: It's more than I want - the healthiness of my lifestyle is absolutely nothing to do with my employers - or anybody else I am an ex-smoker who, unlike so many other ex-smokers, does not get fanatical about this issue - personnally I don't give a damn who smokes near me, even when I'm eating - in fact the only thing that used to annoy me about smoking, even when I was a smoker, was people at a formal dinner who would light up before the "Loyal Toast" to the Queen - but that toast is rarely done these days - anyway, that is a political issue, not a health issue. Give me a swivel chair, on casters, preferably with arms but not necessarily, and with the screen below my eye-level sight-line and I am happy - I don't care whether this is healthy or not. I have noticed that most of my younger colleagues like to look up at their screens, but my computer career started when one was looking down at a roll of paper coming out of a mechanical pseudo-typewriter, and that is the way I am comfortable - I don't want so-called "experts" telling me I can't work comfortable, I've got to work "healthy"! Air is air - we all breathe "recirculated" air - whether it is being recirculated through some machinery or a rain forest - as long as it's got oxygen in it - what's the difference? The trouble is, this sort of idea encourages people to "pull a sicky" when they really just can't be bothered to get up and go to work - if whatever they have got is mild enough to leave them still able to get to work, then anyone they infect should be able to do so also - in some small companies unexpectedly missing people can be a serious problem! These are seriously fragile economic times - which would you prefer - getting enough sleep or having a job to keep you alive? If employers are good enough to install vending machines, they should contain what the employees want! OK, I'll stretch a point - Marcia, if you are prepared to replace "instead of" with "as well as" I'll accept the idea So, given that my job involves sitting at a computer all day, apart from occasional meetings, what am i supposed to do with these stretching/eye-resting periods? OK, sometimes I can make coffee, but not too often or I don't sleep.
My job doesn't have any of the criteria. I work with loud, obnoxious, smoking machines. Dirt is ever present. We smoke when we break. We have four people in our company, including my dad who doesn't stay with us much. If one of us misses, it either puts a heavy burden, quite literally, on the others' or the day is completely scrapped. When this job is the only source of income, missing a day might mean missing a meal. Vending machines? We have water, but that's about it unless you really like wood chips. We were provided with hard hats and hearing protection, but the hard hats are very cumbersome. I actually got hurt worse because I had it on, once, more than I would if I hadn't. Earplugs are pretty good, but they can cause ear infections. Ear muffs are better, but there's two things bad. One, they make the ears sweat a lot and hurt after a few hours. And two, we depend on hearing a chainsaw up in the tree in order to get out of the way. If the ear protection negates hearing the saw and the cutter doesn't see you under him, then hearing is probably going to be the last of your worries. (this is coming from a music major who values his hearing and knows what these noises are doing to it. I'm not saying that the proposed ideas wouldn't be great, but I'm more with Pixel.
In response to Pixel... "It's more than I want - the healthiness of my lifestyle is absolutely nothing to do with my employers - or anybody else " I don't think it's about the healthier lifestyle being forced up on you, nanny-style ("Wash your hands or no dessert!"). I think it's more about the workers having an OPTION of requesting an ergonomic chair, a break every so often, reasonable sick-leave, etc. You would'nt think it unreasonable for construction workers to request hard hats, right? Or for taxi drivers to request seat belts? "I don't want so-called "experts" telling me I can't work comfortable, I've got to work "healthy"! Again, it should be all about availability of choices - chairs shouldn't be hard to come by. If you want to sit in a traditional chair, you should have the opportunity to do so. Although, here, your employer might argue: "Unless you use a chair that allows you to maintain a healthy posture, you'll soon become a hunch-backed mess with poor eyesight, breathing problems and a carpal tunnel syndrome. Should I fire you now, for being stubborn, or later - for being too sick to work?" "These are seriously fragile economic times - which would you prefer - getting enough sleep or having a job to keep you alive?" People don't die from a lack of job, not in the US or England, anyway. But they may very well die from a car accident, after falling asleep at the wheel, or because of an industrial mishap, because they weren't alert enough. Lack of sleep also messes with your immune system, but that's for the doctors here to discuss (Hi, Sacharissa!) "The trouble is, this sort of idea encourages people to "pull a sicky" when they really just can't be bothered to get up and go to work - if whatever they have got is mild enough to leave them still able to get to work, then anyone they infect should be able to do so also - in some small companies unexpectedly missing people can be a serious problem! " The coworkers who end up infected might have small children at home. Even the trooper, who manages to suck it up and stilll come to work while achy and dripping from every orifice, will still stay home to care for a sick kid. Also, some people might have sucky immune systems (like, from not sleeping enough ) and their small cold will turn into a pneumonia. In my opinion, both are a worse alternative to an occasional playing-hooky. In worst case scenario, the employer might demand a doctor's note for an absense...
This has nothing to do with the state. It has to the fact that healthy workers are more productive, and can therefore make their companies more profitable. Pure capitalism. There is a big difference between outside air, which is circulated around the globe (What do you think weather is?), and air which keeps getting cycled through the same ventilation system in the same building, carrying the same germs over and over. Sick Building Syndrome Building Related Illness Legionnaire's Disease I think Mowgli pointed out pretty clearly that the same germs do not affect everyone in the same way, different people have different immune responses. As I said in my thread on the flu vaccine, I have asthma. A two-day case of sniffles for someone else means a month of bronchitis for me. What about people with other respiratory conditions, or with heart problems, or with immune disorders? What about pregnant women?
Samantha Vimes (from the old boards) and her husband both developed chronic illnesses due to their unhealthy work conditions, which were at times fairly debilitating for both of them. I don't appreciate invasive policies, but I'd rather that than have my health carelessly destroyed.
Should an empoyer be held responsible for an accident of an employee, when the correct equipment was neglected by the employee? Sorry that it's wordy, but I couln't think of another way to say it. I don't think so, in most cases. The incident I was thinking of was a guy in Tennessee was working without his back brace and messed up his back. The employer provided the man with a brace, but it was not used. The employee tried to sue the employer for not making him wear the protective brace. I can't remember what the outcome was, but I think that was completely stupid. As for giving the workers choices in matters of safety and more ergonomic work areas, I think that would be a good idea. Of course there are some work places that just aren't suitable, such as my job. But it would be good for the employers to strive to provide the best working conditions for their employees.
Today was the first time I got to use the new "chair" the company nurse ordered for the frozen inspectors to try out. Our old chairs have proven themselves to be too rickety to keep buying, it would have helped if people could have kept themselves from dropping them from several feet, just because something is made of tough plastic and metal doesn't mean it is indestructable. This new thing is a big joke, it is sort of like a wide bicycle seat that hooks into a tubular frame, it isn't meant to actually be sat on, only for taking a load off your legs occasionally. Unfortunately for me, I actually need a real chair to sit on, one that is stable enough to stretch out to grab things as they go by several feet away. By the end of the day I could barely walk. We have been waiting for replacement chairs for months, one packaging line has had a 5 gallon bucket upturned on a gray waste tote since May. What really gets my goat is it has been announced that our Safety Comittee has decided to have a $7,000.00 sign put up out at the entrance to the plant to announce to passersby how many safe days have been worked, but they can only order 500 copies of the cookbook we have compiled to raise money for the Committee, and the plant hasn't been able to order decent chairs. We have been gearing up for a visit from or largest customer, I am so glad these things happen occasionally, the extra cleaning is very nice. I don't know if our visitors are going to cause us problems or give us more business. The scuttlebutt goes both ways, I have been there long enough that I just refuse to worry anymore, that would be unhealthy.
