workplace health

20 simple ways to boost workplace health.

 

  1. Make sure workstations are as ergonomic as possible. Even if your budget doesn't have room for all of the latest ergonomically-correct furniture and gadgets, you can hold training sessions to ensure that everyone's work habits and postures are safe and effective.

  2. Brown-bag lunch workshop series are a low-cost way to educate employees on a wide range of health and well-being topics. Local experts and nonprofit organisations that specialise in everything from Pilates to parenting are often willing to give corporate talks at very affordable rates.

  3. On-site health fairs can help employees find out if they're at risk for major conditions and diseases. The convenience and ease of workplace screening will help even workers who are scared of doctor visits get a better handle on their health status.

  4. Integrate workplace health initiatives with existing support services. By combining new programs with existing services such as benefits, parental leave programs, or employee assistance programs, your healthy workplace campaign will reach further and achieve better efficiency.

  5. Keep an eye on color. Many offices are designed to look chic, sleek, and professional, but color experts note that many popular color choices can depress, stress, or otherwise harm employees. If possible, opt for a soothing natural palette of blues and greens. Reserve bright reds and oranges for group spaces where creative thinking and lively discussion is especially encouraged.

  6. Bring the outdoors inside. Many studies have emphasized the importance of plants in the office environment. Not only have flowers and other types of vegetation been shown to have a positive emotional impact on workers, but they can also actually improve the quality of indoor air.

  7. Turn your staff into a support network. Allow workers to use lounges or conference rooms for health-building support groups, such as smoking cessation, weight loss, or low-fat cooking. If you have the IT staff to handle it, you could also start an intranet for healthy activities like recipe exchanges and fitness support.

  8. Build exercise, rest, and "fresh air" breaks into your daily schedule. Try to encourage employees to use their allotted breaks to get outside and get active. When weather permits, encourage "walking" meetings and permit conferences to be held outside on a sunny deck or patio.

  9. Rely on natural light as much as possible. Study after study has shown that natural light in the office space has many positive benefits for workers. In healthy doses, sunlight can reduce stress and fatigue and enhance productivity. Arrange office facilities to make use of natural sunlight, and use full-spectrum lights that mimic sunlight's benefits in other areas.

  10. Contract with a massage therapist for monthly, quarterly, or yearly on-site staff massages. If you opt for a student-in-training or a newly-established professional, this rare treat for your staff can be had at very competitive rates.

  11. Use office space to educate. Bulletin boards can be used to discuss healthy lifestyle changes, disease facts, illness prevention, or other pressing health issues. Employee break rooms are a great place to circulate pamphlets or brochures about health-related topics.

  12. Stoke your staff's competitive fires with a fitness challenge. One recent study found that even modest prizes in the range of $1 per kilo of body weight lost can have a huge motivating effect in workplace health initiatives.

  13. Opt for healthier food choices for working lunches or catered events. You can choose lighter fare without sacrificing taste…or blowing your catering budget. Salads, lighter deli foods, or health-conscious ethnic foods are all great choices.

  14. Choose non-toxic and environmentally-friendly building materials, office furniture, and supplies. "Green" office spaces are associated with a reduced risk of respiratory disorders and other environmental illnesses.

  15. Take steps to create a mellower, more laid-back organisational culture. If your office environment is high-stress, formal, and traditional, loosening things up a bit could boost your employees' health. You don't have to do an organisational "180" to see positive changes, but don't be afraid to inject some play and lightheartedness into the ways that you work with and relate to one another.

  16. Select incentives and rewards that are compatible with a healthier lifestyle. If your organisation usually rewards its employees with fat-laden gift baskets and restaurant gift certificates, opt for a healthier approach this year. Yoga retreats, spa gift certificates, or gym memberships are all good choices.

  17. Organise office sports competitions. Check out the lunch time sports competitions in your area to help beat stress and increase physical fitness, not to mention boost morale and team solidarity.

  18. Make sure your organisational leadership is openly committed to workplace health. If upper management isn't on board with your workplace health initiative, or is only grudgingly going along with the new program, the positive impact is likely to be diluted. Research has shown that genuine top-down support is needed for workplace health initiatives to be work in the long-term.

  19. Create policies and practices that support a healthy work-life balance. It's hard to keep up healthy lifestyle changes in the long-term if you're being run ragged by your job responsibilities. Alternatives like flexitime, family-friendly scheduling, four-day workweeks, and partial telecommuting can all help boost your organisation's workplace health.

  20. Make healthy, nutritious snacks readily available to your employees. Eliminate the guesswork from healthy workplace snacking by providing your staff with an array of seasonal, wholesome food choices. Fruit at work programs are a proven way to boost nutrition, reduce illness, and increase employee morale. Call us today on 1300-857-776 to devise a plan that will work best for your workplace.


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The above text is the copyright of Fruit at Work Pty Ltd - © 2008. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited unless permission has been expressly provided by Fruit at Work Pty Ltd. You may not, except with our express written permission, transmit, distribute or commercially exploit the contents of the above text.