Healthy employees will be more productive. That’s a fact.
Physical wellbeing is one of the quadrants that make up a person’s health. When this area of health is improved, employees tend to be happier, more engaged and much more productive. And that’s why it is necessary for workplaces to promote and foster physical wellbeing in employees. If you want to attract people and motivate them to return to the office after 2 years of remote working, you have no other option anyway.
Healthy employees will be sick less often and will request less time off, they even feel that their creativity and innovation goes up when they are feeling healthy. According to research, your healthiest employee will do three times as much work as your least healthy employee. In overall, exercise leads to a stronger workforce, with healthier minds and a better overall company culture.
Physical energy levels are ultimately influenced by healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise, stretching, sleeping well and eating well. Our society has created a vicious circle: the more stressed people are, the less they want to exercise and the less they exercise, the more stressed they become. People are becoming more and more aware of how important exercise is but still modern employees feel they do not have enough time to take care of themselves. And it’s quite useful to give your employees a little help and direction.
Work-related stress is an increasing problem and is often given as a reason why employees neglect their health. A high workload, long hours and a poor work-life balance can make it difficult to eat, sleep and exercise properly. Employers can do something about this by educating their employees about physical well-being.
Vitaly shares five tips to increase physical wellbeing in the workplace:
- Avoid sugar slumps. Educate employees on the best way to fuel their body and sustain energy throughout the day. Many of us will have experienced those post-lunch sugar slump, which means you have blood sugar crush, that leave you feeling tired, sluggish and craving sugar and caffeine. Your sugary snack will only give you a temporary fix before leaving you low again. Instead, pick foods that keep your blood sugar relatively steady by avoiding sugar drinks and snacks. A few tips that may help are: eating smaller and more frequent meals, eat a balanced diet and try to quit smoking.
- Do not spend all your time sitting. After a long exhausted day at work, all you want to do is relax on the couch even when you sitting down all day. Get your employees moving where possible, walking meetings, going outside for lunch, doing some simple stretches and taking the stairs rather than the elevator can all lead to improvements.
- Promote tips for good sleep. Employees know they are not sleeping well but often do not know why. Give employees tips for better sleep such as limiting screen time, relax and clear your mind before bed, getting enough exercise and avoiding caffeine before bed to get better and more solid sleep
- Encourage work-life balance. A company culture where employees always put work first is not unhealthy but it is also unsustainable. Tell employees to consider their health during and outside of work hours and that the emphasis is placed on happy, healthy employees. When they know their company cares about them, they will also care more about their company. And that’s when you get employee engagement.
- Implement a team health challenge. Health challenges can motivate employees to create sustainable health behavior changes and develop better personal health, but it can also be part of a team building exercise. Working in team will help your employees build rapport and will begin to build a stronger company culture. A comprehensive strategy will make it easier for employees to understand and address their health concerns, ultimately leading to both better mental and physical health.
By improving the physical wellbeing of your employees, you will also do wonders for their mental wellbeing. Your employees can be more energized and productive during their working day by just a few changes in your company culture. A better focus on the job is extracted from healthy employees who are able to put their health first.
Source: Vitaly Works
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