10 ways you job is killing you

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Employees who call in sick normally get most of the blame for lost productivity, but a phenomenon known as "presenteeism" has been gaining notice, as well. Defined as the act of coming in to work when you're sick and doing a third-rate job as a result, presenteeism costs businesses billions of dollars a year in lost productivity.

If presenteeism is damaging to businesses, then it would stand to reason that the workplace would be better off if sick workers stayed home until they got better. When the illness is a byproduct of the workplace itself, however, that worker will just get sick again and keep doing a listless and unproductive job.

Whether environmental or psychological, many workplaces have conditions that can make employees sick. These factors have a domino effect that ultimately is as bad for the business as it is for the employee.

What are 10 ways that your work may be killing you and your employer? Click ahead and find out.

Toxic Boss

In many workplaces, there are managers whose effect on others is best described as "toxic." This person can be so unpleasant that his or her mere presence in the office can cause it to become a stressful environment that stifles productivity. Normally, a co-worker fitting this description is a nuisance that can generally be ignored, but how can you tune out a toxic person when he or she is your boss?

The toxic boss lowers morale, causes a high rate of turnover, and makes the workplace a generally oppressive place — none of which boosts productivity. Career coach Nicole Williams says there are several strategies for dealing with such an individual, ranging from overperforming to direct confrontation. Successfully deploying these strategies can help make an employee's day-to-day life more pleasant and, yes, less toxic.

Insufficient Sleep

Doctors recommend getting eight hours of sleep per night, but one look around the average office reveals that, for many, it just isn't happening. The bags under everyone's eyes and the drained coffee cups tell the tale, along with a recent survey that shows lack of sleep impairs work performance by up to 30%.

What's causing the sleeplessness? One of the primary causes of insomnia is stress, particularly stress encountered in the workplace, according to another study. The sleep-deprived often don't view their fatigue as a reason to call in sick, however, so they go to work and turn in lethargic, sluggish performances that cost employers billions of dollars in productivity.

Lack of Exercise

A factor frequently implicated in the current obesity epidemic is the sedentary nature of many jobs. The unanimous consensus of the medical community is that a 40-hour-a-week stint at an office desk is a primary contributor to weight gain.

Dr Lyn Roberts, National CEO of Heart Foundation maintains that more than half of Australian adults (54%) are not active enough to gain health benefits, killing 16 000 Australians every year and costing our health budget $1.5 billion annually.

"In general, Australians - in particular those with a desk job - are spending too much of the day sitting which increases risk of heart disease" said Dr Roberts. "Travelling by public transport with the associated walking and cycling opportunities is one way to ensure that at least during the day's commute, sitting time can be reduced.

Commuting

A study by Umea University found that a longer commute not only causes stress but causes boredom, feelings of isolation, and even hypertension and obesity.

"Long-distance commuters are found to experience more stress and other negative effects such as higher blood pressure and trouble sleeping," says researcher Erika Sandow of Umea University.

"If you find that your personal wellbeing is affected negatively by long-distance commuting, this spills over into your personal life."

Workplace Incivility

No matter who you are or where you work, there will almost always be one person in your office who gets on your nerves. Most people are able to put those feelings aside, if only for the sake of civility, but there are always going to be employees who see no reason to hold back — sometimes leading to hostile, open confrontations in the workplace.

Public confrontations are awkward and stressful for those directly involved, as well as for the co-workers who have to witness them. They impact productivity, hurt morale, and cause other employees' stress levels to rise. According to the book, "Banishing Burnout: Six Strategies for Improving Your Relationship with Work," job stress caused by workplace incivility costs US employers $300 billion a year in lost productivity.

Chronic Pain

What was formerly the domain of manual labourers now afflicts office workers in various sectors. Hours upon hours spent at a desk can often lead to chronic back pain, and prolonged computer use has been linked to such painful ailments as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Offices that don't invest in ergonomic workspace equipment, such as chairs with adequate lumbar support, risk facing a workforce composed of ibuprofen-popping employees, whose physical ailments significantly slow their work.

Lack of Job Security

Lucky are those who have survived layoffs during the GFC. They've outlasted the bloodletting, so logically it would follow that they would return to work relieved. Many don't. In fact, following a layoff many surviving workers live in constant fear that the next round is right around the corner — and this time they won't be so lucky.

In 2008, the Center for Work-Life Policy conducted a study called "Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times." It found that layoffs and firings are traumatic for the employees left behind, as their levels of trust and loyalty to their employers plummets. Paranoia was rampant, but rather than scare the employees into going the extra mile for their jobs' sake, the layoffs caused employees to do only the minimum amount of work necessary to not get fired.

Shift Work Hours

Shift work has been linked to changes in metabolism that elevate risk for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Obesity in particular has been shown to decrease productivity in the workplace.

The irregular hours associated with shift work interfere with circadian rhythm — physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. This interference can cause fatigue and insomnia. As if that weren't bad enough, the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2007 took the step of classifying shift work as a probable carcinogen, right up there with engine exhaust.

Long Hours

Just because an employee is putting in long hours, don't assume that those are hours full of quality work. A study conducted in 2009 found that workaholics who are the first to show up and the last to leave are frequently given to high levels of burnout and low levels of happiness. This can lead to a bad attitude that can easily go viral and infect the entire office.

The study claimed that employees who put in work weeks longer than 48 hours did so out of compulsion, not because there was a lot of work that was being diligently powered through. In such cases, these employees demonstrated high levels of presenteeism.

Indoor Air Quality

In 1984, the World Health Organization released a report finding that many newly constructed office buildings had flaws in their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. These defects affected indoor air quality so severely that they caused conditions such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue, among others, in workers.

Many of the office buildings in the study still stand, with the same ventilation problems they had 30 years ago. Newer buildings are being designed with better ventilation, but until their designs become the norm it's probable that health issues related to indoor air quality will continue.