5 Ways to Promote Wellness in the Workplace

When it comes to your employees, their health also benefits you. Not only could everyone stand to be a little more conscious of the foods they choose and their level of physical activity, but you’ll also save money in the long run by encouraging it. Unhealthy employees require more healthcare, and often take more sick days. What if you could change the playing field to promote the wellness of your employees? They’ll be happier, healthier, and around the office more often. Making a few changes can go a long way in encouraging healthy lifestyles. Everybody wins.

1. Stop Handing Out Junk Food

Before a morning meeting, you probably send someone out to get coffee and donuts. It’s a meaningful gesture, because it shows consideration for your employees who had to wake up two hours early to attend the meeting. While you should keep making these gestures, you should probably change the way you make them. Rather than catering a morning meetings with pastries, choose a more wholesome alternative. Fresh fruit and whole wheat bagels are delicious. If they’re there and they’re free, your employees will be glad to eat those instead.

2. Choose Your Company Activities Wisely

Many companies host activities outside of work to help strengthen team bonds. A lot of the times, practical things like bowling leagues and movie nights become the go-to selection of the event coordinator. What about a nature walk instead? Hiking, bicycling, and team sports will offer the same bonding opportunities, but at a higher level of physical activity.

3. Give Your Employees Time to Move

When things get crazy around the office, people may work through their fifteen minute breaks without even realizing they’ve lost their opportunity to go do something else for a while. Your employees need these breaks to stretch their legs. Make sure they take a few minutes to walk around, or go next door to grab a cup of coffee. Moving around for a little while will help them get their blood flowing.

4. Spread Your Workstations Out

Sometimes, we lease office buildings that are great when we find them, and we gradually outgrow them. This creates a cramped area where employees are stuck in their cubicle, doing as many things as possible within that confined space. Spreading out your workstations means your employees will have to move around more to deliver documents or make copies. You should always choose an office that has considerably more space than you need. To encourage movement within the office, you may want to consider leasing a larger building.

5. Make Sure Nobody’s Getting Burned Out

There will be periods of time where it’s impossible to prevent your employees from feeling stressed out. Things happen, projects expand, and deadlines close in. When there’s a lot of work to be done and little time to do it in, it’s only natural for them to feel overworked. Loyal employees will gladly stick with you through challenging times, but they’re only human. This can lead to burnout. Stress is bad for the mind and body. It can lead to lack of sleep and a weak immune system. It’s bad for their health all around. Make sure your employees have a way to express to you when they’re starting to feel burned out, and offer them options to help take the edge off.

You may find that simple conversation helps keep your workplace healthier. Have an open door policy where employees feel comfortable discussing their health and satisfaction with you. Be supportive of their drives to take care of themselves, and see what you can do to accommodate them.