Investing in your workplace wellness can have a fantastic impact on your team and your bank balance. To improve absenteeism, sickness and general productivity, we here at Posture People are going to let you in on our top tips for workplace wellness.
1. Bring your own packed lunch
Think beyond the sandwich. We have come up with some great inspiration boards for our staff on Pinterest to inspire them, and help them make healthy choices. Yes, It might take a little bit of preparation, but bringing your own packed lunch can be great for your wellbeing, wallet and waistline. Enjoying a healthy lunch in an awesome breakout room can help you socialize with your colleagues more, and give you time to take a walk and have a break from your screen. Just remember not to use this as an excuse to stay chained to your desk. You will be horrified when you realize that the average desk has more germs than a toilet seat.
2. Encourage walking meetings
Richard Branson himself encourages his team to have walking meetings. Granted we are not going for a stroll around Necker Island, but if it’s a nice day, what’s stopping you? Take a stroll around a quiet park, get your team some fresh air and take plenty of notes on your smartphone. Generally, it will also encourage you to make sure the relevant people are there (as it usually works best with under 10 people). We guarantee that they will make the Monday morning meetings a lot more fun and inspirational for the whole team.
3. Keep hydrated
We are often bombarded with information that tells us to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but hydration is so often overlooked in the workplace. Even mild dehydration can affect concentration, cause headaches and fatigue. Going to get a glass of water, instead of having the convenience of bottled water, also encourages staff to rest their eyes from the screen as recommended in the DSE (Display Screen Equipment) health and safety guide.
4. Prevention not cure
Invest where you spend the most time. If you clock up all the hours you spend at your desk, it may be worth investing in a fully adjustable ergonomic chair and workstation. Not only will you be more comfortable but you can also prevent musculoskeletal issues caused by prolonged poor posture. Better yet, we highly recommend sit-stand desks that will prevent you from being completely sedentary at work.
5. Take a sick day
The four words you have been waiting to hear, but we only mean if you are ill. We work in a culture that frowns upon days off for sickness, but how productive can you be when you are poorly? Not only will you infect your whole office with the dreaded lurgy, but a head full of cold will lead to a minimal workload. Research by Canada Life found that 93% of employees would still go to work if they had a cold, while 80% would attend despite stress-related illnesses; 81% of those surveyed were infected due to other staff members attending work when sick.
6. Don’t take your work home with you
We may be working longer, more flexible hours than ever before, but it’s important to be mindful of taking time for ourselves. Constantly worrying about work can massively impact your sleep and mental health. HSE reported 428,000 people in the UK suffered from work-related stress to the extent that it made them ill. Separating your personal and work life is a small, but crucial step towards a better work/life balance.
