How to Maintain a Positive Approach to Health in the Workplace

Organizations look for ways to promote a healthy workplace: Unhealthy, stressed employees typically have more absences than healthy workers. When employees call in sick, productivity may falter. The results of this may be decreased profits and revenue that hurt your bottom line.

know you care about their mental, emotional and physical well-being. Among these ways to maintain a positive approach to health in the workplace include: management of stress, exercise, healthier food and positive attitude.

Stress

High stress levels may cause many harmful physical side effects, including high blood pressure and the increased risk of a stroke, heart attack, digestive problems, headaches, back pain and chronic fatigue. Employees constantly under stress may also be more susceptible to colds and other diseases, due to its effect on blood cells that normally work to fight off infection. You may fight stress in the workplace by eliminating unreasonable deadlines and encouraging employees to take lunch breaks and small daily breaks throughout the day. Teach employees how to do relaxing chair stretches to combat tension in the neck, shoulder and back.

Exercise

Office workplaces typically feature sedentary environments, which may contribute to poor health. Encourage your workers to incorporate daily exercise, even if the majority of employees have desk positions. For example, you could pay for local gym memberships or set up a small office workout room. If that's out of your budget, give employees cost-efficient pedometers and hold a contest to see who can take the most steps in a week. When managers are meeting with staff in small groups, suggest they hold "walking meetings."

Food

Business owners often talk to their employees about a healthy workplace but bring in fattening donuts and pizza to meetings, as well as sell chips, soda and candy bars in the break room vending machine. If you're serious about promoting a healthy workplace, change unhealthy food habits as well. Provide healthy foods, such as salads and sandwiches, at mandated lunch meetings. Offer fruits and nuts in the vending machine, or provide them to your employees for free. Give workers refillable water bottles with the company logo, and plan alternative, healthier foods for birthday celebrations.

Attitude

Sometimes a simple change of perspective or attitude about work can make a big difference on the path to a healthier workplace. Unless you own a small hospital or ambulance company, work emergencies usually aren't life-or-death situations and don't need to be treated as such. If you have managers or supervisors who threaten employees or yell at them for mistakes, let them know that this type of behavior is no longer acceptable. Make a conscious decision to remain positive and happy throughout the workday, and don't allow yourself to get off track when a problem occurs

Last modified: Tuesday, 21 March 2017, 5:56 PM