We all strive to obtain that famous work-life balance, the one that comes with the promise of peaceful sleep, plenty of rest, challenging work, but also healthy relationships and vacation time with the family.
The modern workplace, however, seems to be wandering too far away from that concept, with long hours, overtime, and competitiveness being some of the best paid “qualities” a person can exhibit at the office.
As one of the most vital parts of our existence, our workplace should actually reflect the very same balance that we strive to achieve in life. Only then can people, as employees, truly achieve their health goals as well.
Among so many things you can do to help your employees feel like people first and foremost, the most vital one is to ensure health in the workplace and encourage it outside of the office as well to boost their overall quality of life.
This will have tremendous effects on productivity, morale, team spirit, and retention rates, which is a reasonably high priority for an employer. Now, let’s go over a few ways you can instill some healthy behaviors inside and outside of the office among your staff!
Be Creative With Their Workspace
There are so many methods to up your office design that will instantly give your employees more options to do something truly good for themselves, without disrupting their workflow.
A great example would be a choice of a standing desk, or simply introducing those standing desk converters for your traditional seating.
Adding a mini elliptical machine at the bottom of their seat can help them stay active, while the most hardcore option would be to add treadmills to their standing desks and let them take a stroll as they work.
If you have too many employees for such an initiative, the least you can do is equip your rec room with fitness items that can help relieve stress and keep them active. Think: punching bags, a treadmill, and a stationary bike, perhaps.
Pick Quality, Protective Gear
Unfortunately, pollution is everywhere, and your office is no exception. This is especially relevant for offices located in urban areas with plenty of traffic, where you’ll find noise to be one of the greatest distractions for quality work.
Not to mention the resulting headaches and stress that too much noise tends to cause to an office filled with people, especially if they are committed to creative work. Then again, if your employees work in construction, all the more reason to invest in protective gear.
However, while relocating might be too extreme, you can provide them with top-notch smart headsets that work well both for highly hazardous environments as well as bustling offices in a noisy area.
That way, you’ll provide your employees with the protection as well as peace and quiet they need to do their work without disruption.
Reward Healthy Behavior
This calls for a serious change in those company policies that promote only the ones who stay late and work on weekends from home. If you’re devoted to helping your teams stay on an healthy path, then make sure they know your stance.
Let them know they should leave no later than the moment their shift ends, and of course, make sure you include free gym memberships, dance classes, and similar physical activities for your teams.
You can even work with an inside psychologist to have regular conversations regarding their stress levels and discovering the best way to tackle them. How about a brief meditation break from their hectic work week on a Wednesday after lunch?
It may be all they need to restore their energy and work more efficiently for the rest of their time at the office.
When they do wrap up a difficult project, give them an extra day off, or a weekend getaway for them and their partner – encourage them to spend quality time with people they love.
Offer Healthy Meals & Drinks
First of all, times have changed, and thanks to the health and fitness revolution, we now have access to a wide selection of healthy bites.
There is no excuse to stick to fast food and junk food for those lunch and snack breaks, so you can introduce healthy vending machine options and work with a catering service to deliver only healthy meals to your employees.
The same goes for the typical soda offer. If you replace them with freshly-squeezed fruit and veggie juices, smoothies, water, and tea, you’d help them reduce their sugar intake significantly and instead go for nutritious options.
On another important note: the lunch break is not about checking emails, sending out samples, or preparing for your next work session for the client.
It’s about taking a break from work, and it’s high time offices make this a golden rule for their staff: there should be no shop talk at lunch. Socialization is there to help strengthen your team bonds, and lunch is the best time to do that!
While we still have so much to learn in order to truly achieve balance, we can do plenty already to turn our offices into healthier environments that help people stay true to their health needs.
Do your best to include these golden rules into your own office, and you’ll help your teams thrive!
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Scarlet is a passionate writer and regular contributor at ripped.me interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.
