Mr. Ajay Poddar is the Acting Chairman, Managing Director, and Co-founder of Syenergy Environics Ltd., which is working towards enhancing the wellbeing of each individual and making their living & working space healthier, safer and more productive by facilitating protection against the unseen threats that surround them, such as harmful electro-smog, Geopathic stress, viruses & other microbes, etc.
Even though the pandemic has not entirely subsided, one could hope that the worst is over. The Indian economy is reopening at a constant pace, and one of the salient features of the post-pandemic period is the pace at which people are getting back to the offices. Even though employees around different sectors liked the novelty of working from home, factors such as screen fatigue and lack of social interaction soon kicked in. Hence, people are looking forward to getting back to the offices.
However, reopening workplaces would require organizations to address some of the pre-existing issues which affect teams’ wellbeing. With an overall increase in the number of digital devices used, the challenge of managing the health impact of radiation at offices would be a crucial factor before organizational planners and decision-makers.
Radiations always surround employees
Irrespective of the nature and size of a workplace, it would be correct to presume that radiation always surrounds the employees. From laptops, modems, routers, mobile phones to boosters, smart TVs, and even wireless printers emit radiation. There are coworking places and large offices with permanent installations such as mobile and internet towers or boosters, thereby adding to the overall emissions.
Greater working hours equal to higher exposure to radiations
Since people spend a significant amount of time at workplaces that most of the time extends up to 12 hours, the probability of radiation exposure is higher. Even though these radiation emitting devices do not create a nuisance and interruption in the working process (rather facilitate working), prolonged exposure could result in increased stress, tiredness, fatigue, lower immunity, irritation, and behavior changes amongst employees.
The long-term effect on employees’ productivity and well-being
Different studies have proved that there are long-term effects on employees’ health & immunity, and such radiations can cause cancer in a few cases. Furthermore, due to psychological and physiological effects, these exposures can adversely impact the productivity and concentration of the teams. Hence, from an ethical as well as a business perspective, ignoring these is unsuitable for an enterprise and its employees.
Solutions available to tackle the challenge of workplace radiation
Addressing this crucial issue of radiation management in an organization is now possible. Various companies have come up with innovative solutions to tackle the situation. These solutions are often customizable so that a decision-maker can choose an alternative based on the nature and size of the enterprise. Since such solutions promote the health and well-being of employees, businesses should consider such expenses as part of employees’ welfare.
Summing up
Organizations are responsible for the health and well-being of their employees. Every individual deserves to lead a healthy & stressfree life, and factors such as gadget radiations could easily hamper such goals. It would be only correct for a company to acknowledge this crucial factor and develop prompt solutions to ensure that getting back to the workplace doesn’t affect the employees’ health.