Allergies in the workplace: a guide for managers and bosses
Posted: 8th June 2022 | Posted by Costa
Allergies in the workplace: a guide for managers and bosses
People with allergies know how much of a pain they can be. But if you don’t have any yourself, you might not realise just how debilitating they can become. And if you’re a manager at an office, shop, or anywhere else, allergies in the workplace could be affecting your employees without you realising.
But according to some research, 58% of people say their allergies impact their performance at work. This is something that’s likely out of their control, even if 40% of them are keeping allergy medicine on-hand. So, what do you need to know about your employees and their allergies? And how can you help them?
What you need to know
How much an allergy affects someone is going to come down to what they have. For someone with seasonal allergies – such as hay fever – it might be something simple like a blocked nose or scratchy throat. Minor annoyances that are going to slow them down.
But if someone has a food allergy, it could leave them at risk of an anaphylactic shock. This is a severe reaction to coming into contact with certain foods. They might not even have to eat it; simply being in the same room can set someone off. This is potentially life-threatening and not something to take lightly.
What you need to do
Whether it’s mild or severe, allergies will get in the way of work. So here are some suggestions for what you can do.
A good place to start is with an allergy risk assessment. This would mean specifically asking your team if they have any allergies. With this information, you can put guidelines in place to keep everyone healthy. If someone has a peanut allergy, you can demand other staff keep them out of the workplace. Or if someone has hay fever, you could have a policy of keeping windows shut to keep pollen out.
It might also be a good idea to have an allergy emergency kit in the office alongside your usual first aid kit. This will ensure you have the medical items necessary to deal with attacks, such as an EpiPen. Anyone with a food allergy should have one on them anyway, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Being aware of the effects of allergies is step one to making your working environment more inclusive. Showing that you care about people with allergies will be a much-appreciated move. As people start to head back to the office more and more, make sure you keep their place of work as safe as possible.
Allergies in the workplace are no laughing matter. For more advice, take a look at more from our blog. And if you have any allergy concerns, feel free to contact us on 02031 433 449.