Let me introduce you to Nicole Clark. My guest writer for the week.
Creating a healthy work environment for your team benefits your company not only because it helps prevent absenteeism but also because it increases morale, motivation, and engagement, and consequently productivity. A healthy workforce in a positive environment therefore improves business performance.
To get started on creating a productive and healthy work environment for your team, incorporate these ideas in your office.
Encourage Exercise and Promote a Healthy Lifestyle.
In Japan, companies not only have wellness programs for employees; they schedule exercise programs during work hours as well. The Japanese recognize that one of the factors that drive the success of a company is the workers themselves, especially their mental and physical health, which translate to their ability to be productive.
Corporate wellness in Japan has become part of the office culture so encouraging exercise is easy – but what if you’re just starting out with introducing a health and wellness program in your company?
Make it your goal to cultivate an office culture where workers choose to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s important to make having a healthy work environment a communal goal, something that would make everyone feel good about participating in.
If you have the space and budget for it, you can designate a floor or a section thereof for fitness activities – a gym, dance studio, yoga corner, ping-pong hub, or what have you. You can also encourage friendly competition or teamwork through team-based challenges and offer incentives or prizes such as gift cards to winning teams.
Create a Conducive Work Space with Color.
Colors can impact employee well-being by encouraging positive emotions. You can use color to evoke creativity and feelings of positivity. Scientific studies have found that colors not only affect mood but also impact productivity – which is why it’s recommended to tweak your office with stimulating colors that spark creativity and boost employee output.
Here’s a closer look at various colors and how they can make your workplace a more productive one.
· Blue – has a calming effect and aids in concentration; best for a workspace where tasks require detailed focus.
· Green – choose a light, soothing shade to ease anxiety and initiate relaxation, making people feel welcomed and safe.
· Yellow, Orange – linked to positive emotions such as excitement, optimism, and joy; best used for rooms where creatives work to help them come up with innovative ideas.
· Red – energizing and increases the heart rate; best used in places where people carry out a lot of physical work.
Avoid painting your walls bare white, because this gives off a clinical, sterile, isolated, and cold feeling that hinders productivity.
Perk up Your Workplace with Plants.
Plants in workspaces can increase happiness, improve performance, and boost productivity. Psychologists have found that workers were 15 percent more productive when workplaces are filled with a few houseplants, because these get employees psychologically engaged with their environment and make them work better.
Having live plants around also improves indoor air quality and contributes to making office spaces healthier. It has also been found that office plants reduce stress as well as increase focus and efficiency among employees.
Encourage Healthy Eating Habits.
Another surefire way to create a healthy work environment is to encourage workers to eat healthy. Here are some ideas how:
· Provide your employees with healthy options in the cafeteria or wherever they take their meals. · Supply a communal fruit bowl or salad bar to curb unhealthy eating, and make sure your office pantry is stocked with healthy, nutrient-rich options instead of junk food.
· Make your breakfast or lunch meetings healthy by ordering something nutritious and delicious at the same time.
· Encourage everyone to drink more water – always make sure your water dispenser is full, and have everyone bring their own mugs, tumblers or water bottles.
Keep it Tidy.
For your day-to-day operations, you use workplace management software to keep things organized. For everything else however, you have to encourage everyone to do their part in keeping their workspaces organized as well. It’s easier to work, find what you need, and tidy up at the end of the day when you clean as you go.
The cleanliness of a work environment also impacts health – empty food wrappers and bits of food invite nasty, disease-carrying critters like mice and cockroaches. To prevent this, discourage eating at desks and provide waste bins, which should be emptied at the end of the day. Make sure your ventilation and air conditioning systems are serviced and regularly, the office pantry is kept clean, and food waste is properly disposed of.
Those are just some of the things you can do to make your office space more productive, healthy, and generally a good place to be. You don’t have to do everything overnight – take small steps and gradually you’ll see the difference.
Thanks so much for reading!
The post Guest Post: 5 Easy Ways To Create A Productive And Healthy Work Environment appeared first on RockinRandomMom.