Top 10 Tips for Encouraging Healthy Habits in the Workplace

Healthy habits in the workplace can have a positive effect on not only the individuals within the business, but across the whole organisation.

A health-conscious workplace is more likely to have happy, healthy, and productive employees who are able to strike a good balance between work and their personal lives.

1. Encourage all annual leave to be taken

Annual leave is provided for a reason – it should be used!

You may find some employees might be reluctant to take all of their holiday. This may be due to anxieties about a growing workload while they are away, or a feeling that they need to be available to help their team. It is essential that these worries are assuaged by leadership and that employees are activity encouraged to take all of their allocated annual leave.

This is essential for avoiding burnout and fostering a healthy work-life balance.

2. Discourage working outside of set hours

Employees should have enough time to complete their work within their scheduled hours – if this is not the case, then it is important that their workload is looked at.

Your staff should feel supported in turning off work devices at the end of the day, allowing them time to get a proper rest.

3. Support flexible working

By offering flexible working hours or remote work options, you can help employees maintain a good work-life balance and in turn:

Reduce stress
Give them time to take care of health/personal needs
Create a supportive environment focused on wellbeing

4. Offer healthy office snacks

Offering healthy snacks in communal areas will give your employees nutritious and accessible options, making it easier for them to make healthy choices.

5. Encourage regular breaks

Alongside the statutory breaks required by law, employees should be encouraged to take a short break every hour to stretch and take a few minutes away from their workstations – this is especially important when working with screens all day, so as to give your eyes a break and to move your body a bit.

During scheduled break times, employees should have somewhere they can relax and take a break from work. Taking this time away from work in a comfortable location can help employees to ‘unplug’ and reduce the risk of burnout.

6. Encourage regular health check-ups

Regular health check-ups can help to catch any potential health issues early, and getting into this habit can lead to better management and treatment of any potential health risks.

This could be promoted in your workplace by organise periodic health screenings in the office for common conditions, offering health insurance that covers regular check-ups and preventive care, or simply giving employees time during the day to attend doctors appointments.

7. Provide healthy habits training

Help your staff implement healthy habits into their routines by providing training, covering the small changes they can make in their daily lives to improve their health.

Online training is a convenient and easy way to provide your employees with helpful training.

8. Provide ergonomic furniture

Ergonomic equipment, such as ergonomically suitable chairs, standing desks, and adjustable screens can help to improve posture and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal issues, eye strain, and more.

9. Offer mental health resources

Resources such as an employee assistance programme, counselling services, and mental health awareness training can help to support employees during difficult times and give them the tools they need to look after their emotional wellbeing going forward.

A mental health first aider that staff can speak to can help to point people in the right direction for additional external resources that they might find helpful.

10. Provide fitness facilities

It’s difficult to find time in our busy schedules for fitness. However, businesses can make this easier for employees by providing facilities for them to use – either in the form of on-site facilities, or memberships/discounts at a local gym.

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