A company that values health and wellness helps its employees maintain a work-life balance, and provides a workspace that they’re happy to spend time in. These efforts produce employees who bring a positive energy to the office, and they play a crucial role in strengthening your company culture.

Health and Wellness in the Workplace

Investing in your employee’s health and wellness can take many forms, including policies, resources, priorities, initiatives, and activities. Here are some simple ways to encourage healthy employees:

Prioritize Health

It’s not enough to say you care about your employee’s health if you don’t show it. Showing it might mean letting employees leave early on certain days to attend a yoga class, or offering a flexible schedule to ensure that they have time to fit exercise into their day. Additionally, you might install a bike rack to encourage cycling to and from work.

Invest In Your Space

Your office design and furnishings should reflect your position on health. Versatile workstations, transitional desks that allow for sitting and standing, and ergonomic task seating are just a few elements that would enhance your employee’s workday.

Provide Healthy Snacks

Boredom and stress can lead to mindless snacking on things like candy or chips. When there are limited healthy food choices or too many temptations around the office, employees will indulge in food that makes them tired and sluggish. Providing healthy snacks, such as protein bars, veggies and hummus, and fresh fruit can eliminate the temptation.

Hold Walking Meetings

Traditionally, corporate meetings have been held in offices or conference rooms,  while all the attendees are seated. But new studies have shown that walking while conducting business meetings can actually increase the creative thought process. Obviously, this would not be very effective for large or important meetings, but for casual brainstorming sessions amongst employees.

Start a Walking/Running Club

Management needs to encourage exercise whenever possible. Have your company create or partner with running and walking clubs. Notify the employees, and let them know how they can join. Provide a schedule of times and locations to meet for a group run or walk.

A Culture of Health

Critical to cultivating a culture of health are leaders who walk the walk. Management should be role models for a healthy lifestyle and advocates of work-life balance. From the moment prospective employees walk through your doors, they should know that their wellness will be a priority.

Contact Us to learn more about fostering a culture of health at your workplace, starting with your office design.

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