Health and well-being in the work place is gaining attention quickly. With stand-up meetings, power breaks and flexible hours at an all time high, the power of workplace health and well-being is becoming incorporated into many organisations core values.
It's easy to see why, with improved fitness and well-being comes more energy, more motivation and more productivity. Businesses can no longer afford to ignore the matter at hand. The best part about this, it's easy to integrate simple, actionable tips starting today that will leave you feeling energised, happier and more motivated. It really is a win-win; more productivity, more efficiency and more time - not to mention a slimmer waist. But what sort of problems are we talking about?
The Problems
Back, neck and shoulder pain are the biggest concern to both employers and employees. Often leading to aches and pains that can take years to pass, these type of work place injuries accounted for 31 million lost work days in 2014. The good news? It's easy to fix, take breaks, stand up to work and generally increase activity, taking time to stretch and avoid repetitive movements.
Snacking. We're all guilty of it and there's no getting away from it; new team members, team members leaving for new endeavours, achieving targets; the list of excuses for 'Cake Friday' goes on but could these little treats be a problem? One office in New York swapped sweets for fruit and in seven days their 2000 employees had consumed 3.1 million fewer calories. Dried fruit, fresh fruit and low-fat snacks are the ideal office nibbles.
Perhaps the easiest point and the tip that can have the biggest impact on your health is hydration. Considering we are up to 75% water, it is crucial to keep this water topped up aiding concentration, focus, happiness and metabolism. Go and fill that glass of water and very quickly you'll see the benefit.
This is only a handful of the problems you may experience, whether you directly or your team. Speak to your office manager today about implementing some of these quick, easy and actionable tips; if you are the office manager, there's no excuse now! We've put together this handy infographic that you can print, circulate and share around the office so that everyone can make the right choices today.
The Solution!
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Healthy Work Life Tips - More Information
Keep Clean!
Particularly relevant for those among our readers who 'hot-desk' within the office, sharing keyboards, computer mice and even desks themselves can be an easy way to inadvertantly spread potentially harmful bacteria. While there are not many, a number of bacteria can live for a number of days outside of the body and so the risk of illness is something to be very mindful of.
Drink Plenty of Water
We get it - water isn't the most exciting drink and compared to a cup of tea or a white chocolate mocha from the local coffee house, water often takes second place. It is recommended you drink between 3 and 4 litres of water every day; this may sound daunting but for most people this just means a pint of water at least once an hour throughout the working day, not including the evening. Easy!
Stand for at least 2 Hours a Day
By taking regular breaks from your desk or by investing in a stand up desk, you can enjoy a whole range of health benefits incredibly quickly. From reduced risks of heart disease and diabetes to improved motivation, energy and focus thanks to reduced back, neck and muscle pain. If you don't believe us, poor posture accounted for 31 million work absences in 2014.
Natural Light
By maximising use of natural light and avoiding (where possible) the use of artificial light - particularly fluroescent lights - you can prevent headaches and eye strain. Migraines are a common symptom from bad lighting and can cost the economy up to £2billion a year.
Plants in the Work Place
Not only does the office look great, productivity can be boosted by as much as 15% with the introduction of plants to the work place. Greater air quality has been linked to improved overall health, reduced absenteeism and much more according to the clever people over at NASA!
What Plants are best for the work place?
Peace Lily - also known as Spathiphyllum and Chrysanthemums remove benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and ammonia.
English Ivy (as long as you don't eat it) and Red-edged Dracaena remove the above as well as Xylene and Toluene.
While these substances aren't necessarily something that you hear about in every day life, they are found in every day objects such as pressed wood products (desks) and printer inks and they have been identified as a potent liver carcinogen.
Minimise Snacking
To keep your waistline trim and your heart health, avoid the cake table at all costs! Get yourself another glass of water and a handful of raisins to distract your peckish appetite. Google's New York Office swapped M&Ms in the office for dried fruit and in a seven day period, employees consumed a staggering 3.1 million calories fewer!
Go for a walk at lunch
We're not counting the walk to the local fast food restaurant here. Walking can burn more than 100 calories per mile, to put that into perspective on your one hour lunch break you could comfortably cover three miles - more than 320 calories! That's more then a relatively healthy sandwich.
Smile and Have Fun!
Make someone happy! Laughing andsmiling stop stress in its tracks, builds bonds between teams and everyone is a lot more fun to work. Those who smile regularly are at least 50% more productive and motivated!
