Is Your Office Making You Sick?

Is your office making you sick? Well, with most people spending the majority of their day inside during office hours, sitting in close quarters to their colleagues, germs and infections are bound to spread from person to person. 

Winter seems to make this a little more common and a study conducted in 2015 found that there’s a shift in our DNA during winter that pumps up the levels of genes linked with inflammation, which triggers the symptoms of swelling and discomfort that we feel as our bodies fight to protect us from colds and flu.

Some ways to keep office workers from getting ill is good ventilation. Sick Building Syndrome is a term coined by the World Health Organisation in 1986 and referred to a condition affecting office workers that had no defined source but was marked by headaches and respiratory problems^. 

While poor ventilation has been seen as one of the major factors in making people ill at the office, Robert Larkan, Head of Digital Air Solutions at Samsung South Africa says innovative technology in air conditioning systems has greatly helped in eradicating this syndrome.

“By choosing a Samsung air conditioner with an easy filter that captures dust, dangerous contaminants and allergens* and a Virus Doctor that reduces certain harmful viruses and bacteria it can contribute to your health and wellbeing this winter.” 

Larkin say there are many ways in which people can keep themselves safeguarded from germs this winter.”

“We believe that a balanced interior temperature has a big impact. Moving from the cold outdoors to a too-warm interior environment isn’t a good idea and Samsung air conditioners incorporate sophisticated temperature controls to ensure this balance is perfect, no matter what the season.”

If you are ill, the best option for yourself and your colleagues is to take the time to heal, away from the office. 

With digital technology, there are numerous ways in which office workers can still keep in touch and on top of work-loads remotely, so there’s no good reason to be in the office if you’re ill.

Taking the time to heal will assist in keeping stress levels down, which is another highly important aspect of keeping your body healthy.