Full-time workers clock in at least 40 hours a week, and some work even more than this. With most of the week spent at work, keeping healthy largely relies on the actions of employers. For example, if an employer only provides unhealthy snacks and foods, then their workforce won’t be eating a nutritious lunch. Throughout this article, we tell employers how to encourage their employees to be healthy.
Offer Enough Break Times
If your employees sit down for a long time, on top of sitting during their commute, their bodies will be under a lot of strain. Therefore, you should offer plenty of opportunities for your employees to avoid sitting. A great way to do this is by investing in versatile desks, which can be converted into standing desks. Additionally, you should encourage stretching breaks, which will help employees to reduce RSI issues.
Provide Healthy Food Options
When people choose what to eat on the go, it often leads to unhealthy food choices, including fast food. Therefore, to cater to employees who forget their lunch or rely on your food provisions to eat, you should make an effort to provide healthy options. If you have a snack vendor, ditch the chocolate and bring in nutritious snacks. If you have a cafeteria onsite, create a delicious healthy menu that will entice your employees to choose your meals over unhealthy options.
Encourage Physical Exercise
Maintaining a healthy diet only makes up part of a healthy lifestyle – the other comes from physical exercise. Your employees all lead busy lives outside of work, meaning they may not have time to squeeze a proper workout in. Therefore, you should promote physical exercise as part of their working day. There are many ways you can do this, like creating a dedicated gym room or hosting charity fun run events.
Company Health Benefits
People are much more aware of their own health and wellness, which is why health benefits are a major attraction when choosing a place to work. There are many ways you can encourage healthy living outside of work, including the supply of Over-the-Counter cards locked to CMS-compliant products, health insurance, and wellness/gym memberships. By providing this type of financial supplement, you can also help alleviate stress in your workplace, which will boost productivity.
Promote Hydration
The recommended daily intake of water is around 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women. Unfortunately, many workers overlook drinking while they’re at work – or they just drink coffee in an attempt to stay energized. You can help your employees get the correct amount of fluid by providing drinking fountains and water bottles. Additionally, if you have fruit available for your team to snack on, they can increase some of their fluid intakes this way.
Staying healthy isn’t always easy, especially when you throw in the stress of work and life. However, as an employer, you’re in a position to promote positive change. If you can successfully integrate a workplace culture of healthy living, there’s more chance that it will trickle down to your employees.
