When you’re not feeling wonderful, maybe you didn’t sleep so well the night before, you have a headache, or maybe you’ve got a cold, do you feel like working?
No.
You will push yourself to work because that’s what we do, but do you work as well as you would do normally?
Probably not.
It is completely natural and normal to struggle to focus and be productive when your health isn’t firing on all cylinders, or perhaps you’re simply just feeling a little under the weather. The same can be said for mental health problems; someone who is struggling with stress, anxiety or depression, isn’t going to focus as well as they normally would and are therefore not going to be as productive as usual.
This tells us there is a very clear link between the state of our health, either physically or mentally, and our level of productivity – even within a modern office environment. With that in mind, doesn’t it make it obvious that employers should be focusing on employee health and wellbeing above all else? After all, we know that productivity equals profits!
Choosing the right office furniture can actually have a great effect on mood, i.e. how easy a desks is to work at, how comfortable and supportive a chair feels, but it’s also vital to spread awareness about general health and how to improve immunity and other aspects of wellbeing. We should also focus far more on stress, which can manifest into physical symptoms if left unchecked. A good option here is to think carefully about office space planning and to give your staff a little sanctuary and space to escape to when they need it.
You can do this by installing office booths or perhaps a private breakout space, which is sited away from the main office itself.
Of course, health is a personal concern and it is up to the employee themselves to look after their own individual health, get anything they’re not sure about checked out with their doctor, eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise, and enough sleep, but there are some other aspects which an employer can help with. For instance, providing a safe, comfortable and supportive working environment is a bare minimum. Installing comfortable contemporary office desks and encouraging regular breaks if a first port of call, but what about other aspects such as offering healthy snacks in the canteen, a water fountain in the office for rehydration, and perhaps sports activities available during lunch breaks.
Increasing awareness of health and general wellbeing, perhaps with smoking cessation support as a first option, is ideal for helping employees to become healthier, and therefore more productive overall.
Of course, employers shouldn’t focus entirely on the productivity side of things, because having healthy employees in general is about more than how many units you sell or how many items you make. Caring about your employees is a key part of increasing morale, but all of this actually does loop back around to productivity in the end!
Someone who is lacking in energy because of an illness or a health problem won’t be able to concentrate as well as they otherwise may, and that means an increased risk of mistakes and lost sick days. All of these are major concerns for a business who is trying to increase its market share and overtake competitors. Focusing on health and increasing awareness of what to do and what not to do in order to feel the very best you possibly can is therefore an important part of daily office life.
It’s also about thinking outside the box – how about group meditation during lunch breaks? It sounds ‘out there’ but meditation has been shown to help with health and wellbeing, in particular with mental wellbeing, in huge amounts!
However you chose to focus on health within your office, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that it all links back to the success of your business is key.