Office Health

The latest news about health in the office workplace

Below is a collection of the latest news about Office Health. Please excuse us if some of the content isn't quite pertinant, we're still working on improving our sources.

Desk Exercises updated Tue Sep 1 2009 4:53 pm CDT

So many of us work at a desk for long hours. This is so unnatural to the human body. We're meant to move. Sitting at a desk can cause a great deal of physical stress on the body.

Desk related injuries (the term even sounds funny to me) are on the rise. Problems associated with desk jobs account for the highest number of workers comp claims and the highest workers comp expenses for companies.

Workers can be healthier and companies can save a great deal of money due to reduced health costs, workers comp claims, and lost sick days by instituting desk exercises.

Workers who do use desk exercises have been shown to be far more productive. Keeping the blood flowing helps the brain work. As Zig Zigler once said, "five minutes of exercise will gain you 15 more minutes of productivity".

Many people and companies are realizing the benefits of desk exercise. smart companies are using Break Pal -Fitness at your Desk.




Gumby vs. Mr. Bill

Who would win a battle between Gumby and Mr. Bill? Both are animated clay figures that made their debut to the public on popular TV shows, both have made their way into feature length films, and both are immortalized as bendable figurines. We decided to collect the facts to predict the winner of this potentially famous battle.

Name: Gumby
Debuted: August 1956
Creator: Art Clokey
Best Friend: Pokey
Nemeses: Blockheads
Claim to Fame: Gumby starred in his own television series, The Gumby Show, that aired from 1957 to 1967 and in 1988
Best Characteristic: Flexibility
Accomplishments: cameo appearance in 1987 film The Puppetoon Movie; 1995 feature length film Gumby I (aka Gumby: The Movie); 8 DVD collections (2000s); video game Gumby vs. the Astrobots (2005); appeared in campaign ads for Library of Congress (1994-1995) and Cheerios (late 1990s)

Name: Mr. Bill
Debuted: February 28, 1976
Creator: Walter Williams
Best Friend: Spot (his dog)
Nemesis: Mr. Sluggo
Claim to Fame: Mr. Bill starred in several short sketches on the television show, Saturday Night Live from 1976 to 1980
Memorable Quotes: "Ohhhh noooooooooooooo...", "Perfectly awful!", "Stunningly bad!"
Accomplishments: 1986 live-action movie Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures; 1998 television show Ohh No!!! Mr. Bill Presents; appeared in television ads for Pringles (1980s), an anti-drug campaign (1988), Pizza Hut (1990s), Subway (2008), and MasterCard (2008)

Based on the character's personality, history and popularity, Gumby wins the battle hands down. However, we believe it's all up to the circumstance and personal preference. Take the battle into your own hands to determine who you think is the real winner.




The Dog Days of Summer


It's the Dog Days of Summer, the time of the year when you give thanks for working in an air conditioned office. The term "Dog Days" comes from ancient times, based on the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. The name Sirius is derived from the Greek word Seirius, meaning searing or scorching. Because of it's brightness and its dawn rising during the peak of summer, the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all blamed the hot sultry weather on the Dog Star.

Modern Dog Days of Summer rituals include sacrificing hot dogs on the barbeque, eating watermelon and spitting the seeds; licking ice cream cones; splashing in swimming pools; lounging on beaches; and panting like a dog in front of a fan. Summer is winding down and despite the weather many people hate to see it end.

There's no shortage of references to "Dog Days" in popular culture. If you're stuck inside hiding from the heat, check out some Dog Day entertainment:


Image courtesy of Susan E. Adams.




Business Decisions


Bad business decisions are something every company tries to avoid, but they happen. Some legendary ones include the makers of M & M's decision to not allow their candy to appear in the movie ET. Reese's Pieces were used instead and the sales exploded. Jerry Yang decided to walk away from Microsoft and missed out on receiving $44.6 billion of Bill Gates' money. Many book editors rejected the Harry Potter book series and Decca Records had the opportunity to sign the Beatles and didn't.

An example of important decision making can be shown through choosing stock investments. The Chicago Sun-Times wanted to illustrate the often chance nature of picking stocks, so they had a monkey sit on newspaper stock pages and make marks on five stocks. As of January 2007, the stock-picking monkey had beaten the market four years running.

If you don't have the resources to hire a monkey, perhaps a fortune-telling item such as the Wall Street Guru Ball, the Mystical Orb, or the time honored Magic 8 Ball may help. The Dartboard Decision Maker is a fun and active alternative.


Next time you're faced with a landmark decision, give the Affirmation Ball a shake; its response might be "Brilliant Idea!" However, the Sarcastic Ball might warn "Not a Chance!" and the Wall Street Guru might suggest "Ride it Out". The Dartboard Decision Maker offers many options. Give it a spin and toss the dart, which might land on "Take a Vacation," "Stay Late," "Call a Meeting," "Hire" or "Retire". A fortune telling ball or decision maker may not offer the appropriate advice, but it's sure to generate some lighthearted stress relief.




Get Smart! - The Benefits of Puzzles

At OfficePlayground.com, we often mention that one of the main benefits of playing with office toys at work is to help reduce stress. But, did you know that playing at work can make you smarter?

Well, your IQ probably won't increase and you still might think the capital of Oregon is Portland, but you can boost your brain power with a mini-workout each day.

According to the September 2009 issue of Redbook Magazine, "research has shown that doing puzzles—from crosswords and Sudoku to Rubik’s Cube—might help ward off diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia." Further, the recommendation is to spend 10 minutes a day exercising your brain muscle.

We've always loved the Office Playground Puzzle Category because of classics like Rubik’s Cube and the Fifteen Puzzle. And as always, these old standbys don't disappoint. But, more recent products like the Find It games and the Hoberman Brain Twist give a fun flair to puzzling.

Visit our puzzles category to pick out your next piece of exercise equipment so you can start to get smarter just by sitting at your desk and playing. No pain, a lot of gain. It doesn't get easier than that!




10 Office Faux Pas

In an economic climate where companies are tightening their belts, job security can be shaky. No one wants their name to spring to mind when an employee must be let go. Behavior in the office setting is important. It may be the deciding factor between keeping your job and joining the ranks of the unemployed. Stay clear of the following office faux pas:

  1. Do not engage in gossip or badmouth colleagues.
  2. Dress appropriately for your position. Clothing that is too casual, too revealing, torn or dirty will make a negative impression.
  3. Mind your table manners at a business lunch or group lunch celebration.
  4. Do not take food from the community refrigerator or lunchroom that is not yours.
  5. Clean up after yourself. Do not leave dirty food containers or half-eaten food on your desk, the lunchroom table or in the community sink.
  6. Control your emotions at work. Outbursts of tears, anger or frustration are not acceptable behavior in the office.
  7. Do not make personal calls during work hours. Use cell phones for personal calls and only make them during breaks. Show consideration to co-workers by moving to a private location when talking on a cell phone.
  8. Music or the radio should not be audible beyond your desk. Wear earphones and keep the volume low so that you can hear others when they speak to you.
  9. Keep your shoes on. Never walk around the office barefoot.
  10. Never microwave fish in the office lunchroom! Microwaving raw onions isn't a great idea either. (We speak from experience!)


Image courtesy of Wolfrage.




Working with Aliens

Do you work with aliens? How would you know if you did? Finally there's help, here's a simple guide to discovering who among your colleagues are from another planet:

Food – Aliens don't eat normal human food. Look for colleagues who you've never seen eating. Offer them a slice of pizza because nobody from this planet would refuse free pizza.

Performance – Aliens are way smarter than humans and so they are typically successful. Look for those in your company who are high up in the organizational chart. Aliens are looking to run things, not be bossed around. For example, Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon) are aliens.

Social Skills – Aliens are not very good networkers and never play the role of office clown. Look for the ones who don't talk much and have a very difficult time conducting a conversation. Aliens don't have hobbies, they don’t have "good weekends" and they don't say "TGIF".

Office Romance – Aliens don't mate with humans and thus the aliens in your office won't ever get caught up in office romance. That should eliminate many of your colleagues as potential aliens.

Limited Time – Aliens don't just grind away at the corporate rat race. They are at your business for a specific reason, maybe to run a few experiments you would rather not know the details about. If one of your co-workers just vanishes one day, instead of a new job, they may have just returned to their home planet.

Now that you know who the aliens are at your company, you can begin the process of uncovering the robots. Stay tuned...

Bill Ross
CEO
www.OfficePlayground.com


Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson.




National Boss Day is Friday, October 16

National Boss Day has traditionally been a day for employees to recognize and thank their supervisor or boss. It started in 1958 when Patricia Bays Haroski, then an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois, registered the holiday with the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Ms. Haroski's purpose was to designate a day to show appreciation for her boss and other bosses. She also hoped to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors. She believed young employees often do not realize the challenges bosses face in running a business. Ms. Haroski chose October 16 because it was her father's birthday, and he also happened to be her boss.

During the early years of National Boss Day observance, the holiday was mocked as Hallmark Holiday. In fact, Hallmark did not offer a Boss's Day card for sale until 1979. Recognition for Boss Day has grown tremendously in popularity and Hallmark responded by increasing the size of its National Boss Day card collection by 90 percent in 2007. National Boss Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries such as Australia and South Africa, in addition to the United States.


Image courtesy of Luz.




Boss's Day Gift Ideas

Friday, October 16 is National Boss Day. It's an opportunity for employees to show appreciation for their hardworking boss. It's also an opportunity for an employee to make a good impression with a thoughtful gift. You can present a classy gift or a useful item or a whimsical toy that adds a little fun to your boss's day.

If you're in need of ideas for a gift, start with a pre-purchase observation; look at what types of items adorn the boss's desk and office. For sophisticated gifts, check out our Executive Toys category or Kinetic Motion and Levitating items. Take note of how much space is available for your gift. If your boss's desk is crowded, consider something that hangs on a wall such an amusing clock, a funny sign, a dartboard, or a basketball game.

Novelty items that draw positive attention to an office include the Magic Fishbowl, Executive Desk Gong, Exotic Sands, or Zen Garden. A gift from our Desktop Gardening category will please any plant lover.

Golf enthusiasts will enjoy the Executive Office Putter, the Chip Shotz Golfer game and Executive Sandbox-Golf Sand Trap.
Surprise your boss with comical Office Supplies such as funny note pads, a Dog Stapler or a Chocolate Calculator.

Make this National Boss Day a memorable one.




How Scary is Your Office?

It’s the time of year where ghosts, witches and goblins are making plans for their favorite day of the year, Halloween. Have you let them visit your desk yet?

Halloween isn’t just for children dressed as spooky (or sometimes adorable) creatures, going door-to-door asking for candy; you can have just as much fun at work! This year, bring the spirit of Halloween to the office. Here are some ideas for making your workplace "spooktacular"!

  • Decorate your desk or cubicle walls with a row full of smiling pumpkins
  • Host a number of spooky Halloween contests: Scariest Costume, Jack-o-Lantern Carving, Pumpkin Seed Spitting, and Best Decorated Desk
  • Hide fake giant spiders in your co-workers’ desk drawers
  • Ask each of your co-workers "Trick or Treat?" Give those who say "treat" a piece of candy; pull a fun office prank on everyone else
  • Host a Halloween Fright Wind-Up race
  • Bring a large bowl of Halloween candy to share or bake a batch of Halloween cookies

Adding a little Halloween spirit to your workplace can make your day a little more exciting and everyone a little happier. Try out some of our ideas and let us know how it goes!


Image courtesy of Elvia Dametto.