When they said no man is an island and that we are our brother’s keeper, they weren’t lying, were they? We’d like to live in a world where we are not responsible for anyone but ourselves. But as we grow older, we realize that we are not just responsible for ourselves and our families, we’re also responsible for our community, neighborhood, environment, and once we joined the workforce, the health and well-being of our employees and colleagues.
A healthy workforce is a must for every organization. It has a ton of benefits — from reducing absenteeism to boosting the morale to improving productivity levels so that more tasks are finished. Whether you have a young or aging workforce, it is important to encourage them to follow a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. But more than that, it is also essential to recognize that employers have a role to play in ensuring the well-being of the workforce.
Schedule a Counseling
The first thing that you need to do to introduce the concept of a healthy diet and active lifestyle to your employees is to schedule a consultation with experienced nutritional therapists. With this, your employees will learn about their unhealthy eating habits. Do you know that men are much more likely to binge on unhealthy food than women? Sure, women love sugary treats, but men are into fat-, carb-, and cholesterol-heavy food such as pizza and burgers. It is time for your employees to stop pretending that their diets are not affecting their health.
Create Smart and Flexible Working Conditions
A survey found out that more than 65% of workers will exercise more if they have the time. This is not a hard truth to follow. People spend more than eight hours at work. They have to commute back home and attend to their personal commitments. After such a grueling day, where will they find the time and energy to work out? It is especially harder for working parents who have to take care of kids once they go home.
Smarter working policies can help your employees find time to keep fit. By allowing them to work flexibly at least once a week, you are giving them the free time they need to go to the gym or run a mile. They will also have more energy to attend to the things they need because they do not have to commute to and from work.
Provide Gym Memberships and Discounts to Healthy Snack Bars
You can partner with local gyms so you can offer corporate memberships. These memberships can be expensive for individuals. However, if you buy them in bulk, you can get a great deal. It’s the kind of extra incentive most employees love to receive from their organizations. If buying memberships is not within your company’s capacity, you can offer to pay half of it then let the employees shoulder the other half.
Maximize Your Space
Look for ways to make your employees move around the office. Strategically place the printer, copier, and trash bins away from their cubicles, so they have to stand up to get to them. At the same time, designate a room for working out. You can get a couple of dumbbells, weights, and treadmills to encourage workers to work out during breaks. Let them know it’s okay to take an extra 30 minutes off during lunch breaks, so they can run on the treadmill.
Corporate sports fest, marathons, and aerobic sessions are also great ways to help employees live healthier lifestyles. Not only that, but it also forges teamwork and cooperation. Companies that routinely organize sports fest enjoy better collaboration among their workers.
Appropriate Shower Facilities
It sounds trivial but providing shower facilities will encourage your workers to work out when their time in the office allows them to. No one wants to feel sweaty at work. The lack of showers will prevent them from jogging or running during lunch break. Even when there is exercise equipment at work, not having the proper shower facilities will discourage workers from working out.
Having a shower room is not an expensive investment for businesses. You can convert an existing locker room. It doesn’t need to be too big. It just has to be functional.
Unknown to many, employers have a moral obligation to ensure their employees’ well-being. Part of that is encouraging them to live a healthy lifestyle, as well as stick to a balanced diet. Healthy workers are more productive. They are more efficient. This alone is a good reason to aid them in making the right choices for their health.
