Before we begin, it’s important to understand that you can’t force people to follow a certain lifestyle – even when that lifestyle is a healthy one. The following ideas are designed to encourage your employees to be a bit healthier at work. You’re not forcing them to exercise or force-feeding them kale – but you are implementing strategies that help them follow healthier habits.
Not only will this be better for their overall well-being – a healthy workforce tends to be a happy one – but it can also help your business become more productive in the short and long term. Without further ado, here are some interesting ways to encourage healthy practices at work:
Provide standing desks for everyone
It’ll be slightly more expensive than normal desks, but providing standing desks can encourage people to avoid sitting down.
Sitting is inherently bad for your health when done for long periods. If employees sit at their desks for the whole day, they run the risk of developing all kinds of health problems and pains.
A height-adjustable standing desk allows them to stand up and work if they need a break from sitting. It’s completely up to them, but it’s a small change that makes a world of difference. If some employees come to you raving about how great it is, perhaps you could entertain the idea of treadmill desks for anyone that wants to get their steps in while working.
Install a punching bag
This is a very clever idea for two reasons. Firstly, punching bags are excellent to help people burn a few extra calories and get a quick workout in. Employees may want to do this before lunch, just to feel active. It’s also a nice thing to use when you’re taking a short break, just to get the blood pumping.
Secondly, punching bags relieve a lot of stress and tension. Sometimes, after dealing with annoying clients, you want to get up and punch something. As your employees probably aren’t the best British heavyweight boxers of all time, you don’t want them getting in the ring or causing fights at work. Instead, a punching bag gives them some extra stress relief and can help a lot during irritating days.
Offer free healthy snacks
Some offices have vending machines laden with chocolate bars, crisps and all sorts of unhealthy junk food. When employees get peckish, they reach for these things. You could do the opposite and provide vending machines with healthy snacks.
Rather than a chocolate bar, have a protein bar. Get lentil chips instead of crisps that are really high in fat and sodium. Offer these snacks for free too, meaning employees can enjoy guilt-free snacking if they get hungry. It stops them from being grouchy after lunch too, but you also give them the option of healthier choices.
Remember, you should never implement these ideas as strict rules that everyone must follow. Always give your workers a choice – just make it easier for them to make the right decisions for a healthier and happier workforce.
