5 Ways to Promote Health And Wellness In The Workplace
Encouraging your employees to lead healthy lifestyles will help them be happier and more productive.
It's no secret that the health of your employees can have a big impact on your company. A healthy workforce is more productive, happier and better able to handle stressors of the job. The good news is that promoting wellness can be as simple as setting up a few programs and initiatives. Here are five simple ways you can promote health and wellness in the workplace:
#1. Promote and Encourage Physical Activity
The first step to promoting health and wellness in the workplace is to promote physical activity. Physical activity has been proven to help reduce stress, increase energy levels, improve sleep quality and mental health as well as boost self-esteem. This can be done by encouraging your employees to get up from their desks for a few minutes each hour, or even every few hours. Even if it's just for 10 minutes, this will help improve their overall health, mood and productivity levels!
#2. Eat Healthy
The second way to promote health and wellness in the workplace is to support your employees to eat healthy, balanced meals. You can do this in a few ways, including making healthy eating easy by offering healthy snack options in the office and providing regular information about the benefits of a healthy diet.
#3. Offer Discount or Incentivized Health Programs
Offering discounts on health programs like gym memberships, healthy foods and activity-based products and services, like yoga or mindfulness apps is a great way to encourage employees to take care of their physical and mental health. Additionally, creating incentive programs and combining them with short-term prizes for activity or challenge participation, can really get the motivation-ball rolling for your team until they begin to feel the internal benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
#4. Encourage Education
Education is a great way to learn about health and wellness. Your company can provide education in the form of workshops, seminars, or classes at work. If your company does not offer these types of programs, you could ask someone from outside your organization to come in and give an educational presentation on a topic that interests you. We believe that knowledge is power and will help your employees make better choices for their own health over time.
#5. Promote mental health
A recent study by The Center for Workplace Mental Health found that about 25% of employees in the United States report experiencing mental health issues that interfere with their ability to work. This is especially concerning because proper mental health is essential for overall well-being. Mental health impacts everything from stress levels and sleep quality to productivity, decision-making skills and engagement at work.
The good news is: many of the same practices you can use to improve your physical health can also help improve your mental health at work—and vice versa! For example, staying active by going for walks during lunch breaks or taking advantage of office gym equipment will help your employees feel better both physically and mentally throughout the day. Eating healthy foods like fruits and veggies are excellent ways to promote good physical health as well as reduce stress levels around meal times. Furthermore, promoting meditation and mindfulness, including yoga and stretching, can help lift moods while boosting self-esteem at the same time.
The benefits of a healthy workplace will undoubtedly extend to both your employees and your organization as a whole.
Looking to get started with a preventative mental health workshop for your employees?
At Scott Sheere Wellness we offer preventative mental health workshops to promote wellness with organizations of all sizes. Support your team with information and skills-building for issues like managing stress, anxiety and burnout. Check out our workshops here for more information.
Create your healthy and happy workplace today!