We all know that health and wellbeing is vital for a long and happy life, but it’s also vitally important in the workplace too.
Healthy employees are more productive, and that means extra profits for the business.
So, with that rather important thought in mind, shouldn’t employees be doing everything they can to introduce a comprehensive health and wellbeing package within the workplace? Yes!
Let’s just set the scene for a second. According to HSE, there were 595,000 cases of reported workplace stress incidents in 2017/18.
That is 595,000 people severely affected by stress as a result of work. That’s shocking. Stress is extremely dangerous to overall health and wellbeing and is one of the main reasons why employees go off sick. So, it makes sense that reducing stress and other lifestyle-related issues will help to reduce the number of sick days a business loses and therefore increase productivity. Introducing areas for staff to chill out is a good option here, by utilising office breakout furniture. This gives your employees the freedom to walk away from a task or situation when it becomes too much, have five minutes’ time out and then return refreshed.
Another study showed that health and wellbeing packages put together by employees have a hugely beneficial effect on helping to reduce and contain how common lifestyle-related disorders are in the workplace. For instance, by putting a huge amount of focus on healthy eating, employees will enjoy a varied and healthy diet and therefore reduce their risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
It can be that simple.
So, what should your health and wellbeing package include?
Firstly, you need to create an office environment which staff are comfortable and supported within. Think about zones for different types of work, so nobody feels pressured when trying to concentrate on close work, and a collaborative group are talking a few feet away. Booth seating can help to contain – or exclude – this noise, as well as acoustic panels too. You could also think about office desk pods for those who want to hide away for a short while, focusing on data collection or other detailed types of work.
Other areas to think about include:
- Stress and time management – Giving staff hints and tips on how to manage their time and also how to reduce stress is vital in the modern office
- Ensuring they have all the items they need within their workspace – For instance, give your staff a locker or think about contemporary office storage so that their personal belongings are safe. Also make sure that they have sufficient space to do their job
- Smoking cessation awareness – Giving your staff help and support to stop smoking will help them become healthier and reduce their risk of heart disease and lung cancer
- Encouraging physical exercise – It’s a good idea to encourage your staff to move more, so have a ‘number of steps walked’ competition, or encourage cycling to work. You could also incorporate walking meetings into your office too.
The more active your staff are, the better for their health and focus
- Dietary advice – Stocking healthy and organic ingredients and snacks within your canteen is a good idea, but also giving your staff advice on how to eat healthily is a good idea too. This reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes, and other heart-related conditions
- Health and safety training – As a bare minimum you should ensure that you give your staff health and safety in the workplace training and that you ensure your end of the bargain (your employer responsibilities) are fulfilled
Creating an office space which your staff are comfortable and supported in is vital. This ensures morale will be on a high, but also reduces the chances of suffering from RSI, lower back pain, and other work-related conditions which are associated with office environments. Think about incorporating office furnishings which are bright and colourful too, to boost mood and the feel-good factor in your office.
If you can tick all of these boxes, you’ll be creating a healthy environment within your office space, and bringing awareness to hugely important subjects too.