Tips To Look After Yourself In The Workplace

 

Your employer or the company you work for has a duty of care over you, but ultimately they’re also looking after themselves. That means that you as an individual should take the steps necessary to be sure that you are treated with respect and kindness, and that your safety in the workplace is handled in the right manner. Here are some tips to look after yourself in the workplace.

Image Source

Assess Your Workstation

Firstly, it’s important to assess your workstation. This can be a good opportunity to make sure you are properly set up at your desk or whatever working situation you’re in. There should be reasonable procedures and certain things in place to make sure you’re not at risk of injury or ill-health while working for the employer. For example, when you’re working in an office environment, the HR department should offer you a workstation assessment to make sure that your workstation is right for you and that the monitor is so far away from where you’re sat or that the chair you’re sat in is comfortable. The reason for this is that an ill-fitted workspace can end up being harmful to the body, so much so that you might find you later suffer badly later in life and some employees end up claiming against those companies who don’t do workplace assessments.

Make Sure You Take Your Lunch Break

When it comes to your lunch break, it’s important that you’re actually taking the full hour where you can so that you can relax and allow your mind to reset. We’re not all capable of working hours on end at one hundred miles an hour. We end up burning out or getting bored and start procrastinating. Plus, if you’re working through your lunch, that means you are spending more time in front of the computer or not nourishing your body with the fuel it needs to keep going throughout the day. With that being said, you could end up injuring yourself through exhaustion or causing yourself an injury. That’s where you might want to consider getting a premises liability attorney.

Don’t Take On Too Much Work

We all are capable of so much, but we also know where our limits are in life. Sometimes it’s good to push these in order to succeed, but at the same time, it’s important to be realistic of just how far we can push ourselves. When it comes to working, only take on what you can afford to. It’s important to remember that just because a colleague might be balancing more plates than you, doesn’t mean you should challenge yourself even more to keep up with them. Remember that you should follow your own instincts and if your workload is too light or too heavy, then make sure you speak to your boss about it. Don’t suffer in silence because that’s only going to make you more unhappy. Think about how much you can handle and then go from there.

Mental health plays a big role in how you are overall, and it’s not just your physical safety that could be at risk. If you’re not looking after yourself mentally, then this can cause you a lot of emotional hurting. Always be open about how you’re feeling and let your seniors know if you’re ever struggling.

Take Breaks Every Hour Or So

Breaks are an important part of the working day, and it’s already been mentioned above that the lunch break is an important one. Remember that it’s good to take a break, perhaps five minutes at the end of every hour, just to stretch your legs. Make a cup of coffee or go and chat to a colleague. Go out for a quick walk to the local shops or simply walk around the office. It’s necessary in order for your body to stretch, especially if you’ve been sitting down for a while.

Image Source

Have A Good Relationship With Your Manager

A good relationship with your manager is going to benefit you more in the workplace. A lot of employees might not have a great relationship with their manager. Perhaps they got off on the wrong foot or they’ve just made very little attempt to be too friendly. However, it’s good to have a nice, working relationship with your boss because should you ever feel like you’ve got too much on your plate or you’ve got a problem in the workplace, or outside of it, you’ve got someone to confide in. Try to reach out from your position and make the effort to get to know them better. Take them out for coffee if you want to chat to them about your work progress or to simply get to know them a little more outside of the workplace setting.

Make Sure To Take Your Annual Leave

We all get a certain amount of annual leave with a job, and that can often go up after working at the company for so long. It’s good practice to take your annual leave as regularly as possible and to avoid grouping it too much together or not taking enough of it and letting it run over. The reason for this is that you’re then not getting a good work-life balance and that can be important for your wellbeing and overall health. Look at what holiday you currently have left and try to space it out throughout the rest of the year or the remaining annual leave period. This will help you enjoy your time off a little more and to feel as though you’re getting a good balance overall. You might have opportunities where you work overtime for your company but make sure you’re getting paid for this or that you get that time back in time off. It’s beneficial to do favors for your workplace but don’t let them take advantage!

Looking after yourself in the workplace is important, so make sure you’re prioritizing your health and wellbeing at all times. Use these tips to make sure you are getting looked after.

| FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA |