Offices aren’t commonly known for being healthy. When thinking of working in an office, many people envision spending the entire day sitting down while munching on sugary snacks. This doesn’t have to be the case, though, and it shouldn’t be. Not only do unhealthy lifestyle choices result in illness and a lower life expectancy, but it also affects day-to-day work by reducing energy levels. To avoid this in both yourself and your employees, here’s how to promote a healthy office.
Make the Office Comfortable
Staff won’t feel motivated to be healthy if they have to work in an uncomfortable environment, so first and foremost, you should work on the office itself. Maintain cleanliness, keep it organized, use happy décor, purchase high-quality equipment, and keep a comfortable temperature to ensure your staff enjoy being at work. For the warmer days, you can hire portable air conditioner units, which will keep your staff cool and encourage them to move more rather than sit still in the heat.
Encourage Walking or Cycling to Work
As they often sit in front of computers all day, many office workers don’t get enough exercise. A simple way to rectify this is by encouraging everyone to walk or cycle to work instead of driving. You could even give out rewards to those who walk to work the most that month! Not only is this good for everyone’s health, but it also helps the environment by lowering car pollution.
Provide Healthy Snacks
If you have bowls of snacks around the office, switch the sugary ones out for healthier alternatives. Most people don’t realise they’ve eaten too much sugar while grazing, so give them the opportunity to graze on healthier foods like dried fruit, nuts, and fresh veg. It’s a simple switch that can make all the difference.
Give Out Gym Memberships
Giving your staff gym memberships both improves the overall health of the team while boosting employee retention. You can often find deals for entire offices, so look into team-based memberships to get everyone into tip-top shape. Even better if you have a gym in the same building!
Allow More Breaks for Stretching Legs
Breaks help people refresh their brains, which helps them work harder once they return. It’s beneficial, then, to allow your staff to take more breaks, but with one condition – they must stretch their legs. Sitting in front of a computer screen all day isn’t good for your physical fitness or eyes; regular routines walking breaks helps with that.
Keep a Positive Atmosphere
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Unfortunately, many office workers feel stressed, depressed, and anxious for several different reasons. To help boost people’s mental health as much as possible, keep a positive atmosphere at work. A few ways to do this include decorating with light colours, maintaining a comfortable break room, and offering excellent benefits.
After a while of promoting good health in the office, you’ll notice a happier, more energised workforce that thrives in everything they do.