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Your health vs your job: what you shouldn't overlook

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Your job is important, but experts agree your health should always come first.
Your job is important, but experts agree your health should always come first.
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On average we work 40 hours per week. Between looming deadlines, worrying about money and demands from your manager, you might not always take care of your health. 

Some people don’t take their leave or come to work when they are bone-tired, but experts warn that's often detrimental to your health. Here are three things you shouldn't overlook when it comes to balancing your health and work life: 

SEE: How long should you stay home when you are sick?

You know the scenario: You’ve been booked off with flu, and after a day or two your symptoms start easing up.

You picture your email inbox exploding and your work piling up – and the next morning you brave the elements back to work. Hey, you'll be fine, and you're already feeling better, right?

Before you know it, your legs feel wobbly and that achy, feverish feeling starts creeping up on you again. Maybe you should have taken another few days off...

This is why you must take annual leave

If you check your pay slip, you should see a number that indicates the amount of leave days you have – but how often do you actually use that leave? And more importantly, how often should you take leave? 

Experts agree: take your annual leave and avoid burning out mentally and physically.

Think about all the devices you have access to – from your car to smart phone and computer. Have you ever noticed how they have the ability to idle or hibernate?  

“This function saves battery life,” explains clinical psychologist Dr Colinda Linde.

health work, workplace health

Why people eat these 5 stinky foods at the office

Office etiquette is very important for our well-being, especially considering that we spend a large part of our day sharing a relatively small space with our colleagues.

This means you need to think about those little things that can drive others up the wall – like what you prepare or heat up in the office kitchen.

Most of us are all too familiar with those pungent smells that waft from the kitchen into the open-plan office from time to time. And we wonder how people can be so terribly inconsiderate. 

But next time you are ready to chuck your colleague’s lunch box out the nearest window, consider the nutritional value of these stinky foods and what health benefits you colleagues might be deriving from eating these offending items. You might learn something from their eating habits – and even join them. 

Images provided by iStock. 

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