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7 Ways to Promote Health and Wellness within Your Employees

7 Ways to Promote Health and Wellness within Your Employees

7 Ways to Promote Health and Wellness within Your Employees

Promoting health and wellness should be a priority for every employer; healthy employees make happy employees, and happy employees make productive workers. Incorporate these health-boosting tips into your workplace, and watch both your employees and your profits benefit.

New Office Equipment

Most office jobs require long days of sitting without much physical activity. If many of your employees are in computer-based positions, make sure they get the movement they need throughout the day by updating your office equipment. Instead of a regular desk where they sit for eight hours, consider offering standing desks like the Vari system. Your employees will be able to adjust their desks throughout the day from sitting to standing, ensuring more movement and less back problems. If standing desks are out of the question, consider investing in some ergonomic chairs. The more comfortable your employees are, the more productive they’ll be.

Encourage Exercise and Movement

Offer incentives for exercise. Perhaps it’s a company membership deal to a local gym. If your office is located in a business park, there are often gyms that will provide lower rates for a certain amount of members that come from your employment ranks. If this isn’t an option for your company, offer inter-office classes. Maybe one of your employees is a certified yoga instructor, or perhaps your employees would be interested in forming a team for an upcoming 5k or half-marathon to benefit a great cause while practicing how to run. Ask your employees what they would be interested in joining and do what you can to make it happen.

Educational Opportunities

Take the opportunity to educate your employees on the healthy habits they should be incorporating into their lives, both in the office and at home. Host guest speakers including nutritionists and doctors to give your employees updated health rundowns. Knowledge truly is power, and by providing your employees with information they otherwise would never have received, they will be more likely to incorporate positive wellness behaviors into their everyday lives. Educational opportunities can also be fun. Bring in local chefs to teach your employees how to make easy and healthy meals, hire speakers to give tips on stress management, and have aerobics instructors come in for fun lunchtime workout sessions. Educational opportunities might allow you to provide on-site preventative health care. Offer vaccines for flu season; this will cut down on sick days taken and keep productivity at a steady rate. You can also choose to reimburse your employees for their vaccine fees.

Mental Health Matters

Beyond physical health concerns, do what you can to mitigate mental illness in your office. Help your employees employ stress management, allow for mental health days, and host mental health seminars that will allow your employees to hone in on any excess stress they might be dealing with. Help your employees balance their work life with their personal life by permitting flexible schedules, and ask your insurance company about mental health coverage. Holistic health is essential, so make sure your employees are taking care of not just their bodies, but their minds too.

Consider a Casual Dress Code

Requiring your employees to dress in office professional clothing discourages them from being active on the way to and from the office. Allow casual dress days for employees who want to bike to work, and offer fitness classes during these days. You can also host “Active Wear Days”, on which employees are encourage to wear workout gear. Simply being dressed to work out might make them more likely to engage in physical activity.

Offer Healthy Options

Offices are rife with unhealthy food choices. From vending machines to birthday party celebrations, it can be hard for employees to say no to junk food when it’s staring at them eight-plus hours a day. Get rid of sodas and chips from your vending machines and replace them with healthier options like energy bars, dried fruits, nuts, and other sustainable food options. At company celebrations, offer healthy alternatives like a fruit bouquet instead of cake, salads alongside pizza, and veggie platters instead of chips. The more you provide healthier options, the easier it will be for your employees to make better choices.

Improving health and wellness within your office will help your employees live happier and work better. Emphasize holistic health and watch the difference it makes in your work force. It’s definitely an investment worth the time and money.

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