Today’s largely-digital business world isn’t doing too much to help the wellbeing of its employees. When you consider that just about each and every one of us spends upwards of six hours a day glued to a desk, just a few feet from a display, the wellness outlook is pretty bleak.
We sit and snack on high-calorie snacks, don’t move much at all and wallow in our stresses. Aside from being terrible for our health, all of these issues also hit our productivity.
In this article, we’ll take a look at seven wellness perks that should be incorporated into every office!
Consider Nap Rooms or Pods
We all recognise that quality sleep is integral to being able to function correctly at work, this isn’t new knowledge. What is new, however, is the encouragement business are giving their employees to nap at work. Organisations now understand that burnout is one of the biggest inhibitors of quality work and giving your employees an hour or half-hour nap will leave them refreshed and ready to continue on with the day.
A sleep specialist from Ohio State University outlined that a nap of just 20 minutes after lunch or in the afternoon had a major affect on employee ‘attention, vigilance, mood and alertness’.
Provide Healthy Snacks
When we work through lunch and choose to snack on sugary high-calorie office foods, we’re doing far more harm than good. If employees are devouring chocolates, soda, chips and other unhealthy snacks around the office, your team is going to collapse off of sugar highs all day and be craving the next snack. They’ll be more focused on finding something else to eat rather than their work which is a major problem.
Try integrating healthy snacks in the office like fruits, nuts, sugar-free trail bars and other little refreshments here and there. This way when someone does snack on something, they’ll have sustained energy for hours, giving them time to focus and create quality work.
Organise Mental Health Sit-downs
Not one person wants a fellow team member to suffer in silence when dealing with depression, anxiety or any other mental health issues. One main reason stopping many people seeking help is the stigma around mental health.
Work to combat this by organising office sit-downs to discuss any issues and foster a no-judgment zone. It’ll pay off tremendously through overall employee happiness, motivation and workplace efficiency.
Install Standing or Treadmill Desks
Everyone understands sedentary living is unhealthy and can result in poor work quality. If we’re all moping about the office like sloths and not really waking ourselves up, we’ll be unmotivated, inefficient and probably moody.
Investing in a few standing or treadmill desks is going to massively increase morale for all team members and will ensure daily exercise goals are met. Studies have shown us that something as simple as a steady walk while doing our work can even improve our productivity.
Consider Office Massages
In line with nap rooms, office massages are fantastic ways to give team members the opportunity to slow down and relax. We all work better in a less tense, relaxed mindset and there’s no better way for us to get into that state than with massages in the office. These massages give us time to unwind and focus on something other than a deadline.
Office massages also fight the negative effects of our office lifestyles. Who can stay focused on working if their shoulders are burning from sitting in a chair for eight hours? A routine office massage will keep everyone feeling their best and make office life a whole lot more bearable.
For times where an in-office massage might be in the cards, considers foam rollers for a self-induced relaxing experience.
Form an Office Sports Club
Like Intel, consider an office sports club or a team for outside of work to build employee relationships and foster cohesiveness. Of course, a sport is great for mental and physical health too, which should certainly be on the top of every boss’s mind.
Organise weekly meetups at a local gym or park for a game of soccer, basketball or football and give everyone some time to get their minds thoroughly off of work.
Encourage Appreciation Sharing
As we’re shown time and time again, mental health is greatly affected by one’s ability to communicate and share their feelings, appreciation or receive positive feedback. In fact, just showing gratitude or knowing you’re appreciated can reduce the chances of depression and even improve sleep.
Consider allowing team members to share their appreciation of one another through either a shared document or an afternoon briefing. You’ll notice mood changes and a happier workplace in just a few weeks.