5 Tips For Improving Health and Wellbeing in the Office

A workplace designed to support optimal health can have long-lasting consequences, reducing sick days, boosting morale, and increasing productivity.

Irrespective of your industry or the size of your workforce, these strategies are universally applicable and can help you create a healthier working environment that benefits everyone. This inclusivity ensures that no one is left out in the journey towards a healthier workplace.

1. Improve Air Quality

One of the most crucial steps is enhancing air quality. Indoor air can often be more polluted than outdoor air, especially in buildings with poor ventilation. Poor indoor air can lead to headaches, fatigue, and even long-term health issues, particularly if allergens are present. 

Top tips to improve indoor air quality include

• Using air purifiers with HEPA filters to capture dust allergens and pollutants
• Add plants such as peace lilies and spider plants to help clean the air
• Open windows where possible to increase air flow and reduce CO2 in the building
• Extract stale and bring fresher using fans, sourced from reputable axial fan manufacturers, for higher-quality, more efficient fans for air circulation and extraction. 

2. Focus on ergonomics

Sitting still at a desk for long hours can be damaging to a person’s body. It can lead to increased pain and strain in the neck, back, and wrists.

Focusing on delivering an ergonomic workspace includes introducing ergonomic equipment, such as chairs, adjustable monitors, and sit-stand desks.

Employer, you should also encourage employees

• To take stretch breaks every hour
• Set screens at eye level
• Use keyboard trays or wrist supports
• Use foot stools or foot rests under desks

3. Encourage hydration and healthy eating.

It can be really easy for employees to fall into bad habits at work, such as grabbing junk food over fruit or healthy food options, and making another cup of coffee instead of grabbing a glass of water. 

As an employer, you can make it much easier for your employees to stay hydrated and eat healthier by following the following tips. 

• Installing filtered water stations
• Having fresh fruit or healthy snacks in the break rooms or the office
• Having health care initiatives take place throughout the year
• Introduce an outside catering service that offers employees an easier way to grab healthier foods, rather than relying on junk food

4. Increase natural light

Natural light has long been proven to be more beneficial for physical and mental health than artificial light. You want to make sure that you are maximising the natural light that comes into your office via the windows. If you do not have windows, then you need to replace all of your bulbs with natural light-mimicking bulbs that can help reduce artificial light indoors and increase the incidence of natural light. Partnering plants and greenery with natural light flooding the office can increase the impact of natural light for a more beneficial working space.

5. Create a calm and positive space.

Office health isn’t just about physical health; it’s about mental health, too. Employees need to ensure they have quiet spaces where they can take a break when needed. Using calming colours, natural light, and plants will also help soften the workspace and create a more calm and welcoming vibe for everybody in it. 

Employees can also consider offering mental health days, flexible work and hours, and access to stress management resources to help employees boost their health and wellbeing.