Modern office life has a lot of negatives – long hours of sitting, staring at the screen, rushing to meetings and multitasking. In some cases, employers may spend long hours looking at screens with minimal movement, and quite often workers only have time for an small snack in between or spend their lunch breaks in front of the screen. Such permanent working environments may lead to negative effects on the body and the psyche.
During the week, most employees spend more time at work than at home with family or during free time with friends. Workplaces are often not as comfortable as the home, which may leave workers to feel exhausted and tense after the work is done. ?Therefore ensuring you provide a comfortable and healthy environment for workers is essential.
The result is the number of sick days rising continuously, often accompanied by depression, migraine attacks, back pain and stomach upset until burnout. However, there are many ways to ensure a healthy and optimal working environment.
Worker Wellbeing
The topic of employee health should be an integral part of a sound and sustainable establishment. The aspect of well-being is ultimately crucial to whether or not you do your job well, and how long it keeps you in the company. This is precisely why companies should focus more on introducing health programs after work, subsidies for gyms and courses, but also the creation of an ergonomic workspace with sufficient suitable desks, office chairs, screen and noise protection, pleasant lighting, the right room temperature and sufficient fresh air.
Healthy Outlook
There are many ways employers can encourage their workers to live a healthier and more active lifestyle. This includes but is not limited to, encouraging exercise, being active at lunch and in general encouraging healthy eating at the workplace. ?Many workers in the private sector often have a much healthier lifestyle at home than at work. Several factors cause bad habits, such as snack machines with sweets or soft drinks.
If there is no canteen or varied dining options nearby, it can be difficult for workers, especially those who skip breakfast or lunch, which means employers can expect inefficiency in the afternoon. Even the colleagues themselves can have a bad influence on eating habits if their lunch break consists primarily of food with little nutrition because of too much rushing. Hasty eating of food in front of the PC can be because of time pressure or no hunger. This can create digestive problems because time is not taken to digest the food properly.
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Encourage Sports Activities
It may be a good idea to encourage sports activities such as shared running after work, which also strengthens a sense of cohesion between employees, and counteracts the lack of exercise. Everyone should be encouraged to become active and therefore, put as much exercise as possible in addition to everyday office life. Those that move too little have an increased risk of heart and circulatory diseases or diabetes.
Employers can also encourage workers to walk or cycle to work instead of driving by car. Workers should also be encouraged to use their breaks not only for a well-deserved rest but also for taking a short walk, getting fresh air and sunlight and stretching a bit. The main aim is to be away from the desk, the PC and mobile. ?If a worker wants to do some lunchtime sports or take part in a lunch break yoga consider extending their break, so they can then stay half an hour longer in the evening. Another great way to encourage movement is by providing an office balance board at every workstation. This way employers can stay active throughout the day.
Encourage Good Mental Health
?Conflicts not only burden the mood in the office but sooner or later lead to psychological problems or mental health problems at work. Even though it may be difficult at first, resolve conflicts promptly with colleagues. That’s the only way they can continue to be productive. Distributing tasks fairly can ensure a more relaxed office environment. A hectic environment is the number one stressor at work and can cause considerable damage to the health of workers. To avoid overburdening, the team and the leader should work together to find ways to reduce stress for everyone. If a colleague is heavily overloaded, they should be offered some help. This will also ensure an excellent working atmosphere.
Adopt Good Social Relations
With all the tasks one has to deal with at work, the time for a regular exchange or socializing for the team should not be neglected. Find out what the weekend was like for everyone and take the coffee break or lunch break to cultivate relationships at work.
Organizing a work social may also be the perfect opportunity to ensure that connections and interactions are made between office workers. Many people go to work and can actually spend a very limited amount of time interacting with others if the nature of their job is insular and requires fervent concentration. Therefore, an opportunity to unwind and get to know each other in an environment outside of work may be a welcome opportunity for many. A summer or Christmas party can be organized by people within the office, or perhaps one Friday every month, the office could finish early and meet for drinks, for example. To find out what people may prefer to do, ask around or send out a group email to establish what people enjoy.
Conclusion
Health and physical fitness is primarily the responsibility of each individual. Nevertheless, bosses and executives should also create awareness in the company. Employers who support their employees in their endeavors to maintain a healthy workspace automatically increase employee satisfaction and ultimately benefit when employees are fit, healthy and productive. A more positive working environment can be enjoyed by all. Any company that firmly anchors health programs in their corporate culture will be able to enjoy a long-term reputation on the job market.
