Workers want Chillout zones – Gym memberships – company events
– company challenges are becoming the norm.
Many people today are asking on the interview if there are any health
related benefits or perks for working with the company, and more and more are
making their decisions about working with a company based on Fitness or
Wellness benefits.
Desk-bound workers should stand up for at least two hours a day to improve their health and wellbeing, according to a British study.
The results of the study, published in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine, suggest that workers should stand and do light
walking for at least two hours a day.
This total can be built up gradually throughout the working
day rather than all in one go.
Ideally, according to the report, standing/light walking
should then be increased to four hours per day.
Research shows that sustained sitting can greatly increase
the risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease and diabetes, and premature
death.
The report also highlights that workers should move around
more frequently because even “prolonged static standing” can be as harmful as
sitting for long periods.
The report recommends the use of stand-up desks and standing
breaks to promote standing and physical activity during the working day.
It notes that Australian studies found the promotion of
sit-stand desks and standing breaks improved both worker health and
productivity.
The Key
Employee wellness programs have become a staple in many
corporations as a way to attract top talent, keep them happy and productive,
and decrease employee turnover. In fact, 80% of employees at companies with
robust health and wellness programs feel engaged and cared for by their
employers.
The key to having a successful corporate wellness program is
by encouraging overall wellbeing while still keeping it fun. If you can’t get your team engaged then your
wellness program ideas will quickly lose steam. So make your initiatives fun,
try new ideas and see what your team values the most.
Some Great Ideas:
- · Try to get in 10,000 steps a day when you take a break walk around the block or through the park or around the building you may be surprised of what you see and learn. You can use Mobile Apps or pedometers to track steps during work hours.
- · Provide your employees with healthy office snacks, great pick me ups for the day especially around 2 to 3 pm when energy levels drop to their lowest for the day. You need a great pick me up – Latest Trends Are Healthy Energy Shots for more info Visit Our Website. Assortment of teas is a really good choice as well Green Tea etc.
- · Create Healthy Office Cookbook – ask employees to share their favourite recipes & share around the office or on a downloadable document.
- · Publish a workplace wellness newsletter highlighting the best fitness, nutrition, and educational content from around the we Setup separate google alerts for “fitness”, “nutrition” and “wellness education” and select “only the best results”. Compile the best articles each week or month into one email and send out for your employees to enjoy.
- · Standing Desk as we mentioned earlier are good for periods of time through the day.
- · Start a Smoking Incentive program – If you have a people that have say 4 or 5 smoke breaks a day have a Cash Prize set up weekly for the person that goes less – or not at all during work hours - In a study conducted by The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton School, employees who were financially incentivized to quit smoking were3 times more successful at ditching the habit than non-incentivized employees.
·
Have get together time for staff and family but
don’t waste time and energy on corporate wellness initiatives that employees
don’t find engaging or beneficial. Use Survey Monkey or Google Forms to create
a survey to collect feedback from employees.
Companies that try to put some of these things in place seem
to have happier staff and less job turnover.
Let’s face it every company cannot compete with all the perks you get at
Google but then again some perks are better than none!
For more ideas and information on Great Energy Drinks or
checking out Healthy Recipes or submitting your own for people interested in
Healthy Lifestyles then go to our website
Have a great day CJ Henderson
