The New Year is typically associated with ‘cutting out’ the negative and ‘quitting’ those bad habits, like chocolate or alcohol. But as well as a personal resolution, why not try an employee-related resolution this year? After all, there is no limit on how many New Year’s Resolutions one can make! This can be as simple as letting individuals know they are doing a good job or allocating more time for one on-one catch-ups with workers. Praising staff can be beneficial to workers’ mental health, creating a better and less stressful workplace.
Here are more ways you can support your workers lead a healthier life:
Start the day with yoga and stretches
Yoga is a great way to exercise regardless of your surroundings. This is why it is suitable for the office as it enables stretching whilst exercising simultaneously without needing lots of equipment. If this isn’t for everyone try to encourage stretching at the start of every day, this reduces fatigue, improves posture and targets aches and pains, setting workers up for a productive day. For inspiration, we’ve suggested some stretches you can do at your desk in our blog on improving your posture.
Encourage an active lunch break
As part of taking on something new, rather than giving something up, try to encourage your workers to get out on their lunch break. This break can be a great opportunity to go for a short walk or even just to get away from the desk, possibly resulting in higher productivity for the afternoon.
Offer company-paid gym memberships or fitness classes
Many workers choose not to visit the gym for a number of reasons. Whether it’s due to not having the time, not wanting to pay for a membership or simply not bothering to go, admit it, we all have a reason to not go. But 49.9% of professionals said they would appreciate discounted or free gym memberships.* This could be squeezed into workers’ lunch routines or even before or after work. Better still, you could organise fitness classes so employees can become fitter without leaving the office. These types of active benefits are a great way of promoting a healthy lifestyle and joining the gym could be a great New Year’s Resolution!
Encourage clear-outs
Is a tidy desk a tidy mind? Scientists have discovered that surrounding yourself in a messy environment may affect your focus.** We’re talking about the endless sticky notes, empty glasses from the day before and the hoarded documents that you’ll probably never read again. Try to encourage workers to clear their desks every day before leaving in order to start the day with a clear mind.
Promote work-life balance
Answering emails outside of working hours is not a sin. However, it prevents your brain from switching off and leaving work-mode to enter leisure time. Try to encourage your workers to limit emails outside of working hours (unless necessary). This is not an encouragement to abandon your work emails after hours, but encouraging a healthy balance and time away from screens.
To find out more about the corporate wellbeing services we offer, email the team now at info@moaningcowmassage.com or call 020 7129 7310.
References
Photo – Unsplash
* CV library 2018 2 McMains Sand Kastner S. interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. J Neurosci. 2011, 31 (2) 587-597; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3766-10.2011. **http://www.jneurosci.org/c ontent/31/2/587