Fall is not just pumpkins and apple picking– it’s Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month in October. Workplaces across Canada take part in initiatives and activities to encourage a healthy workplace. Want your employees to stay healthy at work? It doesn’t need to start with over the top health and wellness campaigns. Trust us!
Here is a list of five tips to help you cultivate a healthy workplace:
Tip #1: Stock the kitchen with fresh fruits and veggies
Eating a chocolate chip muffin with your coffee doesn’t do much to fuel your body (or brain) for the day ahead. While the initial boost of sugar provides a surge of energy, over time, that muffin will make you feel tired and sluggish.
An easy alternative to munching on sugary snacks is offering fresh fruits and vegetables to employees. One of our wonderful colleagues picks up fresh fruits and vegetables for the office providing employees with a healthy snack option.
Tip #2: Offer desk alternatives
Human bodies are built for movement, but today we are sitting more than we are moving and our sedentary lifestyle choices are affecting our quality of life.
By making simple lifestyle changes, we can lead healthier lives, especially at work. Gone are the days where working in a seated position for 8 hours is the norm – at least at Schueler Group. We are encouraged to use alternative desk options like standing and treadmill desks. Treadmill and standing desks can be expensive! If a new piece of equipment isn’t in your budget, try some inexpensive options like hosting a walking meeting or running a stair challenge.
Tip #3. Encourage drinking water
Our bodies are made up of roughly 60% water. Our bodies require water to function and yet, at work, we’ll reach for coffee.
While coffee in moderation is good for you, drinking eight glasses of water is what is recommended for hydration. Eight glasses of water a day can sound like a challenge, yet it’s not that hard to do: it is one glass every hour while in the office. Coffee can get us going in the morning but, throughout the day, water or an herbal tea should be your beverage of choice.
Tip #4. Create a Health & Wellness committee
Getting new healthy workplace initiatives off the ground can sound daunting and overwhelming especially if you’re doing it alone. Start a Health and Wellness committee to meet monthly and plan out one activity that would help benefit your coworkers and organization. Not only does it help provide physical benefits, but the act of getting together and talking also provides great social benefits.
Tip #5. Offer employees benefits
Group benefits offer employees the protection for unforeseen life events, financial support for health needs. In short, it’s the support of their organization. According to the 2018 Sanofi study, employees are more likely to rank your benefits plan as good or excellent if you endorse workplace wellness initiatives and have options such as a Health Care Spending Account. HCSAs provide employees with the flexibility to choose the items that make the most sense to spend their benefits dollars on.
Having a healthy workplace helps employees gain value from their working environment. These 5 tips don’t require much and are implemented right here at Schueler Group! It is amazing how little improvements like this can help with keeping health on the radar at work.
BBD (August 23, 2018). 5 Tips for a Healthy Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.bbd.ca/?s=tips+for+healthy+workplace.