Blog: How to encourage healthy living among employees

Employee Engagement

How to encourage healthy living among employees

As a business leader, your primary task is to ensure that your workforce is delivering results to their optimum potential. But in this race for perfection, are you overlooking the impact healthier employees can have on your business?
How to encourage healthy living among employees

In today’s connected workplace where employees are coordinating with colleagues from around the world in a 24x7 work environment, their health and wellness takes a backseat. As a result, their productivity and ultimately that of the organizations begins to dwindle. This should be a serious concern for business leaders as not only are they responsible for the organization’s well-being, but also of their employees. Here are a few things that can help in ensuring that your employees lead a healthier lifestyle both in and outside of the workplace.

Make fitness a habit

When it comes to success, there is no substitute for hard work. But hard work is possible only when the employees are absolutely fit to perform the tasks required of them. Ensuring every employee is in a habit of looking after their own health and wellbeing, offer them an on-site gym that they can use at any time. If that’s not possible, a tie-up with a fitness center or a certified fitness instructor close to the office and enlist their help to promote the habit of staying fit among your employees. Encourage employees to follow a work schedule and discourage any after-hours work. Let them take regulated naps in the office so that they can refresh themselves and work with a clear mind.

Use natural lighting

Increase the use of natural light within the office space. Our bodies are used to the daylight cycle by default. Any disruption in that cycle can result in inadequate rest for your employees, the results of which can prove to be quite unsavory for business. If the location of your office space does not allow adequate natural light, then consult with a specialist to design artificial lighting that imitates natural light cycle indoors.

Shake things up

If your employees are sitting for too long at their desks, then they’re not being productive enough. An excessively sedentary lifestyle is extremely harmful and can result in a number of lifestyle diseases over time. Add a few standing workstations around the office that your employees can use. Conduct your team meetings in the office lawns or at a place where everyone can stand and move around, just so that no one remains seated throughout the day.

Switch to healthier snacks

Switch the snacks in your office vending machines with healthier options like fruits, vegetable salads, low-fat milk, fresh juices etc. and do away with things like potato chips and sandwiches as much as possible. Encourage your employees to try out these options instead of going out for unhealthy snacking options, and never allow any food at their desks. The less they are distracted with work while eating, the better it will be for their health.

Switch off from emails

Institute a firm “no emails after work hours” policy. Allow your employees to switch off their phones and laptops so that they can relax and spend some time with people instead. It may seem like unproductive time at first, but over a period of time, this move will start showing results as employees begin to focus on their work better during the day and demonstrate a marked improvement in their productivity.

In conclusion

Health is not limited to physical fitness alone but also covers the mental and financial health of the employees. The less healthy your employees are, the more sick leaves they take, and that will ultimately reflect on the company’s results as well as their own incentives package. An average person can spend anywhere between 60-90 hours per week at the office. But how many of these hours spent at work are productive depends on their health and wellness, and that productivity is crucial for any business at any given time.

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Topics: Employee Engagement, Compensation & Benefits, Life @ Work

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