6 Practical Ways to Create a Healthier Workplace

True health is achieving balance in all areas of your well-being, but when you work in an office, it can feel particularly difficult to care for your health, let alone prioritize it.

For many people, the lack of accessible resources in the workplace causes them to all but entirely neglect taking care of their physical (and mental) health.

Why does a “healthy” workplace matter?

Promoting a healthier workplace matters because not only does it raise office morale, but it carries a multitude of benefits for yourself and your employees.

Some of these benefits include:

• Improved (literal) mental and physical health, and well-being
• Increased focus, productivity and overall performance
• Greater job satisfaction (and therefore better corporate image)
• Lower turnover rate (and better reviews from those who move on)

Now that you know the importance of fostering a healthy work environment, it’s time to figure out which practices you want to integrate into the workplace (and which ones your employees will respond best to, which might require a bit of experimentation).

We know the last thing you might want to do right now is take an exorbitant amount of time to do the research for this, so we’ve compiled a list of the six best practices for you.

1. Establish a company program with a local gym

Gyms are beneficial for practically everyone, but many people choose not to sign up due to limited finances or inconvenience. If your company unites with a local gym—offering either a discounted or free membership to employees—it’s a powerful incentive.

2. Provide more and healthier break-room foods

Conventional break-room food, like cafeteria food, is not only devoid of nutrition, but is often downright toxic to your body. Consider choosing vending machine services that offer healthier alternatives, providing a complimentary bowl of fruit, or even pairing with local healthy restaurants to offer coupons to your employees.

3. Allow workspaces to be personalizable

We all know that the standard office layout is simple and typically plainly colored, but individual workspaces don’t have to be. Allowing your employees to decorate their desk with a variety of personal trinkets, bring pictures, keep fresh flowers or plants and even have the opportunity to implement a standing desk can go a very long way.

4. Encourage employees to take true breaks (and outside)

Let’s face it, working all day in an office is rough. If you’re lucky, your desk might be at a window, but most of them aren’t, and most people take their breaks in a break room or at their desk. Even when they’re on a break, they’re still deeply submerged in the work environment, and often aren’t actually truly giving their minds a rest. 

Encourage your employees to not only take their breaks, but regularly step outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine to give both their minds and their eyes a rest.

5. Educate around healthy work behavior

While it might seem obvious to some, not everyone knows exactly how they can best take care of themselves mentally and physically throughout their shift. One option would be to send out a company-wide email discussing various benefits to stepping away and getting fresh air on breaks. 

This could also be done as a pamphlet breaking down the consequences of staring at a computer screen for too long, poor posture and countering  that with the benefits of movement and fresh air. 

6. Promote mental health care

It’s one thing for a company to absently remind their employees that mental health is important, it’s another to directly provide resources and opportunities for your employees to care for their mental health. This can look like: 

• offering rebates to see a counselor 
• encouraging positive and honest communication in the office
• being trained in the signs of poor mental health
• having strategies and consequences in place for inter-workplace bullying and harassment. 

Implementing these tips in your workplace will not only fuel not only your employees’ health, but because they will be mentally and physically healthier, it will also enhance their productivity.

Reach out for additional help

You already have so much to manage as an employer, we know that just the thought of reconstructing your workplace can feel overwhelming, even when it’s for the better. It’s often this overwhelm that stunts employers from actually taking the next steps to implement healthier practices into the workplace.

That’s why we’re here.

At Mazzitti & Sullivan, it’s our mission to help you, your employees, and your overall business, thrive. We offer a variety of services and programs to help you do so, and whichever one is the best match for you, we’ll personalize it even more so that it becomes a perfect fit.

Our staff is committed to providing you with the highest level of care, and we are dedicated to aligning with your vision for your workplace so that it comes to life exactly as you imagined.

To get started today, simply fill out this form or give us a call at 800-543-5080.