5 Gross Work Habits That Could Be Wreaking Havoc On Your Health

Given you spend, uh, a large chunk of your life in the office, and you kinda treat it like a second home, you’ve probably developed some pretty bad (read: icky) habits during your 40 hours a week in the office.

Nope, we’re not talking about having a sneaky bitch about your co-worker or forgetting to reply to that email (oops!), we’re talking more serious bad habits, which could have big repercussions on your health.

Like this lot…

1. Eating at your desk

We’re all guilty of grabbing a sandwich to go and demolishing it at our desk while replying to emails, but did you know that it could be detrimental to our waistlines? Well, it can. According to a study carried out by The American Journal of Human Nutrition, “multitasking – like eating while watching television or working – and distracted or hurried eating can prompt you to eat more. Slowing down and savoring your food can help you control your intake.” Noted.

2. Holding in your pee

If you’re the kind of person who says to yourself, “I’ll let myself go once I’ve written up this report,” you may want to stop being so strict on yourself. Holding in your wee for a significant amount of time actually increases your chances of developing urinary tract infections. And we all know how unpleasant those can be…

3. Taking work to the bathroom

So you’ve made it to the jacks, but have you brought your smartphone with you? According to a study carried out by Ikea, more than a third of those surveyed were guilty of using bathroom breaks to catch up on work emails. Why’s that so bad? Well, let’s put it this way; do you really want all those gross toilet germs all over your phone (and in turn your fingers and your face) after you flush? Thought not.

4. Not cleaning your keyboard

Gross alert: A UK study found that a keyboard has more germs than a toilet seat. Pretty gick, right? We’ll definitely be adding baby wipes to our list of office supplies and giving our keyboards a once-a-week spring clean.

5. Biting on your pen

Sure, we all love an afternoon nibble courtesy of our biro, but chowing down on your pen can actually cause some serious damage to your teeth. That’s because it can put too much pressure on your pearly whites, which can result in your teeth moving or even cracking. Not to mention that the chance of ink exploding all over your mouth and onto your lips is pretty high, too. #NotAGoodLook!

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