With all the discoveries in medicine, health and science, there's a myriad of reasons why working for a company that prioritizes good health and happiness is something that typical employees want out of their employer.
Sixty percent of employees said their time management skills, mental performance and ability to meet deadlines improved on the days they exercised. Healthy, active employees take fewer sick days and bring more energy to the workplace. Not that you really any more needed convincing, but this pretty much covers it:
1. Provide Stand Up Desks
In recent years, we've seen stand up desks popping up all over the globe, and for good reason! The health benefits behind this modern desk include:
- Longevity of your life (many forms of cancer have been linked to prolonged sitting)
- Improvement of posture and core strength
- Reduces eye strain
- Burns calories (standing burns 50 calories more per hour than sitting!)
2. Encourage walking meetings
Many Ytel employees, including our CEO, love walking meetings! It gets the juices flowing, and rather than having a desk separating you from your coworkers, you're able to get outside and breathe in some fresh air and get a change of pace. While some important meetings will obviously need to be in a conference room or with video conferencing made available, there will be meetings where you can talk one on one outside and on the go... take advantage of those!
3. Install a Small Gym & Showers
If a gym membership isn't possible for your business from a budget standpoint, try dedicating some office space to a workout room for your employees. Encourage employees to take a 30 minute break and get their sweat on, and then get back to it! You'll be amazed at the amount of stress relief a mid-day workout can provide people. It's also a great option to get it done in the middle of the day so they don't have to prolong it til the evening or do it early in the morning. Discuss with your leadership team how you want to handle making up the time they were in the gym; typically employees just stay an extra 30 minutes to make up for their workout time.
4. Participate in fitness challenges
We began the Global Challenge last month, which involved everyone at Ytel splitting into 7 teams and competing for 100 days to see which team can be the most active throughout the day. A healthy dose of fitness encourages work-life balance, helps to de-stress and relax at the end of the day, and improves general health. Promoting this kind of lifestyle will show your employees that you want them to feel fulfilled not only at work but also in their personal lives, with their health, etc. This is the first fitness challenge we've participated in, and it's something unique to do as a company, that's also a fun team builder!
Read more on workplace wellness here. If you've got a tip or trick that you've implemented in your workplace that increases physical fitness, share in the comments! We'd love to hear how you challenge your employees to stay active at work!
