Five ways workplaces can help employees keep well
Sitting at your desk for eight hours a day can be damaging your health. And eating poorly while sat at your desk, is doing the same thing.
To stay healthy, workers need to move regularly and eat good nutritious food, rather than processed conveniences.
The health of employees should be one of your highest priorities.
With that in mind, here are five ways to help get your people to eat well and move more.
1. Stop desk lunches
While it’s seen by many as productive to wolf down a packaged sandwich between emails, in the same chair you sit in all day, this is a negative that can harm your working patterns.
You should associate your desk with working and take advantage of lunchtime to clear your mind for the afternoon ahead.
Go for a walk, even if it’s just to the car park and back, you’ll be surprised how refreshing it is. And lunch always tastes better away from work.
2. Share tips and advice
There are countless free resources out there now to help people live more active lifestyles even (especially) at work. Use them, make sure you’re encouraging other people to use them too, and get people to spread that information around.
3. Hit the gym
A lot of chain gyms and even small, local ones offer corporate discounts. The lure of 20% off a monthly subscription is often enough to tempt people into picking up a barbell or jumping on a cross-trainer. And in-house exercise classes are an even better idea; yoga is always popular.
4. See the light!
The harsh lighting of an office can be detrimental, especially in the winter when it’s the only light many employees will see during the day.
Late sunrises and early sunsets might be pretty, but they contribute to SAD—and that’s no fun.
Encourage outside meetings, taking lunch in the park, and even working outside, if the opportunities are there.
5. Snacks
Convenience food powers a lot of workplaces.
But they tend to be either cake, pizza, crisps and pastries.
That’s all right as an occasional treat. Much better is to supply fresh fruit, nuts, granola and oat bars all-natural foods that provide slow-release energy, rather than the carb-dense instant hit of a slice of pizza.
David Price, CEO and workplace wellbeing expert at Health Assured
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