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Occupational Health and Safety in the office – much more than just a comfy chair !

While we all know that blue collar environments are traditionally more fraught with danger than your average office, OHS issues in a typical office environment can be just as harmful to the long-term health and wellness of employees – but the injury or harm to an office worker may just be a little harder to see.

 

Stress, shift work, long hours staring at a computer screen, depression, fatigue, bullying and harassment are just some of the potential dangers lurking in the office.  Being aware of likely OHS issues is the first step in addressing them and taking these simple steps will help ensure that the office is a happy place to work:

 

• Be honest with your Recruitment Consultant about the type of work you want – while it is good to develop your skills to further your career, pace yourself, for taking on too much responsibility and feeling out of your depth can be very stressful.
• Make sure you clearly understand your role, its responsibilities and your employer’s expectations
• Understand how your role fits into the big picture – this helps to give you a sense of purpose
• Ask for and give feedback to your manager – good communication is the key to all successful relationships
• Participate in team discussions, team activities and office social functions – this allows you to feel valued by others
• Try to fully be in the moment – even if you are doing something really boring like filing, there is a sense of satisfaction in doing even the most mundane job well.
• Raise OHS issues with your manager, company OHS representatives or your Barber & Bunton Consultant as soon as you experience any problems – this will ensure issues are brought to the attention of the people who can fix the problem.
• Share your ideas for making the office a better place for all – work can be fun!
• Maintain a work/life balance that suits you and your circumstances – build in time for work, play, exercise, spend time with friends and family and don’t forget the all-important and occasional ‘me’ time!

 

There is a wealth of information and resources available to help manage OHS issues in any workplace.  WorkSafe Victoria is a good place to start!