It’s no secret that the modern workplace is a fast-paced, high-stress environment. A lot of people spend their workdays in front of a computer screen and they don’t take enough breaks to stretch or move around. They’ll also often do tasks that require repetitive or heavy movements with their hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and spine without taking any precautions to prevent injury. And when they do have an accident at work – whether it’s from lifting something too heavy or from typing too much – they’re not always getting the proper care for these injuries because employers think it will be expensive. Injuries can happen even if you wear protective gear like gloves or safety glasses! This article will discuss some common stress injuries in the workplace and how you can deal with them before it’s too late.
How To Identify A Stress Injury
The main symptom of a stress injury is pain and inflammation in the affected area. However, there are also other common symptoms like limited range of motion and stiffness. When you feel discomfort or pain while doing an activity at work, never ignore it! Did you know that you can actually receive compensation for repetitive strain injuries? At https://www.puttingpeoplefirst.law/workers-compensation/repetitive-stress-injury-at-work/ they say that your work benefits should include “reasonable and necessary medical treatments and rehabilitation for your injury”. If your employer doesn’t have a policy where employees have to report their injuries immediately when they happen, this can be cause for concern. You should be allowed to take some time off from work to recover.
Here are some examples of signs that you may have a stress injury:
- Pain when you move your body in a certain way or position, like while typing or lifting something
- Tingling, numbness, or other strange feelings in your hands or wrists
- Feeling that it takes longer than usual to do tasks because you’re in pain (for example, having trouble using the mouse on the computer)
A few RSIs (repetitive stress injuries) include carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and rotator cuff tendinitis. What happens in these conditions is that the protective fluid-filled sacs around the tendons are compressed by the overuse of small muscles or tendons. The result is pain and inflammation which may take a long time to heal if left untreated.
How To Treat A Stress Injury Before You Miss Too Much Work
If you start feeling symptoms of a stress injury before taking time off from work, then make sure you perform self-care measures several times throughout the day. This includes rolling your wrists and elbows to help relieve tension and taking breaks every half hour to stretch out your fingers. You can even work with a physical therapist to learn exercises that will help, but make sure you’re working with the proper professional who knows your anatomy well.
However, if it gets to the point where you need treatment for your injury, then you should go see a doctor right away! In case, you are too busy to go step out of your home, you can book Online PT Observation Hours with a specialist. It’s important that you give yourself enough time between appointments so that you don’t worsen your condition. The main types of care are rest, ice usage, heat usage, massages, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cortisone shots/injections, and physical therapy. Some people may also use lasers or ultrasound treatments to speed up recovery. However, some surgeries have been performed in severe cases! Getting better at work is the first step to getting better at your personal life, so make sure you’re taking care of yourself.
How To Deal With Stress Injuries From Typing At Work
When using a computer for work, it’s very important that you take breaks from time to time by getting up and moving around – especially if you have an office job! This will help prevent the development of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is one common stress injury that can affect how well your hands move. To reduce strain on your wrists while typing, consider buying ergonomic keyboards or wrist rests. You should also invest in a good quality computer mouse, which is often more comfortable than their cheaper counterparts. If possible, try to avoid using the mousepad on laptops because they never seem to be placed in the best spot! And, last but not least, reducing your overall time spent sitting is probably the most important step of all.
There are many ways to deal with stress injuries in the workplace. However, there is no substitute for time off from work to allow your injury time to heal. If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort at work and it’s not getting better despite self-care measures, then make sure you see a doctor before any permanent damage can occur!
Psychological Injuries and How to Avoid Them
Job Insecurity
Employees’ physical and emotional health may suffer as a result of organizational mergers, restructures, and layoffs. Because of stress, chronic job uncertainty is a better indicator of bad health than smoking or hypertension. For a growing portion of the workforce who work on a casual or contract basis, there is a constant risk of being fired without cause or warning.
Several people worry about how they’ll support their families or find new employment if their contract is cancelled. They might be interested in learning how their manager perceives their job and whether the organization plans to retain them in the long run. This can continue on for years, and the constant stress has a severe negative psychological impact.
As everyone has a different perspective, many workers may not necessarily be at risk for psychological harm from job uncertainty. Some people are happy to give up job security in favor of the extra benefits of informal work, like higher hourly income and penalty rates. They are certain they will get a new job and won’t suffer financially if their current one terminates.
Choose a position that gives more stability than your current role if you deal with job insecurity. While full-time employment may be a better fit for you than part-time employment, there is no such thing as a job for life.
Work Overload
When the situation gets bad financially, employers push their staff to work harder. The rest of the team is left to pick up the slack when employees leave the company or take time off since they are not replaced. The additional labor may result in work-related stress, which may result in problems with sleeping, depression, anxiety, and poor performance.
Some companies set unattainable objectives, which causes employees to worry about and feel inadequate about their own performance. Due to the pressure and fast-paced environment at work, people may experience a level of occupational stress that hinders them from unwinding and relaxing after work. Discuss your concerns with a boss or ask a coworker to take on a task you don’t have time for if the amount of work you are expected to perform is causing you psychological problems.
Bullying and Harassment
Everyone is susceptible to bullying, and people at work are not exempt. Bullying can take on a variety of forms, including verbal, physical, psychological, and social. Moreover, it can take many different forms, including rude comments, exclusion, sexual harassment, mind games, giving you pointless tasks to complete, initiations, threats, pushing and shoving, and trip-and-fall occurrences.
Bullying can be detrimental to a person’s psychological health, cause stress, anxiety, and depression, make a person dread going to work, destroy their confidence, and keep them from finding fulfillment at work. Every employer has a responsibility to maintain a hostile-free workplace. In order for your employer to intervene in situations where you feel threatened or intimidated, you should report them.
Dealing with Difficult Customers
Employees who have to deal with difficult customers may endure stress even after the problem has been resolved and the angry customer has departed. A worker’s continuing reaction to the situation may do more harm than the incident itself. People may worry and feel stressed out since they can’t fix the problem and calm the customer. They are concerned about how they will respond to the said scenario.
Some workers are willing to admit that not every problem can be solved. They are aware that they give their jobs their all and that a dissatisfied client is swiftly forgotten. They emphasize their successful contacts with clients. What might not matter to one employee psychologically may matter to another. If dealing with enraged or difficult customers makes you feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable, ask your employer for a specific training on how to deal with them. You may have the confidence you need to handle the next situation if you are aware of how to handle these situations and have practiced your responses.
Shift Work
The effects of night and shift work on the body have been studied for a while. It is known that working after hours increases risk for a variety of illnesses, including cancer and weariness. Shift work’s psychological consequences may be just as harmful to one’s mental health as they are to one’s physical health, according to research findings.
The stress of working shifts might be increased by the pressure to miss out on social events and family commitments. If working shifts is causing you stress, speak with your manager about reducing the number of night shifts you work or thinking about switching to a position that doesn’t need as much shift work.
Final Thoughts
Environmental, organizational, and human variables can contribute to workplace psychological injury. The surroundings include machinery, accidents, and unsafe noise levels. When compared to physical injuries, psychological ailments frequently need people to take longer to return to work. Early intervention is essential when dealing with issues related to mental health. Conflict settlement and alternative work are two methods that can be an option for reducing the likelihood of long-term psychological injury.