Prevention as Key to Avoiding Health Risks Brought About by the BPO Industry

The business process outsourcing (BPO) revolution has opened doors for multinational businesses to flourish all over the world, widening the horizons of the workplace to include a global playground of ideas from various races and continents. This global revolution has not only earned billions for countries like India, the Philippines and Ireland, to name a few, but has also maximized time by enabling offices to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because of the “globalization” of office hours in countries in which BPO is flourishing, workers are forced to follow time zones of clients halfway around the world, which means that they would most likely have to work during the night. This drastic change in lifestyle and work schedules has led to the disruption of the normal flow of a night shift worker’s circadian rhythms—the physical, mental and behavioral changes of a person that follows a day’s cycle and is greatly affected by the environment in which the person lives.

Our circadian rhythms are run by the chemicals within our body and the natural signals it gets from the environment, such as sunlight. During the night, our circadian rhythm automatically tells our internal body clocks that it is time to secrete melatonin—the chemical that induces sleepiness. By disrupting this natural occurrence, individuals may experience sleeping disorders and other health problems. This is a major issue which night-shifters have to deal with while taking part in the evolving BPO industry.

One of the more common health problems experienced by those who work at odd shifts is the shift work sleep disorder, which is characterized by heavy drowsiness while working at night and sleeplessness during the day or when one is supposed to rest. Because of the substantial decrease in the amount of sleep, a person who experiences this disorder will most likely also experience the following: increased levels of stress, higher risks of falling ill with colds and flu, higher cholesterol levels, increased risk of obesity and heart attack and a slightly higher risk of certain cancers such as those in the breasts and prostate.

Recently, the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), in cooperation with Marsh and Mercer, launched the 2009 Health Risk Management Survey in the Philippines for the BPO industry. The survey aimed “to assess the perceived current and potential health risks that the employer should be aware [of] while running their organizations.” The survey also aims to determine the general health-related needs of employees as it is a vital step towards “understanding issues that could be impacting the employee health profile”. Upon outlining these issues, organizations can come up with preventive measures to ensure the health of their employees and create a better working atmosphere for them.

With 27 organizations participating in the 2009 Mercer-BPAP Health Rise Management Survey in two demographics, the survey was comprised of foreign-based multinational and local private organizations and was represented by voice, non-voice, knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and combination classifications. Fifty-five percent of the participating companies were less than 500 employees, 30% were between 501 and 2,500 and 15% had over 5,000 employees. The results of the survey showed that most participating companies are concerned about the current and future health of their employees and that 93% of employers believe that poor employee health directly impacts productivity. It also reflected the other health concerns such as increase in medical costs, employee burnout and turnover and absence rate.

Three perceived health risks were named: unhealthy lifestyle practices, high stress levels and sedentary jobs. Moreover, the increased incidence of heart-related conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and stroke, including abnormal blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar and lipids were named as the main causes of concern for employers.

To increase awareness on these issues, more and more employers saw the importance of following healthy lifestyle promotional activities such as written and online wellness, health talk and health fairs and telephone medical advice. Seventy percent of employers already provide health checkups, and lifestyle-related counseling and vaccinations were seen as helpful agents in maintaining the quality of life of their employees.

While these illnesses seem very intimidating and life-threatening, it doesn’t actually take a lot to fight back and avoid these health problems. Prevention is indeed better than cure especially with malignant diseases such as cancer. A little goes a long way in taking care of one’s body, whether you’re working during the day or during the night. Of course, those who work at odd hours must be extra diligent about their health— it’s no joke to spend money on medication that can only temporarily cure. The following are some tips on how to stay healthy despite the toxic work schedules one has to endure.

Eat healthy. A stressful work environment increases the chances of one opting to go for fast food, which is high in cholesterol, salt and sugar (coffee, sodas and energy drinks). Because of the short duration of breaks, more people lean towards ready-to-eat meals, most of which are processed or have unhealthy chemicals and/or preservatives in them. A better and lower health risk option is eating fruits and nuts instead of the typical junk food comprised of 30% or more saturated fat, which can increase the risk of getting a heart attack or stroke. One must also be sure to check the label for zero-calorie foods as these may contain other harmful chemicals and sugar substitutes. While caffeine might help give you a boost, studies also show that too much of it can cause depression.

Exercise. Finding time to go to the gym is a dilemma for busy people nowadays so alternatives for staying fit are being looked upon to save not just time but also money. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is one common activity for those who would like to stretch their idle muscles, but for those who want to exercise more than just their legs, there’s always the push-ups, jumping jacks, jump rope and dumbbell lifting, all of which can be performed at home in a minimal amount of time. There are a lot of six- to ten-minute exercises specifically designed for particular muscle groups–all you need to do is head to Google and do a little research.

Take vitamin supplements. It never hurts to take an extra step of precaution when it comes to one’s health. Taking vitamin supplements can nourish your body and help you deal with high levels of stress with more resistance. Iron is important in aiding the body to produce red blood cells while fiber serves as a cleanser that detoxifies the body and enabling proper digestion. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system while the B vitamins give the body an extra boost of energy. Calcium is also vital for those who are at risk of osteoporosis and for those who enjoy leading an active lifestyle.

Get enough sleep. For those working at night, it is a challenge to get enough sleep while the sun is high in the sky. While some turn to over the counter drugs to help aid them sleep, others opt to do it the more cost-effective and health-friendly way. Controlling the light, sound and temperature of one’s sleeping quarters can significantly increase comfort and entice the sleepy person to catch some ZZZs. Using very dark drapes or curtain,s and sleep eye masks can help create the illusion that there’s no daylight. Using earplugs to block out noise or playing soft, soothing music can also help relax the body. Lastly, the room temperature should be around 65°F (18°C), making it more comfortable to rest. One must get at least eight hours of sleep in to rejuvenate for another working day.

Like many other health issues, awareness is the key to empowerment and prevention. By being aware of the dangers in one’s working environment, we can lower the risk of developing malignant illnesses that can hinder us from reaching our full professional potential.