Preventing Employees’ Leg Problems
We all know that sitting down for too long can lead to a series of health problems. But our legs bear the brunt of the negative effects of sitting down. Without exercise from time to time, our legs would become weak. This could even escalate to muscle atrophy, which is when the muscles on the legs waste away. At worst, sitting down for too long could lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It’s when a blood clot is formed in a vein. It would lead to swelling and severe pain in the legs.
Some people would even say that sitting down for a long time is the new smoking–it’s a bad habit that people must avoid. But that’s extremely hard to do in an office setting when employees are required to sit down at a desk for eight hours to do their jobs.
As the employer, you can do more to help your employees avoid such leg problems due to sitting down for too long. Here’s how.
Upgrading Healthcare Benefits
It’s almost a standard nowadays for companies to offer their employees health insurance. But the terms of that insurance vary. Sometimes, it only covers medical emergencies and major surgeries. Sometimes, it even covers mental health and visits to a licensed therapist.
You can find an insurance package that would cover visits to a podiatrist. This would encourage your employees to address any pain or other health issue that they’re feeling in their legs. Then these visits would help them avoid such issues in the future.
Sometimes, employees would put first their other priorities. Instead of paying for a visit to a doctor, they would use their money to buy food or pay rent. But if you provide them a way, such as health insurance, they would be more inclined to visit the doctor when they need to.
Offering Alternative Types of Desks
One of the easiest solutions to your employees’ lack of leg exercise is offering them other ways to use a desk.
A standing desk is one of the more popular alternative desks. As many people have expressed, this simple solution to sitting down for too long does lead to various benefits. One is, of course, the chance to exercise the legs. In fact, a study found that 54 percent of their participants reported a decrease in their experience of pain after only four weeks of using a standing desk.
You can also take it up a notch by offering treadmill and cycling desks for your employees’ use. This brilliant invention will make it possible for your employees to exercise them while working on their laptops.
Providing a Space for your Employees to Exercise
Another effective way of encouraging your employees to exercise their legs is by making sure they have the space to do so. If your office has an outdoor space, you can develop that into a walking or running track. On their breaks, employees can take a few minutes just taking a stroll around the lot.
If you have the space and budget, you can also develop a fitness center for your employees’ use. Before or after their shifts, they can pop by the nearby fitness center and exercise.
If you don’t have the space for a walking track or a fitness center, you can offer them discounts to a fitness center outside of the office. You can give them such vouchers as incentives.
Much like upgrading their health insurance, employees need the space to exercise and prevent their legs’ health problems.
We might not always think about this, but sitting down for too long does have dire effects on our legs. These effects are especially prevalent on employees required to sit at a desk all day to do their work. As an employer, you need to watch out for your employees’ health and wellness.
