5 Tips for a Healthy Workplace During the Winter Blues
This article was updated on July 10, 2018.
Winter is knocking...and with it comes the common cold, holiday food binges and the desire to stay wrapped in warm blankets. For your business, this could lead to an increase in employee sick days, lower productivity and even mental stress.
But employers can help facilitate their employees' healthy choices and benefit from it! Besides helping prevent the possible cases just mentioned, the support of employee wellness may help drive down the cost of health care and possibly minimize the impact of workers' compensation claims.
Not sure where to start? Here are 5 tips for a healthy workplace:
1. Incorporate fitness in daily activities to help workers stay active and productive. For example, outfit a desk with an exercise ball instead of a chair, add anti-fatigue mats for employees to stand on while they work, or issue pedometers.
2. Implement a daily "mental health break" to help manage daily stressors. Your employees could feel rejuvenated, confident and ready to work if they dedicate a short time every day for meditation, journaling or even daydreaming.
3. Supply healthy food options to encourage good eating habits. Try making healthy food options more convenient by replacing vending machine and meeting snacks with fresh, healthy foods.
4. Offer smoking cessation programs to help encourage smoke-free lifestyles. These programs can offer employees the motivation and support to kick the habit and keep them inside away from the frigid weather.
5. Offer on-site vaccinations or health screenings to help reduce the risk of common health problems. The workplace is an ideal place to provide annual flu shots or cholesterol screenings.
